Things to consider and research when choosing a hotel
Booking a hotel can be a stressful and time-consuming task. Scribbling on pages and pages of various Internet sites and visiting travel agents can turn what was initially excitement at the prospect of leaving into anxiety about choosing the right hotel. To make this task a little easier, here are some things to consider when booking a hotel.
1. Use comparison sites. Comparison sites allow you to compare a large number of hotels, see ratings, and even customer reviews. For example, when searching for hotels in Berlin you would get a lot of results. This should help you save time and give you an idea of what is available and for what price.
2. Rent. Location seems like an obvious thing to consider when booking a hotel, but something that can easily be overlooked. Say, for example, you search online for a hotel in Brighton. Just because that hotel appears in search results doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be close to where you want to go. In fact, it can end up being miles away! This could lead to more travel expenses. Take a look at the hotels website and look up the address on Google maps. Hotels in city centers tend to be more expensive, so you may need to look outside of the city, but if the place you are visiting is quite small, this may not necessarily be a problem. For example, Brighton.
3. Reviews. Reviews are a good way to see if a hotel is worth staying at. The hotel may have reviews on its site, but will it always show bad reviews? Look elsewhere on the web. Are there Facebook pages about the hotel? For example, ‘Never stay on …’ or ‘We love …’ also take a look at other social media sites or forums. They are likely to show a wide range of opinions that could help you choose a hotel. Remember to check the dates of the reviews. Reviews that are out of date may not necessarily be relevant.
4. Where is your room located? This may sound strange, but figuring out where your room is in relation to other parts of the hotel can be important. Are you planning a vacation with your friends getting drunk? You may want to consider if your room is poolside. Waking up hungover can be horrible at best, least of all when there are hundreds of people screaming and jumping in and out of the pool all day! Similarly, if you are planning a quiet and relaxing vacation, you may want to consider where you are in relation to the bar.
5. What facilities does the hotel have? If you are staying in a hotel out of necessity, for example for a business trip, you may want to check simple things like, do the rooms include a TV? If not, you may find that a lonely evening awaits you. Similarly, if you are bringing children with you, does the hotel have adequate facilities? And perhaps most importantly, will the kids be busy?
6. Be aware of hidden costs. Ask exactly what you are paying for and what is included in the price. Those tempting miniature alcohol bottles probably aren’t free!
We hope these tips help you make a more informed decision when choosing the perfect hotel for your vacation. Remember, a good hotel can equal a great vacation.
