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.
To find the best deals on hotels consider a travel agent. Many times travel agents can find wonderful hotels at a great price. When booking with a travel agent, ensure that the agent knows both your wants and your needs. This will allow the travel agent to shop for both and offer you choices.
After you check prices for hotels online, call the hotel’s direct number. Sometimes you can get a better price when you reserve directly through the hotel rather than through the company’s website or toll-free number. In addition, you can make any special requests during this call, such as requesting a quiet room or a crib.
If you’ve left amenities at home, ask the front desk. Often you won’t need to go out to buy things like toothpaste and toothbrushes. The front desk typically has the staples available to customers at no cost whatsoever. Sure it’s only a few dollars saved, but every dollar counts.
To save a little bit of money on the cost of your hotel room, whether you are booking over the phone or online, see if there is a discount for paying at the time of booking rather than waiting to pay at checkout. Often this can make the difference between queen and king beds, or between a room and a suite.
Prior to booking your hotel room, search the Internet for deals. Lots of times, when you book a room, they don’t tell you about online discounts. You will have to learn how to find these great discounts yourself. Sites, such as Jetsetter, will let you know of any discounts available.
Do not feel silly when it comes to asking a hotel’s guest representative some questions. If you are looking for quiet and relaxation, you need to ask ahead to be sure you will get it. For instance, is the hotel too close to an airport? Is there construction going on nearby. Know this before booking with a hotel.
If you plan on bringing your family to a hotel, you should look for family-friendly policies and special deals online. Try using family vacation review sites. You can find many family hotels and resort reviews. Searching through these sites should help you also locate deals to make your trip more enjoyable and affordable.
If you travel often and prefer one hotel brand, consider signing up for a loyalty program. These programs offer free room upgrades, a free night’s stay after so many days and other advantages. To get the most from this service, sign up to be alerted of specials the hotel may run from time to time.
Before you make your hotel reservation, check to see if any fees will be added to your bill. Many hotels charge extra for parking, Wi-Fi and even room cleaning. These charges can make your stay more costly than you anticipated, so be sure to ask about them before you make your decision.
Use Twitter to your advantage. Prior to booking your hotel, tweet the property and see if there are any discounts available. Social media is becoming more popular than ever, and hotels use this medium to get the word out about the specials they have out there. If you aren’t very familiar with tweeting, you can simply use the search function on Twitter.
Sign up as an AAA member to make hotel arrangements easier when you are traveling. Hotel and rental car discounts are available to AAA members. At some locations they even offer free car seats.
To save money on a trip when you are traveling with a large family, choose a hotel that offers a free breakfast. Even if it’s just continental fare, you’re saving a significant amount of money by cutting out having to pay for that one meal each day on the road.
If you are concerned about bed bugs, look in the bathroom first. This is the least likely place for bedbugs to be. This is the best place to put your bags while you look around. It is a good place for pets or children to wait for a couple minutes as well.
If you’re a smoker, then make sure you get a hotel with a smoking room. If cigarette smoke bothers you, look for a hotel that doesn’t have smoking rooms. You may rent a non-smoking room, however, the smoke from the smoking rooms can still be present in the air and make your clothes smell like it. In addition, previous travelers could have smoked in the room, even if it is a non-smoking room. To avoid the experience of breathing in smoke during your stay, try to stay in a hotel that doesn’t allow smoking.
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.