Searching for the right answer: Hotel selection – What you need to pay attention to and how to select the right hotel, we always look again and again when planning a trip. Selecting and booking an adequate hotel is the most important part of travel planning. This can have a significant impact on our holiday or business travel experience. It is certain that for the money invested, we want to get the appropriate quality of accommodation, comfort, hotel facilities, and services. Before making a final decision and booking the desired hotel, several parameters should be considered.
Hotel selection according to the type of trip
Select the hotel where you will stay according to the type of trip you are planning. Different types of travel may require different types of hotel accommodation. Business trip, seminar or conference, tourist visit, city break, honeymoon, family or luxury vacation – each of these trips imposes certain criteria that the chosen hotel should meet. In some cases, it is crucial: a good location, the existence of a meeting room, youth or other luxury apartment or room, the availability of family rooms, additional facilities such as a wellness center, price range, and similar things.
Hotel categorization
Categorization of hotels should not be a decisive factor, but it is certainly something to pay attention to when choosing a hotel. Standards and ways of categorizing hotels can vary from country to country, so this should be kept in mind. However, these deviations should not be drastic. According to your wishes and financial possibilities, choose the hotel that will best suit your needs. It is evident that hotels with more stars provide more comfortable accommodation, a larger selection of accompanying facilities, and a variety of services. Luxury hotels are categorized with the highest number of stars, being the most expensive, but also providing first-class accommodation and top service.
Hotel location
The location of the hotel is one of the most important parameters to pay attention to. And again, depending on the reason for the trip, choose the hotel with the location that best suits your needs. Check if the hotel is located in the city or away from the center. Is it easily accessible and well connected by public transport lines with other parts of the city? If you are visiting a city for tourism, it is important that the most important cultural and historical sights are located near your hotel and that they can be easily and quickly reached, if possible, on foot. The official residence requires that the location of the hotel being close to companies with which you have business contacts or institutions where you will have meetings. When it comes to a classic vacation, the proximity of the beach or ski resort affects the choice of hotel. Some people prefer an environment of untouched nature or a location that is away from the crowds, noise, and large numbers of people, so they choose hotels in more remote or even isolated locations.
Hotel accommodation
Comfortable and quality accommodation in a hotel is an extremely important item, regardless of the number of stars with which the hotel is categorized. None of us wants to spend the night in an uncomfortable bed and stay in a space of dubious cleanliness. So look carefully at the available photos, read the descriptions and explore the impressions of previous guests. In addition to hygiene, which is everyone’s priority, pay attention to the type of accommodation that the hotel offers. Hotels have a large number of different types of rooms and suites, which differ in size, equipment, and luxury, as well as the number of guests for whom they are intended. Moreover, choose according to your financial possibilities and desires. Also, pay attention to whether the accommodation is equipped with double or twin beds if you will not be staying alone. Staying with a loved one, friends, family or colleagues will also mean a different choice of the accommodation unit. In addition to being equipped with quality and comfortable furniture, pay attention to whether you have at your disposal: air conditioning, TV, telephone, safe, mini-bar, towels, bathrobes, slippers, hotel cosmetics, and the similar.
Hotel facilities and services
The available hotel facilities and services provided by the hotel are also items that need to be considered when choosing a hotel. It is important to know if there are bars, restaurants, Spa & Wellness center, gym, beauty parlor, entertainment facilities, meeting rooms, sports fields, children’s playroom, and the like. Is access for people with disabilities provided? Is the hotel pet-friendly?
Check which services are available, and then which are free, or if they are included in the price of accommodation, and which are charged extra. Is Wi-Fi internet available in the rooms or only in the common areas of the hotel? Is it free? Is room service, wake-up service, laundry, ironing, or dry cleaning service possible? These are just some of the things to look for when selecting your hotel.
Hotel selection – Hotel ratings and reviews
Ratings and reviews of the hotel, its facilities, offers, and quality of services can be extremely important and help in selecting a hotel. The experiences of guests who have already stayed in a particular hotel are now easily available on a significant number of verified tourist sites. This will give you a clearer insight into the quality of the hotel’s offer. Don’t take every criticism for granted, but be guided by the assessment that most of the guests agreed with.
Hotel selection – Value for money
If you are limited by budget or simply do not want to spend more than a certain amount of money, choose the best hotel within the available financial limits. In order to be satisfied with your stay in the selected hotel, it is important that you get the best possible price-quality ratio.