Vacation planning isn’t easy. You not only need to choose a vacation location and arrange transportation, you also need to make hotel reservations. A bad decision in planning can ruin your vacation. This article will guide you with tips on how to select an excellent hotel.
Get room service if you don’t want to leave. Room service can be expensive, but the luxury of being able to lounge about in your room in your jammies can make it worthwhile.
When leaving your hotel room, keep any electronics you have secure by putting them in the room’s safe. You can put just about anything in there, as long as it isn’t too big, and you won’t have to worry about it.
Check with any membership programs for deals. You may be able to receive discounts on hotel through these organizations. Many people don’t remember these discounts, which can save them 10% or more. That can add up to huge savings over multiple nights. This can mean a lot of savings over a full week stay.
Don’t make assumptions about pet policies of hotels. Call the hotel in advance to ensure the hotel is pet friendly. Ask what pet-friendly means at the establishment. There may be some restrictions.
There are three different things you should do in advance if you’re going to be traveling with a pet. Take time to ensure that the hotel you’re booking is, in fact, pet-friendly. Bring along lots of plastic bags for clean ups. When you go to make the hotel reservation, see if there is room on the end that would prevent the other guests from hearing a noisy pet.
If you have a AAA membership, it may qualify you for a hotel discount. You may not have known that, but it’s true. You can save up to an additional five percent at certain hotels throughout the country. This is a savings that can really add up over several nights.
If you travel a lot, you should consider joining hotel loyalty programs. They give people benefits if they go to that chain often. You will be able to earn stuff like a free upgrade, an allowance to check out late, and even free stays when you get enough points.
If you stay at the same chain of hotels often, look into their membership programs for frequent guests. These are similar to frequent flyer programs, offering points each time you stay at a particular chain. With enough points you can get free rooms in the future. They may also offer discounts for shows, restaurants and other things.
The timing of your room booking often determines the price you pay. The price of a hotel room varies with availability. If possible, book your room no more than 24 hours in advance. This will allow you to get a great price on a hotel room. The hotel is not going to make any money on a room that is unoccupied, which is why the reduce the price.
To avoid major expenses on your final hotel bill, be sure to ask the sales representative about the price of hotel transfers first. If you are getting a very low price on the room, it is especially important that you ask about any hidden fees that might be tacked onto your bill. You will save more by asking about such a thing in advance.
If you wish to get a lot out of a hotel stay, especially if you’re traveling for your business, get a membership program and join it like what the Marriott or Choice Hotels offers. When you stay at a hotel, you get points you can use later on.
Avoid making long distance calls from the hotel room phone. Try using the Internet, instead. Hotels usually have Wi-Fi, so you can call using Skype. This can be a much cheaper option than calling from a hotel room and getting hit with lots of fees.
Call ahead to your hotels to make certain the swimming pools are ready for your kids. 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.
Moking Rooms
Make sure to ask up front if the hotel you’ll be staying in allows smoking or does not. If you are a non-smoker, you may not want to stay in a smoking room. Although certain hotels that allow smoking will provide guests with non-smoking rooms, smoke will still be in the air. Sometimes, smokers rent and smoke in non-smoking rooms. If you just can’t stand the smell of stale smoke, look for a hotel that doesn’t allow it at all.
Remember, that early check-ins are a rarity in most hotels. Plan for this, or you may risk waiting in the hotel lobby for an hour or more. Most hotels clean and prepare rooms at a certain time, so that they are ready for check-in. If you can’t avoid being early, ask the front desk to make an exception, but be prepared if they can’t accommodate you.
If you’ll need a rollaway or crib, make sure to mention it when booking the room. Not every hotel is going to come with cribs or rollaways. Sometimes, they cost extra, too. Make sure these needs are discussed during the initial reservation so you don’t get any surprises.
Avoid having a bad trip because you chose the wrong hotel. Plan ahead by doing the right research. You will make your selection the smart way by learning more about how to get the best hotel deal. You want and deserve to enjoy every moment of your travel, and your hotel stay is part of that. Remember this advice when planning your next trip.