When you are planning an overseas trip, choosing and making reservations for your hotels accommodation can be a tedious and frustrating process, especially if you are a first-time visitor. The selection of hotels available is often mind-boggling, and may leave you clueless as to how to go about picking one that is right for you.
It is paramount that your accommodation can live up to expectations, as you not only are recharged after a good night’s rest, your holiday or business trip can also be complemented by a good location and appropriate amenities. It is also more common nowadays to witness good service from cheaper hotels; hence the most expensive options may not always be the best. Here are some tips to help you select the right hotel.
Plan your hotel budget
When planning your total trip budget, you should ask yourself how much you are willing to spend on your hotels. This will determine which categories of accommodation would be the most suitable for you, be it cheap, middle-ranged or five-star hotels. This would effectively narrow down the field so that you need only consider the hotels in that category.
When studying the prices of different hotels, you should also examine whether important amenities and extras such as meals, in-house movies and parking costs are inclusive in the room rate. This is so that you can better gauge the true cost of booking a hotel.
Select a good location
The next step is to select a hotel location that would be ideal for you. If accessibility to main tourist or business hotspots is important to you, you should consider hotels which are near the specific places which you will be going to. While hotels in the downtown or near major attractions could be more expensive, you will still save on time and money for taking transport to these places. If you are using public transport to get around, it would be advisable to stay near a train or bus station.
If you are a light sleeper, prefer a more peaceful environment or are just seeking a good night’s sleep, it would be a good idea to avoid areas with a high density of nightlife, activities and traffic.
Consider only hotels with the right amenities
Before you place your hotel booking, you might want to think about which amenities would be essential to your trip and which ones you do not need. This will facilitate your decision-making process by only choosing a hotel that gives you maximum convenience.
For instance, round-the-clock room service is recommended if you do not wish to carry many snacks with you. If you require transport to the airport or downtown areas and do not want to rely on public transport, shuttle services to these locations would be welcome.
Ensure that the in-hotel amenities can sufficiently meet your relaxation, fitness or business needs in the form of spas, fitness centres or business facilities respectively. Last but not least, family-friendly amenities such as kids’ activity centres and children’s pools are very helpful if you are bringing along your family.