Going On Vacation? Check Out These Tips Before Booking Your Hotel!

Have you ever booked a horrible hotel room that turned out to be a complete dump? This can put a trip. Read on to learn how to locate a great room at a great price.

You can find good deals on hotel rooms using online travel sites. As you check your rates, don’t forget to include that you’re a loyalty program member. Some organizations like AAA and AARP offer lodging discounts for a variety of hotel chains.

TIP! Find great prices at online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. If you are a member of the hotel’s loyalty program, don’t forget to add that information as you check rates.

Check for online reviews before booking a room. These will give you some information from people that have stayed at each hotel. What people say about their experiences at the hotels you’re thinking of booking can ensure you in coming to the right decision.

Keep your electronics secure by using the hotel safe located in your hotel room. Your iPad, watch, and other smaller, expensive items can be placed into the safe, then you can rest assured at their safety as you head out for a fun-filled day.

TIP! Use your hotel room’s safe to keep your valuables secure. You can use it to store your tablet and other expensive items to keep them secure.

Find great hotel room prices at online travel websites like Orbitz and Expedia. If you are a member of a hotel loyalty program, remember to include that information when you are checking on rates. You may also qualify for discounts through AAA or AARP.

Take a look into organizations you are part of. Some of these organizations will offer you discounts on hotel prices. Many people don’t remember these discounts, which can save them 10% or more. This is a good discount that only gets better the longer you stay in a hotel. It can add up to almost a free hotel night!

TIP! Check with the organizations that you are a member with. Some organizations offer discounts on hotels to their members.

Consider taking advantage of room service when the urge strikes for a special meal without needing to go out. While this could cost you a little more, it is more convenient to remain in your room while satisfying your hunger.

There are quite a few things you need to think over when you’re about to stay at a hotel. Price is one thing you should consider, but when you get a hotel you may want it near a certain place. Amenities, such as a gym, room service, or free Wi-Fi, might be of importance to you. Choose an establishment that offers the amenities you desire.

TIP! When booking a hotel, you need to establish what you need and what you would ideally like from your stay. While price is obviously a factor, you may want to think about room size and amenities as well.

Check in on the organizations that you’re a member of. Some organizations will offer discounts on hotel prices. These discounts are often forgotten about, they can save you upwards of ten percent.It can add up to equal a free hotel night!

Take advantage of search tools online. These sites can help you get good deals. They display the average rates of hotels so that you can see if the deal you are getting is good. They might even offer some decent entertainment venues that you should experience while you’re in the local area.

TIP! Use online hotel search tools. These websites can help you quickly find the best value.

Inspect the room before unpacking your bags. Is the room clean? Do you see any mold and mildew? Are there enough linens and towels that you’re going to need? If you have any problem with the room, report them to the front desk immediately so that they can be taken care of or you can be moved to a different room.

Most hotels are not pet-friendly. So call ahead and make sure you understand if there are extra fees or a limited number of rooms available. Make sure they specify what pet-friendly means since there may be certain restrictions on pet sizes and breeds that are allowed on the property.

TIP! Never make the assumption that all hotels allows pets in your room. Be sure to call in advance and find out about their policies, regardless of website info.

Know when check-in time in advance.Some people end up waiting for their room is still not ready. Call the front desk to find out if you think you’ll be early.

If you need to travel with your pet, you need to make three advance preparations. Find out if the hotel you have selected is pet-friendly. For easy cleanup, make sure that you have brought along an adequate number of plastic bags. Reserving a room near the end of a hallway will keep other guests from being disturbed by your pet.

TIP! There are three things to do ahead of time if you want to bring your pet to a hotel with you. Confirm that pets are allowed in the room you are staying.

Plan your trip as far in advance for the best rates. Many locations offer the best discounts if you book a few months in advance. You may even be able to cut the room’s typical rates.

If you have a AAA membership, look into hotel discounts included. It might be surprising to learn that some auto club memberships include hotel discounts. It’s possible you could save 5 percent or higher on hotels across the United States. These savings can really add up if you travel often.

TIP! Always see if your AAA membership can get you a discount on the hotel you intend to stay at. Many people are surprised to see hotel discounts included with their auto club membership.

Do not assume that your pets are welcome at all hotels.

If you travel frequently, sign up for loyalty programs at your favorite hotels. These are exceptional benefits reserved for customers who frequently use a particular chain of hotels. These programs can assure you niceties such as the best prices, room upgrades, and special perks such as free meals or late checkouts.

