Booking your hotel is one of if not the most important part of any trip. This is your base, your sanctuary, the place you will spend the most time in, so it is vital to get right. So you’ve taken the time to research your choice. You’ve compared the price on multiple websites and read all the reviews, but you may be still making a mistake. How? Take a look to find out why.
Expecting the Room in the Picture
That room looks nice, right? It’s part of the reason you’ve chosen this hotel and even though you won’t get that exact one, it will probably be similar. Or will it?
These rooms are usually given to guests who book directly through the hotel’s website. That’s good to know, but when the price on a comparison website is significantly cheaper, what can you do?
The good thing is you are allowed to leave a request when booking a room. Ask for a nice room politely and you never know, manners go a long way. If it is possible then you can make a follow-up phone call after booking. Hearing a request in your own words may make the hotel staff more likely to grant the request. That being said…
Expecting Your Request to be Granted
We’ve all seen the listing – double bed or two singles. You make the request when booking and assume that it’s all done and dusted. However, life is not always that easy. If you are traveling with your partner and end up with two single beds, this might be annoying, but it won’t ruin the trip. Yet a trip with a business associate that lands up with a double bed is another story.
If you have made a request for medical reasons, make sure to state that and make a follow up call. A guest with severe asthma who needs minimal dust and fresh air is more likely to get a room with large windows for airflow than someone who just wants a nicer room. Always follow-up and remember the fine print means the hotel doesn’t have to honor your request.
Never Stop Checking Your Dates
We’ve all done it – picked the wrong dates when booking. Mixing up months, days or maybe even years. While this is usually rectifiable, many hotels are non-refundable for cheap rates. If you booked a room for six months away then you may find they are more lenient when making a change, but if it’s for an upcoming busy weekend you will have to kiss that money goodbye.
Maybe you’ve never made the date error, congratulations, but don’t let this be the first time. When flying internationally, check the arrival times, time differences and anything that might be a trap. After finding out all this information, when you are due to arrive at the hotel might come as a surprise.
Reserving the Wrong Hotel
Many of the popular hotels are so successful they have become chains. This is good for accessibility but also can be confusing. Take a moment to check that the name of the hotel isn’t misleading.
For example, the ‘Budget Downtown Hotel’ might actually not be in as good of a location as ‘Budget Central Hotel’. However, you will book the first one because you are wanting to stay downtown. Remember that with chains, the order in which they purchase buildings can lead to some confusion in the names so take the time to check!
