You have just purchased a flight ticket and you are set to travel out to that dream destination of yours. What you want to do now is to book and pay for your hotel accommodation. Booking and paying for a hotel is an important decision that you can make to ensure that you have a comfortable and welcoming stay.
But before you pay, take the following tips for booking a hotel into consideration:
1. Location:
Chose a hotel in a good location. A good location is one that you can easily site. A central location, for example, could work wonders for you. You can easily access it. A good location should be in close proximity to the places you want to visit in order to save you time and money.
2. Class:
The class of a hotel will determine the quality of service you get. A 5-star hotel, for example, will offer you better quality than a 2-star hotel. Go for a hotel with reputable quality, a hotel that would ensure your safety and security. Depending on your budget you will end up paying more for a high-class hotel than a low-level hotel. Note that the quality of service varies from country to country.
3. Price:
Ensure you can afford the hotel, you don’t want to end up stranded and ruin your trip, do you? Check and confirm the prices on the official website of the hotel. If you are using a third party booking site, ensure that the price matches that on the hotel’s site. Look out for discounts and other offers. Also, read the fine prints as most hotels may have other costs embedded in the price, such as taxes, charges, and deposits.
4. Cleanliness:
The hotel should be clean. You don’t want to see molds, urine stains, dead insects, etc in and around the hotel room. This will definitely ruin your stay. A standard hotel should be clean with a comfortable bed and rooms.
5. Customer service:
One of the first things you should look out for when you get into a hotel should be the degree of the friendliness of the staff. The staff should be welcoming. They should have cheerful dispositions on their faces. This will make you feel welcome to stay in the hotel. The staff must be helpful and willing to take your orders and inquiries. If your hotel has rude staff, you should try an alternative.
6. Guest Reviews:
Don’t book a hotel without reading the reviews of the hotel by guests. Typically the hotel website and other booking sites provide a section for reviews by customers. Reading the experiences of other people will give you a general idea on the quality of service in the hotel and help you make the decision not whether to book or not.
7. Cost of food:
You need to find out the cost of food in the hotel. How much is breakfast? Lunch and Dinner, drinks, etc. If you’re staying for a while you would be taking meals in the hotel, therefore you need to have an idea of how much that would cost you. You can obtain this information from the hotel website or by calling the front desk of the hotel.
8. Value-added services:
Value-added services enhance the user experience of a hotel. Find out if they have services like parking lots, free wifi access, discounts, etc.
Armed with all these tips for booking a hotel, you are well on your way to booking that perfect hotel.
