Selecting the best hotel is always a daunting task, with an endless number of advertisements, discounts and programs offered, the wide variety of options available can cause confusion. To make matters worse, most hotels have enticing websites, featuring their best photos and polished promotional copy selling you all manner of promised luxuries upon check-in. How do you determine an authentic hotel where you get what they are promoting and, crucially, which is the best fit for you?
Every traveller has unique needs and preferences when looking for a hotel, so it is vital to know your deal breakers. Whether you are searching for the perfect location like the Grand Palace Hotel Hurghada, remarkable B&B interiors or a great deal, we have systematised and simplified the hotel selection criteria so you can select the top hotel for your excursion.
What Matters Most?
Before commencing your search, pose the following question: What kind of accommodation do I desire and what is my budget? Are you limited to hotels charging under £150 a night? Or is location key and, therefore, the price is less important? Do you want to stay in a hotel with luxury facilities, such as fitness centres and spas, or do you prefer one with a local feel? You can also keep your options open for vacation rentals for more cheaper price like apartments in Austin if you’re planning to visit in Texas.
After setting out your priorities, you can do a focused and targeted search. The factors outlined below are commonly used in selecting a hotel, also, we highlight tips to find hotels that match your specific needs.
Price
The majority of booking sites provide the option to arrange your searches by price. Utilise these sites to see what is on the market and check rates at the hotels you are keen on staying in, then proceed to the hotel’s site to reserve your spot – most hotels assure the lowest price when you book using their website and will lower their price to match cheaper prices listed elsewhere.
Location
A lot of the large booking engines display your searches on a map making it easy to see which properties are along the beach or those that are in locations you like. Great traditional guidebooks also are a helpful source for discovering hotels in a specific location, since hotels are mostly listed by location and plotted on a town map.
Facilities
Most of the big hotel reservation sites allow you to select specific facilities when you are searching, for example, a spa, restaurant, swimming pool or fitness centre.
Frequent Flyer Miles and Loyalty Programs
If you are subscribed to a frequent flyer program or travel many times, it is a good idea to join a hotel loyalty program. Besides earning points for future hotel bookings, you could also have the opportunity to build up airline miles if your hotel is in a partnership with your frequent flyer plan.
Eco-friendliness
Travellers who are environmentally conscious and desire to have a positive (or at least neutral) impact can look for green hotels through some select organisations such as the Green Hotels Association and Green Globe.
Family-friendliness
If the kids are accompanying you on your trip you need to confirm special offers and family-friendly features.
Reviews from Fellow Travellers
A lot of us these days book a hotel only after we have read through the reviews posted by other travellers on websites such as Booking.com, TripAdvisor and many others. These reviews can give an insight into the experience related to: staff friendliness, general cleanliness of the rooms and whether the Wi-Fi is okay.
Many review websites also permit users to upload pictures of their hotel which give the real situation as compared to professional photos taken by the hotel –sometimes years ago!
However, it is always advisable to be cautious of travellers’ reviews. Extremely adoring reviews may be the submissions by hotel employees, whereas overly negative reviews may be written by extremely irritable travellers who pick on the tiniest of issues. Generally, even with the sporadic misleading review, most traveller reviews are unbiased, sincere and a priceless resource when selecting hotels.
