Choose a hotel yourself – tips for those who travel without travel agents
Our article will be useful to those who are planning a trip or a business trip to Prague, Vilnius, Kiev, Berlin or another European city. You will learn how to find and book profitably a hotel that suits the price and living conditions.
The first and foremost advice – pay maximum attention to the choice of the hotel, do not waste time.
When choosing a hotel, remember how and where you want to relax
A good vacation can be different, and you need to choose a hotel depending on how you want to spend your time. Let's look at two main options.
If you will mainly walk and go on excursions, you simply do not need a hotel with a lot of additional services. Enough for the room to be clean, tidy with new, comfortable furniture and a nice bathroom. A plus will be the opportunity to order breakfast at the hotel, but this is not necessary.
The second option is a beach vacation in Egypt, Turkey, Greece or other countries. In this case, you will spend most of your time in the hotel. Therefore, it is worth choosing an option with a good territory, sports grounds, animation for children (if you are relaxing with your family) and a good beach.
Remember that these are only two “poles” and there are many options in between, so the choice can be tricky.
The number of stars does not always determine the price
Naturally, the price of the room is another important factor when choosing. Most tourists think that five-star hotels are necessarily expensive and comfortable. In fact, everything is more complicated.
Let's start with the price. Very often, five-star hotels hold promotions and offer discounts. As a result, guests have the opportunity to rent a deluxe room inexpensively.
The second part of the question is quality. To rate it, look at the reviews. It may also happen that in a five-star hotel in Turkey, the rooms (or plumbing in them) will be worse than the amenities in a three-star hotel in the regional center in Ukraine.
A hotel, apartment or even a villa?
When choosing a place to stay, many tourists look not only at hotels and hotels. Apartments and even villas and chalets also offer special booking services.
Renting an apartment for daily rent in a European city can be even more profitable. If the apartment has a good kitchen, and there are supermarkets nearby, you can save on food. Although, of course, you can find accommodation next to inexpensive canteens and cafes.
Book early = save?
Prudent tourists want to save money on travel and try to book accommodation in advance. This is correct, but this strategy does not always work. Often, discounts and “hot” offers appear a week before the check-in date or even later. You need to be prepared for this.
Decide if you are willing to pay the average price or want to take the risk with the desire to save as much as possible? Everyone answers this question himself. There are pros and cons to both approaches.
Approach the process outside the box
You always have the opportunity to “outsmart” the system. The main thing is a little attention when choosing and observe the patterns of pricing. Let's take a look at a few examples.
Option one. While vacationing in the Czech Republic, Spain or France, you can settle in the suburbs of the tourist metropolises. For example, Sitges and Capella, located near Barcelona. There are many good hotels, and you can get to Barcelona itself in less than an hour along good roads in comfortable transport.
Option two. Planning a weekend in the big city? Choose a hotel for business travel. These days they give more affordable prices, and the conditions in the rooms will be at a good level.
The third way to save money is to book rooms without the right of cancellation. It's cheaper, but it also poses some risks…
We wish you a pleasant trip. Plan carefully and creatively, discover new places!