Top Hotel Booking Tips

When you travel a lot, one of the things you appreciate is a nice hotel room. There is nothing worse than arriving somewhere only to discover that you are staying in a grotty place that is in the wrong part of town. You want your hotel room to be what you were expecting. It needs to be clean, peaceful and include all of the facilities you were expecting. This is the case whether you are a first-class or a budget traveler.

Take the time to do your research properly

When looking for accommodation it is important to carry out some proper research. Simply going to a comparison site and booking the first room you see can work. But, be aware that you are running the risk of being disappointed if you do this. A far better approach is to just use the comparison sites to narrow down your options. Once you have done so, make a note of the good deals and use review websites like this one to find out more about the hotel.

If you have the time, look at the reviews on two or three websites. Use the search facility to find out about the features that are important to you. For example, what the food is like, how noisy the hotel is and whether the Wi-Fi is actually usable.

Look at the photos

Recent photos of the hotel and its rooms can help you to work out whether it is what you are looking for. Review sites are usually a better source of photos because the snaps have normally been taken by other guests rather than the owners. Therefore, they tend to give you a more accurate picture of what the hotel is really like.

CC:  trix0

 

Tap into the power of Google Maps

It is always worth going onto Google Maps and zooming into street view to get a feel for what the area is really like. Usually, the images are only a few years old, so the information you glean from doing this is valid. If you notice that one side of the hotel faces a busy road or is next to a factory ask for a room on the other side of the building.

While you are there, check how close your hotel is to the places you want to visit. For some countries, it is also possible to check out the public transport routes and timetables using Google maps.

Don´t be afraid to ring the hotel

In some cases, giving the hotel a ring and asking them a few questions is the quickest way to find out what you need to know. It is also worth taking the time to read their website. There you can check out things like what time you need to be out of your room on your last day, and whether pets are allowed in the room.

If you do ring them, it can be worth asking what they charge for the dates you are interested in. Occasionally, it will work out cheaper booking direct with the hotel.

Double check the booking details

Once you have booked, it is worth ringing the hotel to make sure that any extras you want like parking or a room that does not face the road have been included in your booking. Make a note of who you spoke to and when. If anything is wrong when you get there having this information to hand can help get things sorted faster.

The above tips all relate to making sure that you book a hotel that offers a good standard of accommodation. If you are looking for advice on finding the best deals, you will find this in-depth article helpful.