Picking The Hotel That Gets You The Most Bang For Your Buck

You are going to need to book a hotel room sooner or later. It’s imperative that you know what you’re doing when looking for your hotel. Follow the tips presented here to get the best accommodations.

Before making reservations at a hotel, check the online review sites. This gives you first-hand accounts of people’s experiences in each hotel. Find out what actual customers say about the hotel and it can help you avoid a costly mistake.

TIP! Before making reservations at a hotel, check the online review sites. This lets you know what others’ experiences have been like.

Before making reservations at a hotel, check the online review sites. You will be able to see the most recent reviews. The information provided by patrons of the hotel will help you make a good choice of where to stay.

Use websites like Orbitz and Expedia for great prices. Input your loyalty info when you are looking for rates online. You may also be able to get discounts through AAA or AARP.

TIP! Find great prices at online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. Make sure you notify the reservation clerk about any loyalty program you belong to with the hotel.

Take advantage of tools provided online when searching for a hotel. These websites can help you quickly find great deals. They can tell you what the average rate at a hotel is, ensuring you know the general pricing. These travel sites also list activities available in your area.

See if your organizational memberships offer any benefits. Some of them may provide discounts on hotel stays. Many people don’t remember these discounts, which can save them 10% or more. This can result in significant savings, especially for longer stays. For a week of vacation time that adds up to an extra day!

TIP! Consider your organizational memberships. Do they offer hotel discounts? People frequently forget these discounts are available, and they can be 10 percent or more.

Before you book a hotel, look for deals online. Often, the person booking your room won’t tell you about discounts available online. It is your duty to perform due diligence. Use popular websites such as Jetsetter, SniqueAway, or RueLalaTravel.

Search online tools for hotels. These websites can help you quickly find the best value. They can also show you what the hotel’s average rates typically are, allowing you to see whether you are actually getting a good deal or not. In addition, these tools can help you determine the best time to go on vacation and the things that you can do there.

TIP! Use online search tools for hotels. Travel websites are very helpful when seeking the best deals.

Prior to emptying out your suitcase, carefully look over your room. Make sure there is no mold or mildew anywhere in the room. Do the plumbing fixtures function properly? Do you have an adequate number of towels? If there are any obvious problems, report them to the front desk immediately so that they can be taken care of or you can be moved to a different room.

Checking online is the best way to find a good price and get the information that you need about hotels. Most of the time, people you speak with over the phone won’t mention any discounts possibly available to you. This is why you should look for discounts yourself. Look to websites like RueLaLaTravel or Jetsetter for more help.

TIP! Search for hotel deals online. Sometimes, the person at the hotel desk might forget to mention a discount for booking online.

Planning for a trip months or even just weeks in advance can often get you a better rate for your hotel room. A lot of places will give you a discount if you’re going to book about a month or so in advance. This way, you can save as much as 50 percent even with the most elite brands.

Be aware of when you can check into your room. Sometimes there are people that don’t know when the room will be ready and so they aren’t sure of what to do with the extra time they have since they can’t check in. If you might be arriving before the check-in time, ask the hotel whether it’s okay to come.

TIP! Know the check-in times. Sometimes there are people that don’t know when the room will be ready and so they aren’t sure of what to do with the extra time they have since they can’t check in.

Think about these three things if you plan to bring a pet with you during your hotel stay. Find out if the hotel will allow pets first. In addition, take along some plastic bags to pick up your pet’s mess. When you go to make the hotel reservation, see if there is room on the end that would prevent the other guests from hearing a noisy pet.

You can get better deals on hotel rooms if you book several weeks or months ahead. If you can book a couple of months early, a lot of locations will give you a steeper discount. You may find yourself saving as much as half off of the room’s typical rates.

TIP! To get a good price when you want a hotel room, get your trips planned quite a few weeks or so in advance. If you can book early, you may get a huge discount.

If you’re a member of the AAA, you should see what your hotel membership discount will be. Your membership may entitle you to hotel discounts. You could save 5% or even 10% on some rooms. The savings can really add up if you’re staying multiple nights.

Don’t think that all hotels will be pet friendly. Always call to ask, even if it says pet-friendly online. Be certain you understand all rules pertaining to pets. Some hotels only allow certain types, sizes and breeds.

TIP! Do not assume that each hotel welcomes pets. Put a call into the front desk just to be sure, no matter what it says on their website.

If you enjoy a morning run, try booking a hotel room that’s near the beach or an open park. Jogging around the city before you start your day will add enjoyment to your vacation. Running down city streets or country roads can give you a fresh view of the place you are visiting.

If you want to get your daily runs in while on vacation, make sure to bring your running gear with you. Get up early and dress for a jog in the early morning. Even if you stick to city streets, you will gain a better perspective on your destination city before you leave.

TIP! Always remember to pack running clothes and any thing else you need for exercising while on your trip. Head out early in the morning after donning your running gear.

If you go out to travel quite a bit, it’s good to get signed up for a hotel’s loyalty program. They give people benefits if they go to that chain often. You can get a free upgrade, restaurant gift certificates or even a free stay!

