You’ve taken care of the single most important part of your trip – you’ve decided where you’re going. To avoid being stressed over before your vacation even begins, use a smart and informative guide (like ours listed below) to take the stress out of planning and insure that this and every part of your vacation experience is nothing short of amazing.
Finding the perfect accommodations for your trip stars with considering these six points:
• Determine a budget. Whether you’re looking for five-star opulence or just a bed to crash for a few hours at night before embarking on your next adventure, you have to determine how much you have or want to spend on hotel accommodations. Knowing what you can afford (or what isn’t worth spending your money on) is the first step in narrowing down your options for the best hotel for your trip.
• Decide what types of accommodations and amenities are most important to you. Are you looking for an onsite spa? Are you traveling with your family and need double beds? Or is a king sized bed more fitting to accommodate your and your significant other on a romantic vacation? Whether you want you want free breakfast included, or you want access to ESPN to catch the big game, figuring out what kind of amenities you want weed out the hotels that don’t offer what you’re looking for.
• Figure out what places you want to be close to. Maybe you want to be close to the large shopping mall to make it easier to lug all of your packages back to the room. Perhaps it’s more important book an oceanfront hotel to have direct access to the beach. Looking to live like a local? Finding a hotel close to public transportation is excellent if you want to experience the city like a local would. Location is an extremely important factor to consider when booking a hotel room to ensure you can get to everything you want during your trip.
• Check traveler reviews. Reading the experiences of other travelers can be a huge picking a gem or avoiding a nightmare. Traveler reviews are chock full of recommendations and advice about the hotels, the accommodations, the amenities, staff/service, and even the neighborhood the hotel is in. You’ll even find some reviews that include photos, giving you a visual account of the amazement (or the horror) of their experience. Positive or negative trends in the reviews can be helpful in deciding if a particular hotel is right for you.
• Always check for opportunities to save. Perhaps you’re a member of a travel club or loyalty program that offers bonus points for hotel stays. Maybe your bank or credit card company offers discounts for certain properties as an account holder. Finding any additional opportunities to save money will only improve your vacation buy putting a few extra dollars in your pocket.
• Research the location of the hotel and its surrounding areas. Above all else, make sure that the area where you’re staying is safe. It’s also helpful if you want a hotel that’s in center of the action or at a property that’s far away from the business of the city. Research is crucial if your desire is to be near to the hottest tourist attractions or within walking distance of the city’s best eateries.
The choice is all yours. Booking a hotel can be simple and even fun, as long as you have the right tools and information. Now that you have the tools to book the perfect hotel, the only thing left to do is go out and find it!
