6 Tips for Picking a Good Hotel Online

Picking a good hotel for your next trip can be quite challenging, especially if you have never been to that particular place before. Even though the internet has made it quite easy to find hotels as you can book online, it can still be confusing on which one to go for, as some hotels can be deceiving online. So here are six (6) tips for picking a good hotel online.

1. Go for what you want:

Start by asking yourself a couple of questions before booking. Is this a vacation or a business trip? Are you planning on bringing your family? How long do you plan to stay? How much time will you spend at the hotel versus how long you’ll be off-site. From these questions, you’ll be able to determine which amenities you will need. For example, if you are bringing your children and plan to stay at the hotel most of the time, find something with kid-friendly amenities like a waterpark or mini-golf course. On the other hand, if you are traveling for business and will be mostly off-site look for something with WIFI access and a business center. Every hotel website will have a full list of amenities, so you’ll be able to read through and determine what you want.

2. Be mindful of the location

Even if you find a hotel with everything you want, you still want to check out the location. You don’t want to spend your precious vacation hours commuting across town to get to all the sights you want to see. So make sure before booking, you pull up a map of the area and figure out the distance between the hotel and your destination. Finding hotels near where you plan to visit can help you narrow down your choices to a few ideal hotels. Also, keep in mind that you may want a hotel that reflects the local culture. 

3. Read old and new reviews

When choosing a hotel online, endeavor to read the reviews. Read both the old and new reviews so as to stay updated on the current happenings in the hotel.  Some hotels were fantastic five years ago in terms of management, decor, and amenities, and therefore may have received an overwhelming number of positive reviews. However, a lot can happen in five years, like a change in ownership, dating decor, or the hiring of new staff. Therefore, those positive reviews from five years ago might interfere with the negative reviews from the present. So when researching, don’t just focus on the old reviews alone. Read the new reviews to see if there have been changes. This will generally provide you with a good sense of what you can expect during your stay. 

4. Compare the prices

When booking a hotel, do well to compare the prices of all the available options. There are always discounts and promotional codes online for most hotel booking sites. Be sure to review all options like a reward program or discount codes that you can use once you’ve selected your best hotel option out of the three you originally wrote down. This may not help you with a good hotel choice, but it will help you save money on the cost of the best hotel for your next vacation.

5. Check booking websites and the hotel’s website

When choosing a hotel, it is important to visit the booking websites and the official hotel website, as they will provide you with details of the hotel. These websites will also reveal the services offered by the hotel. If they are not up to your expectations, you should switch to a different one. There are many booking websites that will give you all the details you need to find hotel that is good enough for you. Some of the most important things to check if they are available are:

• Clean, well-sized room: You need to check the sizes of the room. Do they have a room that is big enough to accommodate you? If you prefer a small room, do they have one that is as small as you want? Also, how clean and tidy are the rooms? Check the photos on the hotel’s website and make your decision.

• Nice view. You can check the photos of the hotel on the official website to see if they have a nice view, especially if you are the type that likes exploring.

6. Contact the hotel for clarification: 

If you notice anything you are not sure of, or you see anything on the hotel’s website that you do not understand, kindly endeavor to contact the hotel for clarification before booking online. Most hotels have their customer service numbers on their website. More so, if you have some reservations about certain things or you have a special request, contacting the hotel will be a good decision. And they will be happy to help you.