Remember that hotel chains often provide loyalty programs offering excellent discounts. Similar to frequent flyer programs with an airline company, hotel programs will typically give you points for each visit. In time you may even get to stay there for free!

TIP! Do you use the same hotels on a regular basis? If so, check out their membership programs for frequent guests. Like the programs for frequent flyer, these programs the hotel offer give you points whenever you stay with them.

Accrue Points

If preserving the environment is of interest to you, you can chose a “green” vacation. There are a lot of eco-friendly hotels out there. Newer hotels are sometimes built according to green standards. Older hotels might change practices to be more green. Ask around for hotels that are friendly to the environment.

TIP! You may wish to consider a “green” vacation if the environment is one of your concerns. There are plenty of “green” hotels that take the environment into consideration.

Joining certain clubs that let you accrue points can help you reap major benefits from your regular hotel stays. Each hotel stay can accrue points towards vacation perks.

If you are planning on staying in a hotel room with your children, make sure you call the hotel in advance to ensure they provide a working pool or some other fun activities for your children to do. There are few things as frustrating as showing up to a hotel, with your kids chomping at the bit to get in the pool, only to have it closed for repairs.

TIP! If you wish to have happy kids while you’re on the road, be sure you call a hotel to see if they have a working pool at the time. It can be extremely frustrating if you arrive at your hotel only to find out the pool is shut down for maintenance.

If you want your family to have a happy stay, call the hotel ahead and ensure that their swimming pools are available and in good working order. It will be a huge disappointment if you arrive at the hotel with the kids ready to swim and they are not able to do so.

If you smoke, be aware of the hotel policy with regard to smoking. Many have rooms set aside for people who smoke. If you smoke, you should make a specific reservation for this type of room. Certain hotels will charge you a steep fee if you get caught smoking in a room that is non-smoking. Be sure to follow the rules of the hotel.

TIP! If you are a smoker, know the smoking policy for the hotel in which you are staying. Some have smoking rooms.

Moking Rooms

For hygienic purposes, you may want to avoid using the bedspread that the hotel provides. Most hotels only wash the sheets on the bed; however, the bedspread is normally not washed. Therefore, you don’t really know what is on it. Just make sure you remove the bedspread.

TIP! You probably should avoid using the hotel’s bedspread for hygienic reasons. They generally will wash the blankets and sheets that are under the bedspread, but the main bedspread may not be washed.

Check if a hotel you’re looking to stay at is non-smoking or smoking. If you aren’t a smoker, then you want to avoid smoking rooms and maybe even smoking hotels in general, but most hotel chains do have smoking and non-smoking rooms. The smoke can settle into your clothing and luggage. Sometimes, smokers rent non-smoking rooms because that is all that is available, and then they smoke in them anyway. If you are a non-smoker, be sure to request a non-smoking room in a non-smoking area of the hotel or you can find a hotel that is completely smoke free.

Don’t drink the bottled water you’ll find in your hotel room. When you arrive at your hotel, you might be very thirsty. It is tempting to simply grab that refreshing bottle of water conveniently available in the mini-fridge. Hotels take advantage of guests by charging ridiculous amounts for bottled water. Sometimes the hotel gym offers bottled water for free. What would be best is if you just packed your own bottles.

TIP! Do not drink the bottled water in your room. When you arrive at your hotel, you might be very thirsty.

Find out how the hotel handles pets. If you’re scared of pets or have allergies, you may not want to stay in a pet friendly hotel. The smells tend to stick around. Some hotels may charge you extra for pets, and some may not charge at all, or the fees are lower. The fee charged may not be adequate to cover the extra cleaning needed to completely remove the odors.

Don’t think that you should steal the hotel’s property. If you do take any items, the housekeeping staff is sure to notice, and you may receive a bill from the hotel. Ask the hotel upfront if you can buy similar items from them directly.

TIP! Don’t give into the temptation to take hotel linens home. If housekeeping notices that you’ve taken towels or linens, you may be billed for those items.

It is not always possible to check-in early. So, you may have to sit for a while in the lobby or find a way to occupy yourself until checking in if you are going to be arriving early. The room has to be cleaned ahead of your check in. If you happen to show up early just ask if your room was prepared early, but they’re most likely going to say no.

You may be able to score a free upgrade. To help you get an upgrade, arrive at the front desk at check-in time. If you arrive early or in a timely manner, your room may not be ready for you yet; however, this can mean a discount on your rate.

TIP! You can actually get a room upgrade without paying a dime. You can be sure of this by being on time to accept your hotel booking.

People have to stay in hotels from time to time. It’s necessary to do some research before you book. This article has the advice you need, so use it!

You can make your stay at any hotel more pleasant by tipping when it is appropriate. For instance, room service usually includes the tip; however, the bill for maid service doesn’t. Providing tips ensures that you receive good service during your hotel stay.

TIP! Tipping when appropriate will make your hotel stay more pleasant. Many hotel guests do not realize that they are supposed to tip the maid, but not room service.