TIP! Do you travel on a periodic basis? If so, consider joining your hotel’s loyalty program. They provide rewards to those who stay with them often.

Book massages as far ahead of time as possible to guarantee you get the perfect couples massage for you and your significant other.The best practitioners go fast, and you don’t want to miss out.

If you are always staying at the same chain, find out about the programs they offer to frequent guests. These hotel programs give you points for each stay. These points can be traded in for restaurant discounts, tickets to shows, free nights at the hotel, and much more.

TIP! If you tend to return to the same family of hotels for your vacation, consider joining their membership reward programs. Just like with a frequent flyer mile program, you can get points for staying a hotel.

It may be wise to join a hotel loyalty programs that your favorite hotels offer.They provide benefits to travelers who regularly stay with them often. You will be able to earn stuff like a free upgrade, late checkout time, or other great perks.

The timing for your booking of a hotel room has much to do with what you pay. The price is subject to the laws of supply and demand like any other product. If possible, try to book your room 24 hours or less in advance. This can net you a great deal. Empty rooms earn no money, so the hotels often slash the prices.

TIP! The time you book the room will change how much you’ll pay. Hotels price their rooms based on how many rooms are available.

Be sure to avoid hotel transfers when booking a room.If the rooms are cheap, these types of hidden charges can sometimes surface. You will save the most money when you ask about such a thing in advance.

For those frequent travelers, it may be better to build loyalty and perks by joining the membership club of your favorite hotel. Every stay in a particular hotel chain where you are a member will add points to your total, which can later be used on free rooms or amenities that usually cost you.

TIP! To get optimal value from a hotel stay, especially if you find yourself traveling a lot for your business, sign up for membership programs such as those offered by Marriott or Choice Hotels. The more points you get, the more free stays you can use for vacations.

Join a membership program if you frequently stay there on business trips. These points that can translate into some major perks when you’re vacationing.

Try not to make any long-distance calls from your hotel room. Use the Internet, instead. You’ll often find hotels have free Wi-Fi, which allows for Skype calling long distance numbers for free. Use these types of services to keep in contact with loved ones back home instead of having exorbitant charges added to your bill from the costly phone calls.

TIP! Do not make long distance calls from your hotel room. Instead, you should try the Internet.

Distance Calls

Avoid the bottled water! When you arrive at your hotel, you might be very thirsty. You might want to open the bottled water they left you. Hotels are well aware of this, and the bottled water they provide is far more costly than it is elsewhere. Certain hotel gyms will provide guests for bottled water free of charge. You could also bring your own bottled water.

TIP! Don’t open that bottles water! When you get checked in you might feel thirsty and a little tired. You may get tempted to open a bottle of water that is in the hotel’s mini-fridge.

Don’t call long distance calls from your hotel room. Many hotels will give you complimentary Skype connections via Wi-Fi. You will be able to stay in touch with family and friends while you are away without the additional expense of making expensive long distance calls from your hotel phone.

In order to pay the lowest rate possible, don’t travel during the peak season. Rates are always highest at this time. Hotels are looking to increase occupancy during off-season months and this is the ideal time to book a room. This will get you a real bargain.

TIP! In order to pay the lowest rate possible, don’t travel during the peak season. Rooms are usually very expensive at that point in time.

Start looking in the hotel bathroom if you need to make sure there are no bed bugs. This is probably not where you will find them. Kids and pets can stay there too.

If you want an upgrade, use an approach that may snag it for free. One savvy way to possibly get an upgrade is to show up at the check-in time you booked exactly on the minute. Often the room you have reserved will still be dirty, so the front desk may offer an upgraded room for no charge.

TIP! You can often get a free upgrade of your hotel room. An excellent method of achieving an upgrade is simply showing up for your room right on time.

Check if your prospective hotel is non-smoking or smoking. If you’re not a smoker, you will enjoy a non-smoking room more. Smokers also sometimes smoke in rooms that the room they are not supposed to smoke in.

If you need to reserve a hotel room while you are traveling, you can find some helpful information at welcome centers, gas stations and rest stops with valuable discounts. In this way, you can call to get the best deal rather than wasting gas searching in person.

TIP! If you’re trying to get into a hotel while you’re out and about, check out rest areas or gas stations to find tourist books which will have maps, prices, and great discounts. This will allow you to book a room with a phone call instead of traveling from hotel to hotel trying to find a room.

