Booking an inferior hotel can be nightmarish. Nobody wants to repeat a bad experience because hotels are expensive. Here is some advice to ensure you get the hotel room you want, and the price you would like as well.
Be sure to read online review websites prior to booking a hotel. This lets you know what others’ experiences have been like. What others say will help you make a wise decision.
To keep your packing to a minimum on a long trip to one destination, choose a hotel that offers a coin laundry facility. This way, you don’t have to pack as much, and when you are about halfway through your trip, you can wash and dry everything. When it’s almost time to go, repeat the process so you don’t get home with a bunch of dirty clothes.
To save money on a minibar or vending machine at a hotel, pack a cooler before you start out on your trip, and throw in some six-packs of soda or beer and a bottle of wine. When you get to the hotel, if you have a small fridge, you are all ready. If there isn’t a fridge, use the ice machine and your cooler to keep things chilled.
Do comparison shopping online. Often you”ll need to do some comparison shopping to find the best deals out there. Some quick web searches can do you a lot of good. There you’ll see who has the best prices for hotels in the areas you are considering. It can save you some real cash.
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.
Check out priceline.com and other online hotel discount vendors to help you find the best deals out there. These websites can really bring hotel costs down to rock bottom prices. Even upper scale hotels can be found for more affordable prices. There’s no reason you should be paying full rate.
If you are a member of AAA, ask about a hotel discount. Your membership in this auto club has just such a discount available to you. It will let you save 5% or so on hotels that are around the nation. The savings can really add up if you’re staying multiple nights.
Get all the information you need before booking a hotel room. In addition to making sure they serve all your basic needs, you should also ask if there are any events planned at the hotel at the same time you will be there. A convention, for instance, can mean you will be in a noisy, crowded hotel.
It is often helpful to choose a hotel that includes a free breakfast. While many of the breakfasts are not elaborate, they offer you a way to start your day off right without having to search for a place to eat. Many hotels offer a continental breakfast that includes, coffee, tea and pastries while others offer cereal, eggs, pancakes, waffles and other breakfast foods.
Nobody ever wants to reserve a room in a bad hotel. Even getting a complete refund doesn’t erase the trouble of having an unpleasant or uncomfortable stay at a substandard hotel. Either way, you will not have a great trip. The information you have read here can help you make the right choice. You can get some great discounts to make your experience even better.