How do you choose the best hotel to suit your needs? You go online, follow recommendations, such our own for choosing a great hotel in Prague and you hope for the best. Booking a hotel room is very easy nowadays, you simply go online and make a reservation and that’s it. But because it’s so easy, there is always a chance that you’re not going to get what you’ve bargained for; most of the times, the pictures the hotels post on their websites aren’t very accurate and you end up disappointed. We’re here to tell you what you should watch out for when booking a hotel room, so that there won’t be any unpleasant surprises.
10. Are They Pet Friendly?
If you plan to travel with your pooch, then it’s probably going to be the first thing on your mind, to check if the hotel has a pet-friendly policy. There are quite a few luxury hotels out there that don’t just accept canine companions, but they spoil them just as much as they do their humans. They offer toys, beds, treats, spa treatments and dog-walking and sitting services. If you don’t like dogs, then you should probably make sure the hotel you’re staying at doesn’t allow animals.
9. Smoker or Non Smoker
To smoke or not to smoke… in a hotel, that is the question. Very few hotels still have smoking rooms, so if you are a smoker and you insist on smoking in your room, then you’re going to have a tough time finding a hotel that allows you to do that. Most non-smoking hotels have designated smoking areas, so if you don’t find what you want, settle for something close.
8. Location
If you’ve never been to a city before, you should really invest some time into researching the perfect location for your hotel. Will you be doing a lot of walking? Will you have a car? Do you travel for business and you need to be close to the city’s business area? Or are you the typical tourist who wants to see the main attractions? Don’t let the hotel website fool you when they say they’re close to an attraction. Close can mean so much!
7. The Services
Learn everything you can about what a hotel has to offer, before booking a hotel room with them. You would expect so many things to be included in the price of the room, but that’s rarely the case. Choose a hotel that seems tailored to your needs and desires. Don’t just choose a hotel because it’s cheap or it has a great location; think before you do it, it will affect your entire stay!
6. The Family-Oriented Services
Booking a hotel room with family in mind is easy, but you should watch out for the following things: will the hotel provide you with babysitting services? Do they have activities that your children can attend and are they free? Do the children have a place to play or do they eat for free? There are many hotels which offer free food for all the children under 7. Do your research before you book!
5. The Pictures
First of all check the pictures of the room you’re planning on staying at on the hotel’s official website and then on TripAdvisor. You’ll see that sometime the differences between the two are immense. Make sure that the pictures you’re viewing aren’t fake or tampered with.
4. The Wi-Fi
This is something that not many people know to watch out for. The Wi-Fi at most hotels is free, but there are some hotels (luxury hotels, for that matter) that will charge you for the Wi-Fi! And not just a couple of bucks. Imagine how insane it would be to stay at a hotel which asks you to pay up to $20 for their Wi-Fi password!
3. The Prices
Of course the price is a key factor when choosing a hotel, but you need to be careful for the hidden expenses that don’t seem to show up anywhere on their website or brochure. For example, is the Internet free? Do you need to pay to use their sauna or gym? Don’t let them trick you!
2. The Hotel’s Website
The hotel’s website is a very important tool that will help you decide if you should book a room with them. If the website seems suspicious, then hotel is going to be just like that. Also, look for spelling or grammar errors on the website. A hotel that isn’t going to pay someone good money to write a decent presentation means that they may be stingy with other things.
1. Read the Reviews
With the help of TripAdvisor booking a hotel room is so much easier! You don’t just have easy access to the hotel’s booking process, but you get to see what other people who have stayed there are saying about the hotel. Checking the hotel you plan on staying at on TripAdvisor is a MUST.
Did you have any unpleasant surprises with a hotel room? How do you go about when booking a hotel room? If you have any tips and tricks you would like to share with us, do so, in the comment section below.
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