Hotel Booking Checklist

Does it make sense to use the internet to book hotels?

If you know exactly the hotel you want to stay at, and understand what a fair rate would be, the internet can help you.

But if you're unfamiliar with a city or with going room rates, the internet will merely confuse and confound you, and the time cost to book your own hotels will vastly eclipse and potential savings you might achieve.

Booking Hotels Online Should be Simple!

If you don't already know exactly the hotel you want, and particularly if you don't really understand the layout of the city you'll be visiting, or what the going rates for hotel rooms should be, then you'll find a journey through the world of internet hotel booking services fraught with confusion, incomplete information, and frustration. But it should be simple and easy. There is no special magic required. The typical traveler needs to know some very basic things, including :

A helpful location map (including a distance scale) that shows where the hotel is compared to the city centre, airports, freeways, rail stations, etc
Photos of the hotel exterior and interior (watch carefull)
Quality rating (eg so many stars or category description)
Exterior and bedroom Photos
Convenient complete lists of hotels per city with helpful summary information per hotel, all on one (big) web page to make comparisons easy
Convenient lists of all hotels that have availability for a selected time period complete with applicable rates
Rates that clearly indicate what currency is being quoted, whether the rate is per person or per room, and what is and what is not included in the rate, and, if taxes are not included, how much they will be
Ability to quickly get rate and availability information without having to provide any personal information or credit card number
Instant availability and confirmations of bookings
No prepayment for hotel bookings

Okay, so none of this is rocket science, is it! But, no website consistently offers all these features. Yes, some are better than others, but none is yet perfect.

A Booking Checklist If you insist on doing your own hotel booking, here is a quick checklist for you to use when booking hotel rooms. If you follow this checklist, you're less likely to have nasty surprises in store for you :

Have you seen on a map, and do you understand, exactly where the hotel is located?
Do you know what the rate is, which currency it is quoted in, whether this rate is per person or per room, per night or per complete stay?
Do you understand the standard/quality of the hotel?
Does the rate include everything or are taxes, surcharges, gratuities, service fees, etc, extra? How much are such extra costs if they exist? Are there any other mandatory costs that you might have to pay?
Are there any extra inclusions such as breakfast, and, if so, is it a cooked or continental breakfast?
Do you understand what room type and bedding configuration you will be getting?
Is your reservation guaranteed? Will it be held for late arrival?
What is the change, cancellation and refund policy if you need to change or cancel your booking?
Did the credit card number you gave to the internet booking service merely guarantee your room, or did they charge a deposit (or even the full stay) at the time you made your booking to the credit card?
If you have any special needs or requirements or expectations, you should double check with the hotel directly that these special service requests have been received by them and are understood and will be provided.

Some people suggest contacting the hotel directly, perhaps 24 hours after you've made the online booking, to confirm that the booking has appeared in their local computer system. You should also then check with them that the booking, as they see it, is the same as the one you think you made in terms of room type, room rate, etc.

Most importantly, if you prepaid any amounts to the internet website, confirm that you won't be billed again by the hotel directly. Remember that most internet websites are completely independent of the hotels they service, and could be located anywhere in the world; once they get your money, there is no guarantee that they will pass it on to the hotel in time for your stay.

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