Does the thought of looking for a good hotel make you nervous? Have you made reservations before at what you thought was a nice hotel, only to find out otherwise? If so, you may need some useful advice on choosing a hotel. Keep reading to find out what you should know.
Find great prices at online travel sites like Orbitz and Expedia. If you are a member of a hotel loyalty program, make sure to indicate this when searching for rates. You may also qualify for discounts from other organizations you belong to such as AAA or AARP.
To ensure that you get the best service from the custodial staff at a hotel, leave a few dollars each morning for each bed that you use. This nominal cost will help you get rooms that receive the little extras, such as a towel or two more, or even an extra pillow.
When planning a vacation, be sure to make all of your hotel reservations well in advance. In this way, you can lock in lower rates. If you have some flexibility regarding when you take your vacation, be sure to find out about off season rates. Very often, the rate you pay in non-peak times of year is significantly lower.
Check your hotel room prior to unpacking. Is the room clean? Are the toilet, shower and sink functioning properly? Make sure you have the linens, bath supplies and towels that you will need. 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 always staying at the same chain, find out about the programs they offer to frequent guests. Like the programs for frequent flyer, these programs the hotel offer give you points whenever you stay with them. Use them for discounts, entertainment tickets and other things.
To get a workout without leaving your hotel room, take your suspension training gear along. Most systems fit into a bag that doesn’t weigh more than three or four pounds, and all you need is a door frame to attach the system to. You can get a solid strength training workout by using your body weight to provide resistance.
Stay safe and secure in a hotel. Travelers to hotels are often robbed even when they are inside the room. Use every lock the hotel provides, including the handle lock, chain and deadbolt. Hotels are a magnet for shady characters looking to exploit people who are traveling with a lot of money and valuables.
If you want to inspect a hotel room for bed bugs, start with the bathroom. Bedbugs usually won’t stay here. So, that means it’s the best place to stash your luggage and other belongings as you inspect the remainder of your suite. It is also a safe spot for your pets and kids.
Beware of the bottle of water beside your bed. Many hotels charge as much as 10 dollars for that bottle of water. Other items that you may not realize you will be charged for include: pool towels, newspapers and Internet access. To ensure you are not being charged for items you do not want read the fine print.
It may come as a shock to you, but most hotels don’t allow you to check-in early. Plan to arrive at the proper check-in time so you don’t find yourself wandering around the hotel’s lobby for hours. Most hotels clean and prepare rooms at a certain time, so that they are ready for check-in. Having said that, don’t hesitate to ask the front desk about checking in if you do arrive early; however, you shouldn’t expect to be able to do this. The best thing you can do is arrive on time.
To keep from having a hassle with logging into the hotel’s Internet connection, ask at the front desk when you check in about any required passwords. This way, you can get up and running right when you get to the room, instead of having to hunt through the guest guidebook and call the front desk about a password.
To avoid the unpleasant surprise of a costly pet deposit when you check into a hotel, ask about pet policies and fees when you book the room. That gives you the flexibility of choosing a hotel that is more pet-friendly and keeps you from having a huge fee that you pay just because it’s too inconvenient to switch hotels at the last minute.
Choosing the right hotel for your next vacation can be tricky, especially if you do not know that much about hotels. Many hotels appear nice at first, but really are not of very good quality. With the information that you have read in this article, you can avoid these hotels and find quality ones easily.
