Monday, March 14, 2011

Five Giveaway Points Of An Excellent Hotel

By Jan Hewitt


Locating the right hotel can be very difficult. A hotel can look absolutely lovely from the outside, but might not be so pretty on the inside. As well as that, there are hotels that don't look great from the outside, but are magnificent inside. It is not always the best thing as they say, to judge a book by its cover. Since the economic crisis, less people travel for leisure. Even business travel has seen a downturn. It isn't surprising therefore that hotels are competing for business. So how do you choose the best hotel from the choice you have? Cost isn't always a deciding factor. Location has a lot to say about hotel pricing. So in a big place like London, how do you come to your decision?

Take a look at the facilities of the hotel first. These days most hotels with have their own websites that will detail their facilities. At the bare minimum you want a TV and en-suite facilities. Once upon a time hotels would have shared bathrooms. These days we have a little more choice, and it definitely best to find a hotel that at least gives you the privacy of your own shower! Tea and coffee making facilities are normally supplied as default. Don't fuss too much if you don't have the more minor facilities such as the trouser press. Is the trouser press really necessary as well as the mini bar? It is worth considering the chocolate bars in most hotel fridges are charged anywhere up to ten times what you pay in the shop! The bottled water is normally more than the cost of a good bottle of wine!

Study with much more detail the more important facilities you'd expect to have access to for an extended stay. For stays shorter than a couple of days, why not check out the local restaurants? However for longer stays a hotel with its own restaurant might be worth considering for convenience and cost. Whether a bar is needed, is completely down to the individual. For work travel, you are probably going to be that tired after a hard day, that you'll probably just want to go to sleep. However, should the purpose of your travel be for pleasure, you really need to unwind at the bar!

Beyond the facilities it is worth reading up on the hotel. The local tourist board should be able to help. It is much quicker though to login to Google and search for the hotel name. The hotel should be listed on lots of different review websites. Do take the reviews with a pinch of salt though. Some people are very difficult to please and the review can reflect accordingly. For 50 pounds they are probably expecting a 500 pound service. Similarly some people are too easily pleased and shy away from saying what they really think. The best reviews go into lots of detail from the start of the experience to the end. A longer review is easier to work out how fair it is.

You could always ring the hotel reception before making your reservation. Kind, considerate staff are worth patronising with your hard earned cash! However, should the staff be frankly useless, that hotel should be given a wide birth. Ask them about the local area, the rooms and facilities.

You should after some careful consideration, be able to pick the right hotel. Always bear in mind locations such as London can be very busy. Make sure you book in advance so you don't miss out. Wherever you choose, leave a review and have a good time!




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