Travel: Things You Need To Know Before You Book A Hotel Online

Things You Need To Know Before You Book A Hotel Online

Written by Chloe Lim

Does it seem as if every time you look around on repparttar

internet for a hotel room, you find more web sites that say you can get a hotel room for less?

Though it may sound enticing, online hotel booking has its own set of challenges. An online discount hotel booking web site should provide repparttar 133822 following basic things:

•Offer real time hotel room booking

•Allow date amendments and cancellations online

•Rates should clearly indicate what currency is being quoted, whether repparttar 133823 rate is per person or per room, and what is and what is not included in repparttar 133824 rate, and, if taxes are not included, how much they will be

•The location information of repparttar 133825 hotel should be listed on repparttar 133826 hotel description page. This can help identify repparttar 133827 distance from repparttar 133828 hotel to certain landmarks or repparttar 133829 airport

•All repparttar 133830 information regarding repparttar 133831 hotel (such as facilities and rates) should be located on each hotel's web page

•Pictures of repparttar 133832 hotel

•Star quality rating, consumer ratings with consumer reviews

•Does repparttar 133833 online hotel booking site have a membership program (like http://www.ratestogo.com/membership) that offers reward points and privileges

Checklist before and after you book a hotel room online

If you follow this checklist, you're less likely to have nasty surprises in store for you:

•Have you seen repparttar 133834 hotel on a map, and do you understand repparttar 133835 exact location?

•Do you know what repparttar 133836 rate is, which currency it is quoted in, whether this rate is per person or per room, per night or per complete stay?

•Do you understand repparttar 133837 standard/quality of repparttar 133838 hotel?

•Does repparttar 133839 rate include everything or are taxes, surcharges, gratuities, service fees, etc, extra? How much are such extra costs if they exist? Are there any other mandatory costs that you might have to pay?

How To Tell If It's A Swell Motel

Written by Ed Williams

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of traveling in connection with my writing. The past three weekends alone I’ve driven to Sylva, North Carolina, Louisville, Kentucky, and Destin, Florida. Overall, I’m holding up reasonably well, except for repparttar

fact that my rear end is starting to closely resemble repparttar 133821

upholstery pattern of my car seats. I’ve also learned that you don’t want to drink a twenty-four ounce Diet Mountain Dew in a plastic bottle just before you drive up to Atlanta. Doing that can give repparttar 133822

term, “the Foggy Mountain Two Step,” a whole new meaning.

When you travel a lot it gives you repparttar 133823 opportunity to stay in motels. Lots of motels. And I’m learning very quickly which ones are repparttar 133824 good ones and which ones are repparttar 133825 ones you need to avoid like a polecat. Believe me, even in this day in time there are as many fleabag motels as there are fire ants, and if you’re not careful you can easily find yourself in one. Like repparttar 133826 one I found myself in recently where repparttar 133827 showerhead was level with my chest. I honestly had to bend over so far to wash my hair that I felt like a human parentheses. Or repparttar 133828 one that I stayed in a couple of months back that had a TV with maybe four viewable channels, and repparttar 133829 remote had no batteries in it. Oddly enough, right there on repparttar 133830 nightstand was a little sign telling you that they had batteries for sale in repparttar 133831 lobby for only three dollars apiece. Isn’t that classy?

Because of experiences like that, I’m going to do a little public service column for y’all this week, and point out just what to do look for so that everyone can avoid all repparttar 133832 fleabag and clip joint motels that are out there in travel land. Just consider repparttar 133833 following:

1. If it costs less than thirty dollars a night for a room, avoid it like a beet casserole. Think about it - going to a movie nowadays costs maybe fifteen or twenty dollars for two people. Snacks like popcorn and cokes can easily double that cost. Altogether, a couple could very easily spend thirty dollars or so for a movie. Common sense tells me that any place that will let you stay overnight for less than it costs for two people to attend a movie has got to have something wrong with it. Maybe something major wrong with it, like a door that won’t lock, or towels that smell like a bass. Just a hunch, mind you, but less than thirty, it‘s gotta be dirty. Find another one.

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