Should I book through an agent to get a hotel
deal? This really depends on where on
the world you want to travel, what time of year you want to
travel, and how far in advance you can book your hotel
reservations. You already checked the popular travel web sites.
Try checking the hotels' web sites directly. Sometimes, you can
get a better deal by booking directly with a hotel than through
a booking agent.
Which website to use
finding hotel deals? No one site will
always have the best hotel deals. You have to check around to
find the web site for the hotels you're interested in, call the
800 number and the hotel itself. A lot of deals are unique to
one venue or another. Also, ask about AAA, AARP rates etc. And
then check a week or two beforehand to see if anything new has
popped up.
Most people do not know about hotel deals.
Everyone seems paranoid about getting the best airfares when in
fact we find that the lodging costs are usually the biggest
expense when we go on vacation. Maybe its because airline
travel is much more a commodity: there's much less variation
(and much less choice) among air carriers than among hotels, so
it makes more sense to compare them on price.
A lot of people seem to go out of their way to
$25 on an air ticket but ignore the fact that they could also
save $25/day on a hotel room. The same hotel room; e.g. AARP
rates are typically a 10% discount.
What service to expect from a hotel deal.
Someone paying rack rate would expect the top quality service.
If you pay at a discounted rate, should you expect less?
If you get lower-quality service because of
the discount, is that really a discount at all? Discount means
you pay less and still get the same service, does it not?
Of cause you it does; I expect the same
service in any case. Do you really think that the hotel staff
carries around a printout showing which customers paid which
rate? Do you get fewer peanuts on the airline flight you booked
60 days in advance, also?
What kind of room can you expect when you
got a hotel deal? What is up with the
way hotels and motels assign guests their rooms? In all of our
travels we've been amazed at how, when checking into nearly
empty hotels/motels, we're always given the least convenient
room while the rest of the property remains empty.
If you don't state a preference, then you
generally get whatever the desk clerk spots first, or you get
the least desirable rooms, so they can keep the better ones
available for people who care enough to request them. People who
get the worst rooms are often those who: 1. The check-in person
think will not complain about it, 2. They got a good internet
deal or other deal.
Most people make their preference known when
they make their reservations if they have one. Each designation
has its advantages and disadvantages; upstairs at the back is
usually quietest. "Down and in" (downstairs on the
non-parking-lot side) usually has easy access to the pool, and
no headlights in your window. "Up and out" lets you keep an eye
on your car, but again, with less headlights and slightly less
noise than the "down and out" that you can park right in front
of.
Final word about hotel deals.
So dont be shy or embarrassed about getting a discount from
your hotel deal. And dont be afraid to expect the same service.
Huge amounts of Hotel Quality Information on
this website Go there.
http://www.hotel.infostairs.com/