We all want to make sure the vacation we’ve saved our hard-earned money towards is perfect. We scour cheap flight websites, we find the prime beach, we research the most active parts of the city we’re heading for and so on. But too many people overlook the hotel, because after all, odds are we’ll be spending as little time as possible in it. We just want the cheapest, or closest without necessarily targeting the best value. Do you want to be cranky while walking around Paris because your bed was too small and the room too noisy? Probably not, so below are some tips on what to look for when booking a hotel.
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Deceptive Photos
If a hotel is showing many pictures of the nearby beach or tourist attraction but few of its rooms or amenities (pool, lounge, all-inclusive bar etc) that might be a red flag that the accommodations are not up to par, or maybe old and not updated. Make sure you know what your sleeping arrangements will look like beforehand and you won’t be unpleasantly surprised.
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Read the Fine Print
Sometimes the fine print isn’t all the same, as we generally assume. For instance, a hotel might hide in its fine print that they reserve the right to book you into their selection of rooms that don’t happen to have any windows. No one wants that to ruin their vacations, obviously. So, read the entire fine print section to know if there are any hidden concerns you may need to raise before committing to that property.
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Intentional Misinformation
These aren’t lies so much as liberties with the truth. For instance, if a hotel is advertised as in central London, that might not mean hugging Trafalgar Square, but more so by the Olympic park, which is fine, but not exactly walking distance to Big Ben. Use Google maps and know what the local flavour of your hotel may be, and make sure you fully understand the travel deals you’re purchasing.
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Dig Deeper into the Good Reviews
If you’re going to Cancun you might not want to stay where thousands of spring breakers have rated as the best for partying, or for cheap package holidays. Don’t just look at the number, read a selection of the reviews to get a better idea of why the hotel is so highly rated, and if that meshes with your intentions.
Where we spend eight hours of each vacation day isn’t always the highest priority when digging into the minutiae of travel plans. But great value in your holiday packages will leave you refreshed and satisfied for the rest of your trip, which is, at the end of the day, the point of the vacation in the first place!