You should know that early check-ins to hotels are not usually possible. Plan your trip right or you don’t want to wait. The hotels need a chance to clean each room prior to check in. If you can’t avoid being early, you can ask if it’s possible to do so early, but be prepared if they can’t accommodate you.

It is possible to enhance your hotel experience by providing tips as necessary. Your room service bill may automatically include a tip, but your maid service bill probably does not. Good tipping means you get better service on future stays or additional nights.

TIP! Tip when appropriate to help ensure a pleasant hotel stay. You don’t have to necessarily tip for room service, that is usually already added to the bill, but the maid service workers are customarily tipped by you.

Not every hotel chains do offer these and those that will be able to accommodate you. Talk about these issues as you make your reservations.

Some hotels rooms offer good views while others do not. If you don’t have to pay more to get a good view, always go for a room with the best view. This can make your stay better. It’s a simple thing to ask whether there are rooms available where the view is better.

TIP! The view from your room is important to some and is always different from one hotel to the next. If you do not have to pay more for a room with a good view, ask for one.

Never actually check out earlier than your scheduled departure date unless it’s an emergency. The hotel may charge a fee for early departure fee. When you make your reservation, the hotel takes that room off the market; thus, so they lose money if you leave early.

Hotels may advertise one price but you can usually get a much lower price. The posted price is known at the “rack rate”. People in the know don’t pay it. Hotels are used to travelers asking for discounts or special rates and they are usually happy to accomodate you. Therefore, never accept full price and get in touch with the hotel in order to work up the best deal. Don’t be afraid to ask for a deal beyond reason. They’ll probably settle in a middle-ground. You can also find deep discounts on various travel websites.

TIP! Don’t pay the rate advertised. They call this the “rack rate,” which savvy travelers know not to pay.

Do not take any of the linens with you when you leave.

You can reap some nice benefits when booking a hotel room when you are celebrating a special occasion. They may give you a little perk for your birthday, anniversary or graduation. You might be presented with champagne or some other enjoyable gift. Avoid lying because that’s wrong.

TIP! Inform the hotel if you are staying for a special occasion. Many hotels are happy to throw in a little extra if it’s your birthday or anniversary, but it all depends on who you talk to.

You can often save money saved if you book your flight and hotel at the same time. Travel sites typically offers savings when you book both your flight and hotel.

To find affordable hotel prices, check out sites such as Travelocity and Expedia. These sites help hotels sell a lot of rooms, and they offer discounts that can’t be found elsewhere. You may be required to bid on some, while others provide a price and star rating without showing the name unless you buy, so make sure you are aware of that.

TIP! Look at different websites online to find cheap prices. These websites sell lots of hotel rooms, and hotels allow them to offer discounts than cannot be found any other place.

If you need to book a room while driving, look at tourist centers, rest areas and gas stations for free tourist books that contain maps of hotels, and great discounts. This helps you time and money.

It is generally thought that the hotel housekeeper should receive a tip on your final day of lodging. Tips for other things can be skipped as they are generally added into the bill, but housekeeping and cleaning services should be tipped. You probably were a little messy, so be nice and leave a little something for the maid.

TIP! Tipping the housekeeper is customary. You can justify not tipping other services as the bill usually includes these extras, but it is customary to tip room service maids.

You can make your stay is pleasant by tipping when it is appropriate. For instance, fees for room service often include the tip with the bill, but you must tip the maid yourself. Tipping helps establish a good relationship between you are well-liked and the hotel employees who will be attending to your needs.

Various hotels within a single chain or brand may not be of the same quality. Just because you enjoyed the hotel chain at one location does not necessarily mean you will enjoy it at another location. Check the hotels individually so you don’t get any surprises.

TIP! The quality of hotels in a chain may be inconsistent. Just because you had a great stay at one hotel doesn’t mean the experience will repeat itself.

After reading this article, you will understand how to book an affordable hotel and enjoy your stay. You can easily find deals on hotels when you how how to look. Be sure to keep these tips in mind.

A lot of hotel websites as well as brochures will use Photoshop to make their hotel look better. The pictures may be Photoshopped to eliminate unsightly things like a bad neighborhood or a run down pool. Make sure you do your research well and get a good idea of the real environment where your hotel is located.

TIP! Sometimes hotel websites or brochures enhance their photos with Photoshop. The pictures may be Photoshopped to eliminate unsightly things like a bad neighborhood or a run down pool.