Simple Advice To Get The Most From Your Hotel Stay

By Sammy Sheilds


If you plan on traveling, there are many things you should do before you leave. Your preparations include packing, purchasing plane tickets or gassing up the car. Remember, you must reserve accommodations, too. For some advice on finding the right hotel, read on.

Prior to reserving a room at a hotel, look on the Internet for reviews. One great site is TripAdvisor. These will give you some information from people that have stayed at that certain hotel. What people say about a hotel can help you figure out where you should be staying.

The Internet is a great place to research hotels. Use these websites to your advantage! Hotel search websites also let you see the regular rates of hotels, so you can compare and see whether a supposed deal is really a good one. Also, hotel search websites can assist you in determining where to vacation and what to do there.

Put your electronics into the room's safe. Putting your valuable jewelry and electronic items in the hotel safe allows you to feel secure as you enjoy your vacation.

Check online for great hotel deals. Sometimes, the person at the hotel desk might forget to mention a discount for booking online. For this reason, making a proactive search is advisable. Check out websites like SniqueAway, Jetsetter, or RueLaLaTravel.

Be clear about check-in time at the hotel you have booked. If you are early, your room may not be ready. Call the front desk to find out if it is alright for you to arrive before check-in.

Not every hotel allows pets. So call ahead and make sure you understand if there are extra fees or a limited number of rooms available. Also, find out if there are any size or breed restrictions.

Plan your trip as far in advance as possible. You can get some great discounts if your trip is booked several months into the future. You can expect savings up to fifty percent if you book months in advance.

Never make the assumption that all hotels allows pets in your room. Put a call into the front desk just to be sure, no matter what it says on their website. In addition, get specifics with regard to the pet policy, because only particular breeds or sizes of pets may be permitted at the hotel.

Book any massage appointments you make early. Many of the top masseuses out there are booked far ahead of time.

Get an AAA membership for hotel perks when you travel. AAA members receive excellent discounts on hotels, car rentals and other attractions. Those who have small children will be pleased to find car seats available for free.

If you tend to stay at the same hotel a lot, see about signing up for their frequent guest program. Just like frequent flyer mile programs, these hotel programs offer you points for your stay. These points can add up to hotel restaurant discounts, spa deals, free nights and much more.

Membership programs offered by hotel chains help members who travel a lot get the best rooms during their stay. You will build up points with that hotel for added benefits. It works a lot like frequent flier miles do for airlines.

If you are worried about bed bugs, start your inspection in the bathroom. The bathroom is not a common place where bedbugs would be. This is the best place to put your bags while you look around. Put kids and pets in there, too.

Look into the smoking policies in the hotel you are considering. If you don't smoke, you may wish to avoid those that have smoking rooms. You may be able to ask for a non-smoking room, however smoke can still travel through the air, settling on your clothing. Sometimes, smokers rent and smoke in non-smoking rooms. If you don't want to smell like cigarettes after leaving your hotel room, you might want to look for a non-smoking hotel.

Never use the hotel phone for long distance calls. Make use of the Internet, instead. Many hotels now offer Skype connections via Wi-Fi. But the Internet is infinitely useful while traveling so it is usually worth it.

Never check out earlier than your scheduled departure unless it is absolutely necessary. Some hotels charge early departure fees. If you check out too early, the hotel will lose money because they remove the room off the reservation list. To earn back this money they will lose, they charge you an additional departure fee.

For hygienic purposes, you may want to avoid using the bedspread that the hotel provides. Most hotels only wash the sheets on the bed; however, the bedspread is normally not washed. This bedspread is where you would find the bacteria and germs. Take the bedspread off of the bed.

There are some good strategies for getting a free room upgrade. Your chances of accomplishing this will be greater if you show up exactly at your scheduled check in time. Many times the room you booked will not be clean yet, so they may offer you a better room for no additional charge.

As you already know, booking a hotel is a part of most people's lives. It's easy to wind up in a dreadful hotel if you don't do your research. Use this article to help you become a seasoned shopper of hotel rooms. The hotel room you pick can make or break a trip.




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