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Tips For Travel And Guide To Staying At Hotels
First off booking your room do yourself a favor and book over the phone with a real agent. Chances are that if you are booking online there might be something that is missing. Sometimes the Internet might say that a certain room is not available but in fact if you call you might get that room. Websites don’t show all the rooms available. On that topic sometimes certain packages and special rates are only posted on the website itself so it is good to cover all basis do your research online and then call because they can usually set up that special Internet deal over the phone. Don’t forget a rate is always negotiable but usually during peak season or holidays including school vacations and be prepared to pay full price. Always Always tell your reservationist what you need be specific tell them everything. I can’t tell you how many times people failed to mention when booking the room that they can’t walk up stair and sometimes there may not be one available when you get there. So tell your reservationist all the details including certain request like cribs, and handicap rooms, views is a big one but chances are you are not going to be in your room the whole time so don’t sweat the small stuff go there to enjoy the amenities. Also specify how many beds you need if you call and tell them that there are two adults in the room we don’t know that it is you and your friend that would prefer not to sleep in the same bed. Most importantly be nice about it they are there to provide an excellent vacation for you. Being rude and disrespectful not only does get you no where, it will flag your reservation so all the different departments will see you coming. Kindness goes a long way trust me. Now for some inside hotel stuff. Usually with most hotels your room is booked for double occupancy meaning the are two adults only in that room. In regards to children and extra adults tell the hotel the age and how many people because if you are not honest about how many people are in your party than chances are you are going to end up in a room that is to small for everyone and doesn’t have enough amenities for the family (towels, soaps, pillows etc.). Back to the double occupancy deal if you do have more than 2 adults some hotels will charge you for the extra adult but you will be more comfortable. Always check the hotels policy so you are not surprised when fees end up on your bill at checkout. Also don’t forget to remember the people that are cleaning your room and making your stay comfortable. Early check ins and late check out. I can’t tell you how many people arrive for their trip which is suppose to be relaxing and fun but end up getting all worked up and bent out of shape when their room is not ready early. Check and ask what time check in is!!! Very important don’t expect to go to your destination at 11:00 a.m and get into your room chances are it is not going to happen. You can alway request an early check in and it puts your name on a list to prioritize who gets their room first if it is possible. But remember it is ONLY a request so make plans ahead of time in case you are not the lucky one that gets in early. There are plenty of things to find to do ask the concierge about the area and get suggestions for your day that’s what they are there for. Always pack a small bag of nessecities so if your room is not ready you can just grab that bag and go off and enjoy what the facility has to offer. It’s not so convienient to go through a suit case in a parking lot trying to find a bathing suit so you can enjoy the pool while waiting. So be prepare to grab that bag and enjoy the day you will be glad you did. As far as late check outs are concerned don’t be surprised if they do not give you a late one. Again prepare yourself for this and if they do give you one it is most likely they will only extend it out by an hour but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to leave the property. Hopefully you packed that smaller bag for check in and do the same for the day of check out. Most places can even make it super easy to depart from your room. Pack your things and leave them by the door, if your hotel offers bell services have them come get your bags and store them for you. Then when your ready to leave you just have to pull up your car and they will be loaded for you. It is always a nice gesture to tip the people that provide serves for you. I see a lot of people refuse to have a bellman help them and probably due to having to chalk up a couple bucks but it is worth it! You are on a getaway don’t lug your heavy bags around just to save yourself a few bucks. I always use these services myself. Packing and getting ready for a trip is enough work don’t continue to add more when you arrive or depart. This section is for preparing for your arrival. Cross all your T’s and dot all your I’s before you get there have a plan. Having nice day activities planned but also rainy day ones to. Countless times I see families walking around in a bad mood and all upset because they hadn’t thought up things to do if it rains the whole time. I always do tons of research before I go on vacation and I find several options for bad weather days. I learned my lesson a few years ago when we arrived to our hotel on our trip it rained 5 out of the 7 days we were there. Fortunately we had rainy day options available for us so we managed to keep it fun. Most places can guarantee alot of things but they cannot guarantee the weather that part is up to you. Again that what concierge are there for so get advice they will be your best resource besides yourself and doing the research. In regards to being prepared for your trip check online or call the hotel and find out what amenities they offer. Don’t pack your hairdryer and toiletries if they are already there for you. More work means less time to enjoy your vacation. It is customary for hotels to have enough pillows and blankets in the room for the amount of people that the room can hold. I always bring my pillow with me but that is just because I like a lot of pillows when I sleep. Keep in mind that during peak seasons you might want to request that extra pillow or blanket ahead of time. Billing this is a big one. Problems on bills seem to be every