Going On A Trip? Check Out These Hotel Tips Before Booking Your Stay
Hotels vary from the luxurious resorts to shabby motels that are downright scary. Trips with good hotel stays are good memories, whereas bad hotel stays can mean nightmares. If you wish to get a great hotel, read this advice.
Use online search tools for hotels. They allow you to quickly locate great discounts. They can tell you what the average rate at a hotel is, ensuring you know the general pricing. In addition, these tools can help you determine the best time to go on vacation and the things that you can do there.
Inspect your room before unpacking your bags. Is the room clean and free from mildew or mold? Does the plumbing work right? Are linens and towels in ample supply? If you spot any problems, immediately notify the hotel staff so they can fix it or move you to another room.
Be aware of when you can check into your room. If you don’t know when you can check in, you may find your room is not ready when you arrive at your hotel. If you might arrive prior to check-in time, try calling the hotel and seeing if the room is available.
In order to get the best hotel deals, always plan your trips weeks ahead of schedule, or even a few months. If you book one or two months in advance, you can often receive a discount. This can save you as much as 40 percent off of the cost of your hotel.
There are some things you have to do before taking your pet on a trip. Check to see if the hotel actually permits pets. Take some bags to clean after your pet. You should also see if you can get a room near the end part of the hallway to make sure other guests don’t have to put up with pet noise.
If you and a loved one are wanting to go to a hotel and get massages, it is important that you book the appointment way in advance. Resorts that have masseurs often have very fully booked massage schedules, so it is important to plan ahead.
For members of AAA, hotels offer discounts that are exclusive to members. You may not know that your membership to the auto club includes discounts on hotels. It’s possible you could save 5 percent or higher on hotels across the United States. It’s a savings that really adds up over the nights.
Join the hotel’s membership program if you frequently stay there on business trips. When you do that, you accumulate points for every stay, and that can add up to free nights or vacation discounts.
You can get great hotel discounts by becoming a member of AAA. The discounts at many hotel chains and deals on car rentals can more than pay for the AAA membership fees. People that have young kids will get a car seat for free in a lot of different places.
Do not make long distance calls from your hotel room. Use the Internet, instead. The hotel may even offer Skype calls via Wi-Fi. You can stay in touch with work or family without the high cost of a call from the phone in your room.
Your children will be happy when you call the hotel to make sure their pool is open and working. It will be a huge disappointment if you arrive at the hotel with the kids ready to swim and they are not able to do so.
See what the pet policy is at the hotel. If you fear pets or have allergies to them, make reservations at hotels that have a strict no pets policy. Pet odor lingers. Some hotels add an extra charge for pets, other do not. The fee may be for any cleaning that needs to be done.
In most cases, an early check-in just isn’t possible. Plan your trip right or you might end up waiting in a hotel lobby. The hotel must clean each room prior to the next visitor taking it. If you do arrive early, ask the desk clerk if it’s possible to check in early, but don’t necessarily expect it.
Early Departure
Avoid leaving your hotel before your scheduled date of departure. An early departure charge may be added to your bill if you leave sooner. A booked hotel room is taken off the market, meaning your early departure would cost them money. They will charge a departure fee so they get back what they lose.
The bedspread might not be the cleanest linen in the room. The bedspread usually isn’t washed like the linens are. It can carry a lot of germs. Therefore, as soon as you walk into your room, take the bedspread off the bed.
Be aware of your rights in the event that a hotel attempts to “walk” you. When hotels overbook rooms, the one you reserved may not be available. The hotel “walks” you to a new hotel nearby. You should try to avoid this; however, if this is necessary, ensure you are provided with the same quality room or better at the same price you would have paid.
Do not drink the bottled water in your room. You may feel a bit parched shortly after checking in. Opening the bottle in the mini-fridge is tempting. Hotels take advantage of guests by charging ridiculous amounts for bottled water. You might be able to get bottled water in the hotel gym. Better still, pack a few bottles of your own.
Often people simply book the first hotel listed in the phone book or on their search engine. This is a mistake. This is not a good idea. You do not want to book a bad hotel room, so read on to learn more about getting the right one.