Overview
Finding a good room and then booking it, is not as easy as it may seem. Now-a-days most of the booking is done online, so you can compare rates, look around before choosing a hotel. If all this sounds new to you, then you can follow the steps listed below that will help you.
Fix your Budget
Before making any booking and reservation, ensure that the hotel meets all your requirements but before you start any of the planning you need to assign a budget for your trip and stay. This will narrow your search and save you time and money.
Required Accommodation
Next step is to decide what kind of room you want and what kind of amenities are you looking for; whether you need a small room, or you are looking for a luxurious room, whether you want a hotel with a pool or other such facilities.
Choose your Location or Area
Sometimes the choice of location trumps the budget or required accommodation, especially if you are going to a location of convenience. Often, your ideal location depends on the kind of trip you are taking, like for business or leisure purposes. In the case of a business trip, you may want a hotel nearby your work meeting or conference. But for leisure purposes, you can find a hotel that is nearby city hotspots or somewhere secluded if you choose to spend the trip in peace and away from any kind of hustle bustle. Look out for hotels that provide a vehicle for travelling around the city.
Search for Hotels Online
The simplest and quickest way to look for a hotel room is to go online. All you need to do it enter your specified dates, the number of days or nights, your location and required amenities. You can even specify your budget. This will fetch you results customised according to your details. Note that, online search engines do not include surplus charges that hotels may add up to your bill, so look for any fine writings next to the stated charge for the room before you consider it.
Search for Discounted Hotel Rooms
When you search for discounted tariff, the search engine will crawl through numerous database to get suitable results for you that match your needs and that are discounted or offer cheaper rates. Keep in mind that some search tools require you to pay first for your booking even without disclosing the hotel’s name. Always keep your eyes open for fine printing, so that you are not taken by surpise.
Read Reviews
Word of mouth or just reading reviews online can give you a better idea about all the hotels that you may have shortlisted for your trip. Often, online reviews give you a sense of the level of cleanliness, customer and available amenities offered by the hotel. They are also star-rated based on the guests’ experience. This can help you weigh reviews against the price and location.
Make that Call
After checking out the details, call the hotel reception, confirm the information, and clarify your doubts. Try calling late in the evening, because most mornings and afternoons are busy at the front desk. You may want to ask questions like;
Is breakfast included in the nightly rate or if there is a restaurant attached to the hotel?
Do you offer transportation on rental basis? Is there a public transportation nearby?
Are there any facilities available for disabled?
What is their policy for cancellation?
Book your room
You can reserve your hotel room by providing your basic details or by directly talking to the receptionist or the manger. This can enable you to reserve the chosen room for limited time period. As soon as you’re sure about the hotel, book the room! Many hotels require you to pay the full amount during the booking via credit card. Check out if the credit card you use provides any discounts on hotels or accommodations.
Confirm your Booking
You can confirm your room booking by asking the hotel to send you a receipt or by taking print out of the payment receipt at the end of the online booking session. Read the receipt carefully for making sure that your travel dates are correct. Check if the hotel has mentioned the regulatory fees and charges on the receipt.
These are the basic pointers that that you need to bear in mind while booking a hotel room.
