There are innumerable hotels across the country, all the way from luxury, five-star resorts to economical roadside motels that have not been updated in decades. Trips with good hotel stays are good memories, whereas bad hotel stays can mean nightmares. Keep reading for assistance in finding a good hotel.
Use travel websites, like Expedia and Priceline to find great hotel deals. If you are a member of a hotel loyalty program, make sure to indicate this when searching for rates. Also, as an added bonus, you may get discounts from other companies such as AAA or AARP.
Be sure to read online review websites prior to booking a hotel. These websites have reviews and comments from people who have recent experience with their stay. What others say will help you make a wise decision.
Double-check your organizational memberships. Many organizations provide hotel discounts for members. Discounts of 10% or more are often available, and people sometimes forget that they are eligible to claim them. If you are planning to stay a few nights, this can really add up. This can rack up a free night over the entire course of a whole week.
When making a hotel selection, you should consider many things. The location of the hotel may be just as important than the price. A gym, pool, free breakfast, free wireless Internet, free local calls, and all kinds of other things may be important. Try to get yourself a hotel with what you need in it when possible.
Upon arriving at your hotel, check your room before you unpack. Is the room clean? Do the toilet, sink and shower work properly? Are there enough linens and towels? If you have any questions or notice any problems with the room, immediately call the front desk and report them so that they may be handled. You may also asked to be transferred to a new room if the problem is serious, such as mold or mildew.
Utilize the Internet when searching for a hotel. Use these websites to your advantage! Hotel search websites also let you see the regular rates of hotels, so you can compare and see whether a supposed deal is really a good one. These travel sites also list activities available in your area.
Plan your trip as far in advance as possible. Quite a few locations will give discounts if you choose to book a room a month or more in advance. You might only pay half price for premium hotels.
Always check the room before you begin to unpack your belongings. Your room should definitely be neat and should not have any odd smells, suspicious stains or mildew. Are the facilities operating correctly? Are there enough of the right linens? Any problems that you notice should be reported to front desk staff right away. That way, they can be rectified or you can change rooms.
If you are traveling with a pet, it is best to find a pet friendly hotel ahead of time. Call ahead to their service desk and make sure, even if their website listing says they are. Be certain you understand all rules pertaining to pets. Some hotels only allow certain types, sizes and breeds.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking all hotels will accept pets. Even if the website says they are pet-friendly, always call in advance to verify. Make sure that you ask ahead what pet-friendly means to the hotel because this is a loose term that may still mean there are certain restrictions.
Taking a pet on a trip requires some extra responsibility. 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. When you make your reservation, request accommodations near the very end of the floor in order to not disturb other guests.
If you need to have a pet stay with you in your hotel room, do a few things ahead of time. Make sure the hotel is actually pet-friendly. You should bring some plastic bags and cleaning supplies to keep the room clean behind your pet. Be kind to other hotel guests by requesting a room that is as far away from other guests as possible, so they won’t be disturbed by any noise your pet may make.
Book any massage appointments you make early. Resorts that have masseurs often have very fully booked massage schedules, so it is important to plan ahead.
If you’re a member of the AAA, you should see what your hotel membership discount will be. It might be surprising to learn that some auto club memberships include hotel discounts. You could save 5% or even 10% on some rooms. Those discounts add up to great savings, especially if you will be having an extended stay.
If you have a AAA membership, it may qualify you for a hotel discount. You may not know that your membership to the auto club includes discounts on hotels. You may save 5% or even more on nationwide hotels. This is a savings that can really add up over several nights.
Do you travel a lot? Consider using a hotel loyalty program. They offer benefits to people that stay at the same chain quite often. These programs can assure you niceties such as the best prices, room upgrades, and special perks such as free meals or late checkouts.
Vacation “green” if you are worried about the environment. It is fortunate for you that there are quite a lot of green hotels available. Many new hotels are constructed to meet green standards, earning green certification. Eco-friendly strategies are also now commonly adopted by many older hotels. Ask your booking agent about green hotels.
If you tend to return to the same family of hotels for your vacation, consider joining their membership reward programs. Similar to how you earn points from frequent flyer programs, hotels offer you similar rewards for your stay. With enough points you can get free rooms in the future. They may also offer discounts for shows, restaurants and other things.
Being a AAA member has many advantages when it comes to booking a hotel room. Members of AAA will get additional hotel discounts up to five percent, but you’ll also get discounts on rental cars as well. It is definitely worth looking into.
Vacation “green” if you are worried about the environment. Luckily, many hotels are around these days for you to choose from. Some hotels are certified to be green. Hotels that have been around for a while may employ a variety of eco-friendly practices. Talk to your travel agent about what you want to do and let them seek out a few appropriate hotels.
Avoid using the hotel phone to make long distance phone calls. Use your cell phone or the Internet. Skype connections are available in many hotels these days using Wi-Fi. You can stay connected with people back home by using this instead of making expensive long distance calls from your hotel phone.
If you don’t want to get a big expense on the hotel bill you get, speak to the place about hotel transfers prior to booking things. You don’t want to ruin the deal you are getting on your room by paying for an expensive transfer. You should inquire about this before booking the hotel room.
If you are traveling with kids, make sure the hotel you book has a working pool. There is nothing worse than arriving at your destination anxiously looking forward to splashing around in the pool, only to find that it is closed.
Avoid making long distance calls from the hotel room phone. Use your cell phone or the Internet. You’ll often find hotels have free Wi-Fi, which allows for Skype calling long distance numbers for free. You can stay in touch with work or family without the high cost of a call from the phone in your room.
If you smoke, be aware of the hotel policy with regard to smoking. Certain hotels provide rooms that are specifically for people who smoke. If you smoke, you should make a specific reservation for this type of room. A few hotels will charge you in the event that they discover you’ve been smoking in their rooms where it’s prohibited, so abide by the smoking rules.
If you are worried about bed bugs, start your inspection in the bathroom. This is the last room they are likely to be. That is what makes it the best place to start. You can store your luggage there and search the rest of your room for those bedbugs. Put kids and pets in there, too.
You should know that you generally aren’t going to be able to do an early check-in at a hotel. Unless you’re okay with waiting for your room to be ready, plan your timing wisely. Most hotels clean and prepare rooms at a certain time, so that they are ready for check-in. If you do arrive before the normal check-in, you can ask if it’s possible to do so early, but this should not be expected.
Most customers skip on the research step and eventually purchase the first hotel reservation that they stumble upon. This is a risky approach that can backfire on you. Use the tips from this article so that you do not have to spend the night in unpleasant accommodations.
If a crib or a rollaway bed is necessary for your stay, let your booking agent know. Not every hotel will be able to accommodate you. They may charge extra for this. You can always discuss the possibilities with the hotel clerk or manager on the phone before you book your room.