Booking a hotel can be a bit tricky, but there are some important things to consider.
When you’re booking a hotel, you need to think about its location, price, taxes, and amenities.
Avoiding certain mistakes can help you save money on your travel expenses.
Prioritize Comfort When Choosing a Hotel
Often, when you’re traveling, you don’t spend too much time in your hotel room. You explore during the day and use the hotel mainly for sleeping.
So, when booking a hotel, it’s essential to prioritize comfort over luxury. A clean and simple hotel is usually enough for a good night’s sleep.
Some travelers book expensive hotels in upscale areas, but even in these places, hotels can be costly, and traveling to tourist spots from there can also be expensive.
Therefore, consider booking rooms in affordable hotels near tourist attractions.
Benefits of Rewards Programs and Inquiring about Amenities
If you’re booking a room in a big hotel chain, make sure to sign up for their rewards program.
These programs are free and provide you with reward points for each booking, which you can use for payments during your next booking.
Additionally, when booking a hotel, don’t hesitate to call and ask about all the amenities that are important to you.
Some amenities might not be listed online, but the hotel might still offer them. Making a phone call to inquire can save you from unexpected extra expenses.
Be Mindful of In-Room Snacks and Emergencies
Many hotel rooms come with mini-fridges stocked with cold drinks and snacks like chocolates. Snack packets in these rooms can be quite expensive.
If you consume these snacks, you might end up paying three to four times their market price.
To save money, consider packing snacks and a water bottle in your bag or buying them from a store outside the hotel.
When booking, even if you feel your plan is foolproof, emergencies can arise unexpectedly. You might need to cancel your booking due to an emergency.
Some hotels don’t offer refunds, and others have high cancellation charges. To avoid this, carefully check the hotel’s cancellation policy and opt for hotels with more flexible policies.
Some websites offer cancellation insurance, which you can consider purchasing as well.