where you go but who needs that when you are on a relaxing vacation. My advice here is if you are charging something to your room most likely you will have to sign for it so look at the receipt before you sign if it is wrong have them fix it and never charge anything to your room without looking to see how much is being charged. Also I suggest if traveling with friends and all eating together, to pay separately at the restaurants. Ask the waiter to put your families on a separate check they have the capability of doing it so just enforce it also it may be a good idea to tell the hostess in private that you would like to do this. Save yourself confusion and embarrassment after a nice meal. If you do have the waitress/waiter split the check onto 2 different rooms keep in mind that they may just split it evenly down the middle I have seen families split the bills between 2 rooms before and one of the families ate alot less than the other and she later disputed it and with the cost of things these days anywhere you can save a penny will help. Room charges can usually be split to but mention all this at check in or better yet before you get there. When booking your room most likely they will charge your card in the amount that is equivalent to one night stay so if you are splitting the bill with someone have your reservationist only charge you half of the advance deposit and your friend the other half. Do what me and my friend do we call three way on the phone that way everyone is on the same page. On that note be sure to read policies or at least ask there cancellation policies be educated not surprised. If you are staying at a resort type hotel there could be a lot of surprise charges on your bill if families split up and use the different amenities. If your resort is fortunate enough to have a spa than charge those things separately when you book your spa service (my advice is in advance) they will generally ask you for a credit card make sure it is the card you will want to use when you get there that way it will be on file so you don’t have to carry a wallet around in a spa. Also most spa resort type settings will automatically add the gratuity in your service so before you hand them a tip ask if it is included. I highly recommend booking early for services or recreational activities as if it is peak season it is not unheard of for it to be booked up completely. I recommend when you call to book the room give yourself enough time to be on the phone for a while, book your room and appointments and or activities all in the same phone call. REQUEST YOUR CONFIRMATION FOR EVERYTHING your room and your activities you have planned. You will probably be transferred around a bit when you call but it will pay off in the end because you won’t end up being left out due to waiting. Make sure all your requests are followed through call the day of check in or the night before and make sure your reservation is flagged with your requests. Another important topic is where your going and depending upon why your going there can affect a lot of things. If you are going to a place for a romantic getaway well then you might want to consideration the date’s you are going. You should realize that if you plan your trip on the same week that kids are on a school break than it may not be as peaceful as you hoped for. I know if my husband and I are escaping for a trip alone I don’t want to be surrounded by children as much as I love kid’s I want it to be quiet. That is one reason why my husband and I opted to go to an all inclusive couple resort when we went on our honeymoon. You might want to ask if the place you are going to has a particular section of rooms that children are not allowed to stay in. It might not stop you from running into them along the way but it might help. My advise, try to book a trip midweek as well as it being quieter it might be a little less expensive than a weekend. Certainly if you are escaping during the summer and want to avoid families than choose a place that is adult only because summer time is a time for families to vacation. Probably my last piece of advice before I wrap up this blog up is $$$. You can save a lot of money if you pay attention to when you are booking the room and what season you are traveling. Mid week is always cheaper and usually are Sunday’s to Wednesdays remember that some places in peak season consider a Thursday night to be a weekend. Watch for those places with minimum night stays as well. If you want to travel on the fly you can save money by just walking in, the later the cheaper. Don’t expect to walk in at 2 p.m and get a significant discount. I would make plans for the surrounding area and show up after 7 for the best deals. You can always dicker down a rate they quote you at night. Remember though this could leave you driving around all night looking for a room. I have to also reiterate this again that kindness goes a long way in this industry and that trickles down to every department a smile and a thank you along with some appreciation for these people that are trying to help you. Another inside scoop is in the hospitality industry as well as many customer service places have some sort of reward system they use for their employees so if you really thought someone stood out in making your event special then don’t forget to fill out surveys or respond to an email about your stay. It is important to recognize people this will also give you the opportunity to help the place with improvements they need to make. If you smile and are kind you will find that great employees will go out of their way to please you and make your stay that much better. More and more I see people that arrive for their stay and are extremely negative from the minute they walk in the door. A lot of people complain about the place before they even see it. A vacation is a time to enjoy yourself whether it is for a night or a week, sure there will be hiccups along the way but don’t make it a negative experience be patient and be prepared. There are so many more things I could touch on but for now that is it. Please comment or ask questions I will be more than happy to answer them if I can. Don’t forget to enjoy your stay Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com www.preciouspastlives.com |
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