Picking a hotel near your vacation destination can be tricky. You can have a vacation in paradise, but if your hotel is a dump, it can put a damper on your whole trip. Finding a nice place is worth a little effort and time. You want accommodations within your budget, but you also want to skip the bed bugs and parking lot muggings. Fortunately, you have the world at your fingertips though the internet and finding a fun place to stay is (almost) as easy as relaxing by the pool.
First and foremost, join a free rewards program and try to stick to those hotels to reap the benefits on your next stay. You earn points for every night you book, and those points add up to free rooms. Marriot’s loyalty program covers all of their 30 different branded hotels, which includes Courtyard, Westin, and The Ritz Carlton. With Wyndham Rewards you earn for stays at places like Super 8 and Travel Lodge, along with 17 other familiar brands. IHG Rewards Club gives points for stays at 14 different chains including Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza. These clubs offer other perks, like special rates, anniversary nights, and credit card offers that give even bigger bonuses.
Once you sign up for a rewards program, use their website or app to look for hotels in your destination. Look on their maps and see which accommodations are closest to the things you plan on doing while you’re in town, then decide out of those, which have the amenities you want the most, and which hotels fit your budget. When I’m traveling, a nice pool and hot tub area are a must. I’ll pay a little more and get a room farther from my areas of interest if it has the pool I’m looking for.
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of prospective hotels by location, budget, and amenities, it’s time to start researching reviews. Many times, the hotel brand’s app will have some reviews, but I like to look for an outside source like Trip Advisor. Search the names of the hotels in the app or on the website. There are some tips to figuring out if the place is a dud or not. Trip Advisor allows you to view all the latest reviews in chronological order, or you can narrow it down by looking at one-star reviews only. I usually start by reading several of the latest reviews before going on to look at the worst. If you see multiple bad reviews with pictures alleging bed bugs, it’s a good idea to mark that hotel off your list. If you see several negative reviews from three years ago that all say the hotel is dingy and old, but all the newer reviews are positive and state the hotel recently received a facelift, you can go ahead and book the stay through your rewards program. The user photos are a great tool to ensure the hotel looks like the website’s pictures. Many times, the reviews will also indicate if the hotel is in a bad area, or if the guests felt unsafe during their stay. Another indicator that the hotel is nice, is when you see the manager taking the time to thank customers for positive reviews, rather than only responding to negative comments.
Let choosing a hotel be part of the fun of your vacation. You have so many choices, there’s no need to stress about it.