by Chelsea Rosamund

When going on vacation, one of the toughest and tasks is to choose the right hotel to stay at. This is especially difficult if you do not know the area where you are going on vacation or if you go there during the busiest tourist season.

Planning vacations in advance is always recommendable, though do not invest too much effort. Booking a hotel beforehand is very important, otherwise, when you get there, you risk to be unable to find a place where to spend the nights, or there might be vacancies only in hotels, which are not best for you.

Going to the most expensive hotel is hardly mandatory, if you are looking for good service; but on the other hand, do not forget that there are reasons why cheap hotels are cheap. Your guide for hotel prices could be Motel 6. Since a room even in that hotel is about $40 on average, anything below its price is most likely too cheap.

Think about hygiene, when choosing a hotel. You will hardly find an absolutely sterile hotel room, but generally cheaper hotels are less well maintained than the expensive ones. As a rule, as with most of life, you get as much as you pay for.

Here are some more considerations about what to look for before deciding which hotel to book.

The most important consideration is how much money you can afford for a hotel room. If you cannot spend more than a hundred dollars per night, this might be too bad. Depending on the destination, where you are going to, less than a hundred dollars per night might prove totally insufficient to get a decent room.

Next, you need to consider which features are important to you. Do you want a continental or full service breakfast, for instance? One benefit of in-hotel breakfast is that it will make it easier in the morning if you don't want to go out for breakfast, or don't want to order room service.
Continental breakfast usually consists of something light and quick in the morning, while full service breakfast is a more complete meal. However, if you're going to be getting up extremely early, perhaps you won't have time even for the continental breakfast.

If you would like to have a pool in the hotel where you are going to stay, check in advance the location of the pool (outdoor, indoor) and if it will be open when you get there.
For instance, it is very unlikely that an outdoor pool will be open in winter. Also, even if the pool is open, check its working hours to make sure you will be able to go swimming in time that is convenient for you.

Next, do not forget about the location of the hotel. For example, if you plan to go to a Disney park, you won't want to rely on rented cars to get to your destination. Rather, you will prefer to stay in a nearby hotel, or at least a hotel that is within a reasonable walking distance.

Once you think you've found the right hotel for your vacation, you should try to buy a package for your trip instead of buying the hotel and travel tickets separately.
Some companies will give discounts for vacation packages, and depending on where you're going and what time of year it is, you could save hundreds of dollars.

FTI Hotel is a great site for all the information you would ever look for regarding hotels.
Chelsea Rosamund is the webmaster and has a vast knowledge of the hotel industry.
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