Tips for BOOKING a HOTEL

It may not seem like it but booking a hotel is an important decision, it can mark the success of your trip. Here are 8 tips for booking the perfect hotel.

Make your reservation in advance

Booking a hotel in advance not only serves to get it cheaper, but also to have more options when choosing. The longer you make your reservation, the more complete the hotels will be. And logically, the best are the first to run out of availability.

So we recommend you not to rush and start looking for a hotel as soon as possible, especially if you plan to make a trip to a very tourist destination and in high season.

Define an approximate price per night

You have to specify an approximate budget per night to start discarding or selecting hotels. It all depends on the style of travel you want to do and how much you are willing to pay. We usually give importance to accommodation, but we do not seek excellence either. So we do not allocate a very high budget.

What you have to be very clear about before booking your accommodation is that there is a good value for money. For that it is important that you look at the category of the hotel and decide if the price you are going to pay is equivalent to what they offer you.

Take a good look at the area where it is located

If you have found several hotels that fit what you are looking for, the area can help you decide. How to know if a hotel is well located? From our point of view, a good area has to have at least 3 of these 4 points (the first is non-negotiable):

• Safety: not much to say here. Low crime rate, that you can move without fear at any time and that it is not a place far from the hand of God (we understand each other).
• Connections: second important point. Since hotels in the center are very expensive, we try to stay in areas a little further away. That is why it is important that it is well connected either by metro, train or bus.
• Services: it is a plus that in the area there are restaurants, ATMs, green areas for walking and a bit of leisure.
• Points of interest: since we are here, if you have a point of interest nearby, then better than better.

Choose correctly the type of room

The price varies depending on the type of room you choose. Obviously, a double room is less expensive than an individual because the total price is split with your Companion @ travel. If what you want is to save on your accommodation, our recommendation is that you go as a couple or a group. A four-person hotel room is much cheaper in this case than a single or double.

But if you want to travel alone, you also have the option of staying in hostels or hostels sharing a room. You will not have the same comforts as in a room to yourself, but it will cost you much less.

Also, if the hotels or hostels don't quite fit your budget, you can choose to rent apartments or private homes.

Don't overlook the facilities and services

There are trips in which accommodation is much more important. For example, if you want to take a vacation with the intention of relaxing and not doing so much tourism, it is important that you stay in a good hotel, since you will spend most of your time in it.

If so, the facilities and services you have come to the fore. What does a hotel have to have if you travel for this purpose?

• Swimming pool
• Sports area
• Recreational space
• Relaxation area (spa, jacuzzi ...)
• restaurant
• Gardens
• Safe
• Wifi
• Satellite tv
• Private bathroom
• 24-hour room service
• Laundry service

It also depends a lot on how you like to spend your free time. That's where you decide.

Make sure you are clear about the payment method

In some accommodations an extra is charged for cleaning or taxes, although sometimes it is included. Therefore, we advise you to inform yourself of everything before booking. Also, if you are going to travel to a destination where the currency is different from that of your country, make sure if you are going to have to pay with a credit, debit or cash card.

In some hotels you have to leave a deposit when you check-in. And they only let you do it with a credit card.

Choose a hotel that has free cancellation

Read carefully the terms and conditions of what you are reserving before buying. Find out if you have the option or not to free cancellation. And, above all, how much time do you have to be able to cancel the accommodation before they charge you.

Free cancellation allows you to change accommodation if you find something better.

Take into account the opinions of other guests

Take a look at the opinions of other guests before booking your hotel. Think that there is no better advice than the one that a person who has already stayed at that hotel can give you.