Publish On April 5, 2021

4 Ways To Pick The Best Hotel Accommodation For You

One thing that can ruin your hotel experience can either be two things: bad service or a disappointing hotel reservation. That’s why it’s important to check the establishment before booking a room. Sadly, now that the pandemic has hit the world, hotels and other hospitable establishments are taking the brunt of it, as no one’s going anywhere because of the lockdown. It seems like a hopeless case, however, there is a way for many of these hotels to bounce back.

Hotels and other inns are doing everything they can to generate more customers and profit: discounts, freebies, perks, you name it! According to a travel article the world is in a state of “staycation” as of now, a state where people stay in their homes and swear off traveling. However, forecasts show that a rise in travel demand is soon to take place, as soon as flights and other precautions can be implemented for everyone’s safety.

That is why, as a customer, here are several tips on how to choose the best hotel for you. These tips will guide you through your stay inside of an establishment, and which ones to choose and take advantage of during this time.

1. Safety First

Whether as a parent (if you’re taking your family along with you) or as someone staying inside a hotel alone, it doesn’t change the fact safety’s the first thing entering your mind. How safe is the establishment inside, and do they implement a system that protects their customers and staff at the same time? Does everyone observe social distancing, and is everyone wearing a mask? These are just some things you might ask yourself right before booking a room.

Some hotels do their best in combating the virus despite an establishment where people are inevitably coming in contact with strangers. Establishments like Jones Art Hotel make sure their customers have a 5-star experience in their hotel while making sure their priority still falls on safety and precaution. It’s important to search for a hotel that had its entire staff undergo COVID-19 training protocols, and everything is sanitized according to the Safework Australia Standards.

Before considering a hotel first and foremost, this number should be automatic inside your mind. After all, a hospitality establishment that prioritizes its customer’s safety is already exercising great customer service.

2. Know Your Priorities

What drives you to book a hotel room in the first place? Is it complimentary breakfast, free WiFi, their own parking space, or all three? If you don’t know what you want from an establishment, how can you ever hope to find the ideal one for you? It helps to make a list for yourself about all the things you’d want to have in your hotel stay. This way, when you start hunting for one, you have a base to consult when you try to consider booking a room.

Another thing to consider is the overall atmosphere of the place. Do you prefer a luxe setting, or is a cozy, homey inn more your style? According to a study atmosphere becomes the main player in customer satisfaction, especially in the hospitality industry. Some experts have studied how these two elements are linked and found a great significance of the former, which affects the latter greatly.

As a customer, you need to assess how a hotel presents itself, be it in pictures of their venue, the way they present themselves, and even how customer service works. This can already give you a general feel of their atmosphere even before stepping foot inside the building.

3. The Top Four Amenities

Though we’ve mentioned above some of the basic needs you may want, there is still what others call the holy grail of amenities, which are Parking space, WiFi, Free Breakfast, and Air conditioning. These are the amenities you should treat as a dealbreaker, as they are the basis of the basics a good hotel can offer. If one or more is missing, it’s most likely a hotel that provides poor service, and can probably dampen your experience.

Another thing you should check (if a hotel has these amenities) is the cost of each one if there is a fee to be charged. It wouldn’t do to arrive expecting you’ll have free breakfast only for it to end up non-complimentary, or a room that has faulty or no air conditioning. However, to make sure their customers won’t be questioning their transparency, many hotels list their amenities and the prices up on their website.

However, even with the list, you shouldn’t fail to ask their customer service about the amenities. Even if the WiFi and Breakfast come without a price, it won’t hurt to double-check with the management. As for air conditioning, though it’s rare to find a hotel without air-conditioning, you should still read the description of the room. If A/C isn’t included, there's a big chance it isn’t included.

For parking space, it gets a little tricky. While hotels should offer parking space for their customers, some make use of a third-party garage, which is farther up from the hotel. If you have problems feeling safe walking to and fro the hotel, or just want your automobile as accessible as possible, make sure to ask them if their parking spot is on-site or not.

4. Check The Reviews Of The Recent Years

Sometimes we miss important things beyond our ability to assess and follow our intuition. This means even if we feel the hotel is reputable and everything we would want, it still helps to read recent reviews about it, either on their site or through other 3rd party websites. Though the latter will rarely give you a low rating (because what business deliberately puts negative reviews on their site?) it can still give you an insight into the good things happening in the hotel.

On the other hand, searching up reviews from personal blogs and trip advisors can give you an idea of what makes the place not so great. This can also help you decide whether that'll make you change your mind or if you’re willing to compromise for the service.