After making a hotel reservation, have you found that your room is not what you expected? If you answered yes, you are aware of what it can do to your trip. On the other hand, you want to avoid booking an expensive hotel, too. The information below will help you find a wonderful hotel at an affordable price.
There are plenty of websites that offer reviews for local hotels, for example TripAdvisor. Use these websites to review a hotel before you make the actual reservation. Here you can get first-hand reports of the experience people had staying at different hotels. What others say will help you make a wise decision.
Take advantage of the safe you have in your room, especially if you have electronics with you. Your small electronic devices can be left in the safe when you are out, so you will not have to worry about them.
Use online travel sites, such as Expedia and Orbitz, to find the best prices at the hotels you want to stay at. If you are a member of the hotel’s loyalty program, don’t forget to add that information as you check rates. You may also qualify for discounts from other organizations you belong to such as AAA or AARP.
Find out if any organization to which you belong offers good discounts. Some of these organizations will offer you discounts on hotel prices. Many people forget to do this and miss out on saving a sizable amount of money. For extended stays, this can really add up. This can mean a lot of savings over a full week stay.
Make sure you put your valuables inside the safe 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.
Don’t unpack upon arrival without checking your hotel room first. Is the room clean? Are the toilet, shower and sink functioning properly? Are there enough linens and towels? If you spot any problems, immediately notify the hotel staff so they can fix it or move you to another room.
Use online search tools for hotels. You will typically find websites that provide deals on certain hotel chains. 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.
In order to save money on hotel stays, book far in advance. Some hotels have great discounts when you book a couple of months in advance. This will allow you to save up to 50 percent even when staying at an elite hotel.
When you get to your hotel room, look over the room before unpacking. Is it clean? Does your shower, sink, and toilet work in the right way? Are there enough linens and 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.
To make sure that you get a couple’s massage when you’re staying somewhere, get your appointment booked as early as you are able to. The best massage therapists are usually booked up for months ahead of time, and you don’t want to miss out.
See if you can get a hotel discount through AAA if you are a member. It may come as a surprise to find that an auto club membership offers hotel discounts, but that is the case. You could save 5% or even 10% on some rooms. The more nights you stay, the more you will save.
Are you a AAA member? If so, hotels may provide you a discount. Many people are surprised to see hotel discounts included with their auto club membership. You can save up to an additional five percent at certain hotels throughout the country. Those discounts add up to great savings, especially if you will be having an extended stay.
Bring your running clothes with you on your trip. Enjoy a morning jog each day while on vacation. It will give you a better perspective of the city you are visiting.
It is wise to join a hotel loyalty program if you travel frequently. 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.
Many hotels have loyalty programs available to customers who travel often. Loyalty programs provide frequent guests benefits for booking with them on a regular basis. Some of the useful things that you can earn are extra upgrades, free nights, and late check-outs.
Sign up for frequent guest programs at hotels. You should be able to earn points every time you are visiting one of the hotels. They add up to free nights, discounts at hotel restaurants, show tickets, spa deals and a whole lot more.
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. These points can add up to hotel restaurant discounts, spa deals, free nights and much more.
Environmentalists can now enjoy a green vacation. There are plenty of “green” hotels that take the environment into consideration. Some hotels are certified to be green. Hotels that have been around for a while may employ a variety of eco-friendly practices. A good travel agent can help you find hotels that are environmentally friendly.
In order to avoid any surprise charges, inquire about hotel transfers prior to booking. If you are getting a very low price on the room, it is especially important that you ask about any hidden fees that might be tacked onto your bill. Asking before you arrive can really increase your overall savings.
What you will be charged for a room, depends on when it’s booked. Rooms in hotels are often priced based on their availability. If you can, make your reservation no earlier than 24 hours before you arrive. This can get you a seriously discounted rate. This is because the hotel will want to book rooms that are currently empty.
To get the most out of your hotel stays, particularly if you travel a great deal for business, join a membership program such as that offered by Choice Hotels or Marriott. This allows you to get more points with each stay that you can convert into free rooms and other benefits on your next family vacation.
In order to avoid an unwanted expense on the hotel bill, inquire about any hotel transfer fees prior to booking them. In many situations in which the room’s price is a great deal, the undisclosed price of your transfer can frequently eat up the savings. If you know this upfront, you can save more money.
When you travel, go through AAA to find hotel accommodations easier.` Not only do AAA members get hotel discounts at many chains that are well worth the AAA membership, but you can find it a lot easier to find a rental car where you go. They even throw in free car seats at most locations if you’re a parent.
If you are a frequent business traveler, establishments like Marriott and Choice Hotels offer attractive membership programs. Then you can accrue points, get extra perks, and save money.
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. If you arrive at your hotel and the pool is closed, your kids will be very disappointed.
Being a AAA member has many advantages when it comes to booking a hotel room. Not only do AAA members get hotel discounts at many chains that are well worth the AAA membership, but you can find it a lot easier to find a rental car where you go. At some locations they even offer free car seats.
Ascertain whether or not the hotel you plan to stay at allows smoking. If you are not a smoker, you might want to choose a hotel that does not have smoking rooms. The smoke flows through the hotel and can stick to you. Sometimes, smokers book rooms that are non-smoking and smoke anyway. To be sure you don’t absorb cigarette smoke, think about staying at a nonsmoking hotel.
Call ahead of arrival to see if the pool is open to keep the family happy. Showing up at your hotel and finding out the pool isn’t in working order can ruin an otherwise great trip.
See what the pet policy is at the hotel. People who are allergic to pets obviously want to avoid pet-friendly hotels. Usually, hotels that do allow pets will have a strong odor coming from the linens as well as the carpeting. Depending on the hotel, you may be expected to pay extra for keeping a pet, but it isn’t usually a large sum. The fee might be too low to cover the extra cleaning costs.
If you’re a smoker, then make sure you get a hotel with a smoking room. If you are a non-smoker, you might want to stay at a non-smoking hotel. Even in a non-smoking room, the smoke from other rooms is in the air and might infiltrate your clothing. Smokers often don’t care that their room is non-smoking, too. Request a non-smoking room if you do not want to smell like cigarettes.
Always let the hotel know if you need a crib for your stay at the hotel. Some hotels don’t have these things, while others do have a few. Certain hotels will even charge a fee for these things. Talk about these things when you make your reservations.
Now that you have read this article, you should have a better idea of how to find a great hotel without having to pay through the nose. Just get to work to find a great room today. Just remember to use the tips from this article.
Whenever possible, do not check out prior to the scheduled date of your departure. If you do, you may be charged a fee for early departure. Whenever you reserve a room, it isn’t available to anyone else and the hotel will lose money if you cancel. To earn back this money they will lose, they charge you an additional departure fee.