How to Decide on the Right Hotel for Your Vacation
When it comes to picking the right hotel for vacation, there are many factors you need to consider.
Hotels are often quite expensive, and they have a direct impact on how much you will enjoy our vacation. Picking the wrong hotel can sour your experience while choosing a great hotel will help to solidify a great vacation. There are many different types of hotels you can choose from.
Whether you want a luxurious room near the city or a cabin getaway in the great outdoors, you’ll still need to make sure you do some research beforehand to pick the right hotel.
Location
One of the most important factors to think about is where a hotel is physically located.
Just because a hotel is located in the right town or city you want to stay in does not necessarily mean that it is located in a good area. If you don’t look on a map to see where the hotel is with consideration of the activities you want to enjoy, then you won’t know just how far away it is.
You can certainly plan a vacation without needing to rent a car, but this can fall apart if your hotel is on the east side of town when all of your activities are located on the west side.
If you’re interested in exploring the outdoors, then you don’t want a hotel located in a major city and vice versa.
This is why it is very important to look at the actual location of your hotel!
Accommodations
Another element to consider is the accommodations that a hotel offers.
This includes things like whether or not a hotel has free wi-fi, or if there’s free parking, and whether the complex features a swimming pool.
What this comes down to is what your priorities are. Opting for a hotel with several accommodations typically means that it will be more expensive.
On the other hand, picking a hotel that has very few accommodations (like a motel) can make your stay unpleasant.
This means that you should figure out what is most important to you and find a hotel that fits those requirements. Having access to a swimming pool and room service is nice, but it’s more important that your room has air conditioning and wi-fi.
Make sure that your hotel offers what you need and try to stick away from unnecessary luxuries that will add to your bill.
Pricing
Speaking of cost, the price of your hotel room is another key component of selecting a hotel. For some tourists, it is the most important deciding factor.
Vacations can get quite expensive, often requiring several months or even years to save up for. When you add up the cost of plane tickets, your hotel, food, entertainment, and renting a car if you opt for one, then your total bill can easily reach multiple thousands.
Some of these costs are out of your control, but the price of your hotel is something you can manage.
You shouldn’t opt for the cheapest hotel available because you generally get what you pay for, which is very little. You should also avoid hotels that cost several hundred dollars per day because you are likely paying for more than what you need.
Try to stick to a good balance of price and accommodations to find a good hotel that fits your budget. Remember to avoid the mini-bar and refrain from ordering room service!
Credibility
One final thing to look into is just how credible your hotel is.
The downside of booking a hotel reservation online is that you can’t physically check the hotel out. You also don’t have any idea as to how the experience will play out.
It’s easy for a hotel to say that they offer something like a free breakfast, but what does that mean? They might put out some inexpensive coffee and a few muffins, or they might have a full breakfast service with several options.
For this, your best option here is to look into reviews and star ratings. These aren’t perfect, but when several people consistently have good things to say about a hotel, it typically means that they will do right by you.
You will never know how credible your hotel is until you stay there, but doing some extra research beforehand will save you a headache later during your vacation.
Closing Thoughts
The most important thing to do before picking a hotel is to determine what you value most.
There are four key factors to keep in mind, including the hotel’s location, accommodations offered, the price of a stay, and how credible the establishment is.
Finding a good balance between all of these considerations is critical to finding a hotel that adds value to your stay rather than detracting from it!
Written by Susan
Susan is an avid writer, traveler, and overall enthusiast. Find Susan on Twitter here.