Hotels are literally everywhere and a trending commodity in the personal and business world. Many events, parties, and even corporate meetings are being held in hotels and with traveling becoming a brand new trend, people love to travel around the world and stay in hotels. With so many hotel solutions on the way, you must know what to do and what not while reserving a hotel for any purpose.
The most significant choice you make when planning a trip maybe your hotel option. Without an upgrade, a flight usually is a flight, irrespective of the carrier on which you fly, and the same relates to car rental. But a small/huge/flabby space with little or no Internet access will easily ruin a trip.
And every day you are billed for that space. Especially if your hotel is based at least partly on price, it is important before you reserve to settle any unspecified costs. A hotel with a small basic rate but no amenities can often cost you more than a hotel which provides anything complimentary.
1- Check the Reviews Carefully
Reviews are the epitome towards making or breaking any hotel image and brand identity. Before you consider booking a hotel room, it is important to go through the reviews. Fake and real reviews can be easily identified and authentic websites like Trip Advisor and Yelp will give you the good reviews and inform you about the reputation of the hotel in regards to that.
With that being said, you might find a lot of good things about the hotel that you were not aware of earlier on like having some form of transportation facility, clubs and programs as well as restaurants and even on-spot deals.
2- Look for Hotel Transports/Airport Transfers
For tourists, looking for public transportation is quite normal as they like to save their money. As far as corporate clients and business travelers are concerned, they require some form of transportation that costs them much lesser than the regular overly-priced Uber and keeps them away from the unwanted taxi scams.
Confirm whether your hotel solutions package comprises of some form of transportation service to take you from one place to another and whether it falls under your budget or not. Most well-established hotels offer free/complimentary shuttles to escort you to nearby places.
3- Triple Check the Location
While many hotels mention them as being a walking distance away from some of the busiest and most wanted eateries/tourist locations, make sure to confirm where they lie on the map. For instance, once a very well-reputed traveler stated that he had booked a hotel that seemed quite near the best food joints in the world but it ended up being on the other end of the busiest road he had ever seen.
Obviously, going there and visiting the place on your own might not be possible before reservation but thank you for modern technology and Google for blessing us with Google maps that now come with a Street View for people who would like to look closely at something.
4- Ask for the Breakfast
This can be a tricky one. Many hotels claim to offer you free breakfast with the stay that you intend to have at that particular hotel. This might then be compensated with the hotel prices and taxes. To avoid this from happening, compare the prices first before making a final decision.
Luckily, websites like Kayak and Momondo are working hard every day to make hotel experience much better for you and the people you intend to travel with. In case you don’t find any reasonable choice for yourself, there is always an option of looking for inexpensive places to eat.
5- Ask for a Better Deal
While many people shy away from asking for better prices and better value, it is your right to ask for something better especially if you are the one paying for the experience. Even in the business world, it would be very convenient to make a better deal and save your boss extra money and make that profit figure go up a notch.
Ask them if they have any loyalty programs or memberships for frequent travelers and that you would be extremely happy to get yourself one if offered a better rate. Many hotels might slide in a better figure for you to cherish the trip.
6- Call them directly
Even though there are a lot of information available online regarding hotels across the world on websites like hotel.com or expedia.com, you must contact the hotel directly. Firstly, the way they treat you on the phone will tell you a lot about the service you should be expecting upon setting your feet inside the hotel.
Apart from that, you might end up getting a better deal (personal experience). If you have any habits that you need to inform the hotel management about – for instance, traveling with pet animals or using loud music in the rooms, you can clear on the spot to avoid inconvenience.
Ask them about the internet charges, parking, taxes and the food you might expect there. The front desk is usually aware of any last moment changes that might not have been updated on the website yet. Hence, with a simple phone call, you can get answers to all your questions very easily.
Key Points
Hotels are thriving with business and many hotels have simply become a brand with the level of service that they are providing the people. Regardless of the reason for travel, you must consider all the important factors before making a reservation in one particular hotel.
Ask them about their services; look for reviews and charges as well as any special deals that might come in your way while reserving a hotel room. The experience you read that others had is enough for you to make a decision because, in the end, your comfort is something that matters the most especially when you are out of your city.
