Thousands of hotel chains exist, ranging from small roadside motels to five-star luxurious rooms. A great hotel room can create a memorable trip, but a bad one could make your vacation a disaster. If you wish to get a great hotel, read this advice.
Think about using room service if you want to enjoy late-night dining without needing to leave your hotel room. You will probably pay more for this meal, but for the convenience of having it delivered to your room, it is worth it.
Room service is great for late meals. You will probably pay more for this meal, but for the convenience of having it delivered to your room, it is worth it.
Make use of the room safe to ensure the safety of your electronics when you are not in your room. Valuables can be placed there with confidence, allowing you to enjoy your day without worries.
If you have a safe in your closet, then you should use it to keep your valuables safe while you are outside of the room. You can stash your expensive electronics and jewelry in the safe and go about your day without worry.
To get the best hotel rooms, use a website online that will help with this. There are a lot of websites that have great deals and other useful tools to help you comparison shop to find the right hotel at the right price. They also can show you the average hotel rates, letting you see whether the deal is good or bad. They also can help with figuring out when the ideal time to go on vacation is and what you can do once you are there.
Check the organizations that you’re a member of. Some offer big discounts on hotel rooms. People frequently forget these discounts are available, and they can be 10 percent or more. This can help you to save some cash, especially if you’re going to be staying for a few nights. This can also net you a free hotel night.
When get to your hotel, inspect the room before unpacking. Is the room clean and devoid of issues like mildew and mold? Are the facilities operating correctly? Does your room feature the linens and towels you require? If you quickly note any problems, let the person at the front desk know so they can help you sort it out or give you a better room.
Deals Online
Verify the check-in time at the hotel. If you show up too early for check-in, then your room may not be ready for you yet. Call the hotel desk and find out if your room has been prepared if you know that you’ll be arriving early.
Search for hotel deals online. The hotel representative is unlikely to inform you there are better deals online. You will have to learn how to find these great discounts yourself. Websites like TripAdvisor, Expedia, and Jetsetter always have promising bargains for certain hotels that you won’t find anywhere else for a better price.
You should always start planning any serious trip months or weeks ahead of time. This will help you book early and get the best prices. Many locations offer discounts if you are willing to book more than a month or two ahead of time. This will allow you to save up to 50 percent even when staying at an elite hotel.
Know the check-in times. Some people neglect asking what the check-in time is and get to the hotel when their room is still not ready. Call the front desk to find out if it is alright for you to arrive before check-in.
If you need to travel with your pet, you need to make three advance preparations. Make sure it’s a pet-friendly hotel. Pack a supply of plastic grocery bags with you – you will need to clean up any pet waste. You should also see if you can get a room near the end part of the hallway to make sure other guests don’t have to put up with pet noise.
If you’re taking a pet to the hotel, do some things beforehand. First, you’ll need to find out if a hotel is even pet-friendly. In addition, take along some plastic bags to pick up your pet’s mess. When making your reservation, ask for a room at the end of the hall to spare other guests your pet noise.
If you want to book a good couples massage, you should not wait until the last minute. Frequently, the best massage people will be booked by name. This means that if you book early, you’ll have a better experience.
If you’re going to be wanting a massage at your hotel, book it well in advance. Resorts that have masseurs often have very fully booked massage schedules, so it is important to plan ahead.
Use your AAA discount at hotels. AAA members actually receive hotel discounts at specific hotel chains! 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.
Hotel Discounts
It is wise to join a hotel loyalty program if you travel frequently. They provide rewards to those who stay with them often. The rewards can include free room upgrades, free meals and movie or show tickets tickets. The points can add up.
If you have a AAA membership, look into hotel discounts included. You may be surprised that your auto club membership includes hotel discounts, but it does. 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.
If you stay at the same chain of hotels often, look into their membership programs for frequent guests. Just like with a frequent flyer mile program, you can get points for staying a hotel. With enough points you can get free rooms in the future. They may also offer discounts for shows, restaurants and other things.
Always remember to pack running clothes and any thing else you need for exercising while 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.
If you care about the environment, then you may be interested in taking a “green” vacation. Luckily, you can choose from quite a few green hotels these days. Some new hotels are built to green standards and are certified green. Many older hotels will still be environmentally aware by utilizing some eco-friendly practices. Ask around for hotels that are friendly to the environment.
To keep from having an unwanted major expense on your hotel bill, ask about the cost of hotel transfers before booking them. 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. Inquire before you book, so you aren’t hit with an unexpected price increase.
In order to avoid an unwanted expense on the hotel bill, inquire about any hotel transfer fees prior to booking them. You don’t want to ruin the deal you are getting on your room by paying for an expensive transfer. Inquiring about this in advance will maximize any savings.
Membership Programs
Find out if the hotel you’re staying at has a functioning pool for the kids. There is nothing worse than getting to a hotel with kids to find the pool is closed.
In order to enhance your hotel visits, especially when traveling for work, you should consider joining membership programs that hotels provide. Examples include membership programs provided by Marriott or Choice Hotels. This allows you to earn point you can redeem for vacation freebies for you and your family.
Checking in early may not be available. Plan your time accordingly unless you want to wait in the lobby for hours. Hotels need the time to clean your room so it is ready for you to check in. If you’re going to have to show up early, speak with the people at the front to see if you’re able to get into the room, but don’t think that it will happen.
Get an AAA membership for hotel perks when you travel. AAA members receive excellent discounts on hotels, car rentals and other attractions. Many car rental agencies add perks, such as a child car seat at no charge, for AAA members.
If possible, do not check out earlier than your scheduled departure day. The hotel might charge you an early departure fee. When you reserve a room, the management of the hotel removes that room from the market, so if you leave early, the hotel loses some money. That’s why they will charge you a fee for early departure.
If you are traveling with kids, make sure the hotel you book has a working pool. You don’t want to get there, only to disappoint your children when you find out the pool is closed.
If you are concerned about germs, don’t use the hotel bedspread. They generally will wash the blankets and sheets that are under the bedspread, but the main bedspread may not be washed. This might mean the bedspread is carrying bacteria, germs, or bedbugs. Just make sure you remove the bedspread.
Ask if your possible hotel reservation is either smoking or non. If you are not a smoker, you probably want to avoid staying in a smoking room. You could still get a non-smoking room, but smoke can flow through the air and settle on your clothes. In addition, previous travelers could have smoked in the room, even if it is a non-smoking room. Instead of choosing a non-smoking room, you can actually find an entire non-smoking hotel if you really want to avoid nasty, secondhand smoke.
You can get some money saved if you book a flight and hotel at the same time. You may be able to save a lot of money by booking both from the same place. For best results, do a rate comparison of various carriers and hotels.
Most people don’t do their research on finding hotels and choose the first hotel that they see. This approach is gambling, and can hurt you. Who would ever want to sleep in a filthy hotel room? Use what you’ve learned to make sure you stay in a clean, affordable hotel room.
In order to pay the lowest rate possible, don’t travel during the peak season. This is the highest time for rates. Find out when the off-season is because this is the time that rates are lower during low-occupancy times. This will allow you to get a rate that’s a lot better.