In today’s busy world people do not take enough holidays and when they do take a vacation they are confused about how to book their holiday. And no wonder with the large number of vacation options available on the multitude of travel web sites. Here are the top travel tips to booking your hotels and getting the best deals. Booking in Advance The best hotel deal – price, location, standard & facilities – is made by booking well in advance especially if booking during a holiday period or some other special event. A hotel reservation system allows customers to book a hotel up to twelve months in advance and change the booking if required. Generally, as hotels fill up they increase the price of their rooms. So booking early always gets you a good price. Sometimes booking at the last minute is great for picking up a hotel bargain if a hotel has not booked enough rooms.

If you are not too fussy about where you stay this can work in your favour but don’t expect it to work in peak holiday periods or when a special event is in town. Hotel Facilities Look carefully at hotel facilities. There is no point choosing a hotel with facilities you won’t need, for example, booking a hotel with an ouotdoor swimming pool in winter. Maybe there is free internet access or breakfast is included in the price. After all, you pay for everything extra that a hotel offers. A good hotel reservation system provides a detailed list of all the hotel’s facilities for easy comparison. Hotel Location Try to choose a hotel nearest to the attraction(s) you have come to see or very close to public transport. If you have chosen a hotel that is not in the centre of things you may need to factor transportation costs into your total holiday cost. If you have arrived in your own car it is probably not an issue. If you are planning to use taxis or another form of public transport, that can be a considerable an extra expense to add to your holiday. Remember to ask if the hotel offers a shuttle service to and from attractions and airports.

This could save you a lot of money and make your visit less stressful. Eating at the Hotel Try to book a hotel that includes a breakfast (preferably an American buffet breakfast) in the price. This can be very convenient and save you money on your visit. Generally, my advice is to not eat at the hotel restaurant because they are normally over-priced and attract hotel guests out of convenience more than offering a great meal choice. Choose a hotel in an area where there are plenty of restaurants and food courts to give yourself a wide variety of choices at reasonable prices. And if you order room service expect to be over-charged. Check Out Most hotels have a checkout time of around 10-11 am. If you have a flight or other connection later in the day most hotels will store your luggage while you shop or sight-see. Check if you can negotiate a later checkout time. If the hotel is not full this is often accommodated by the hotel especially if you arrived late at night or have stayed in the hotel several days.

Hotel Reviews A good hotel reservations system posts real customer experiences for you to read and then make a decision in selecting the best hotel for your vacation or business. This can be very valuable information as some hotels may look good in the photos but how old are the photos? Other hotels may be older but have just refurbished and are a good deal again. And we all know that customer service can vary widely from hotel to hotel.