Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[greekcypriot]

I think that the article below will help many travellers to avoid falling in the trap of booking a hotel and then find out that it is not what they had expected.

Helpful Information on booking hotels on line:


Note the Hotel Website Quality
Website quality. Pay close attention to how navigable a hotel's website is as you surf. Are there dead links or outdated prices or advertisements? Does the page look like it was designed in 1997? Lack of attention to detail on the web just might translate into lack of detail during your stay.
Read Between the Website's Lines
You should also pay very close attention to descriptions of the hotel on the site. "A short walk to the beach" means the hotel is definitely not on the beach, "convenient airport location" means you might be in earshot of the terminal, and "complimentary continental breakfast from six to seven in the lobby" generally means a styrofoam cup of coffee and a stale danish.

When you look at the pictures the hotel has selected for its site, what do you see? Lots of children? Be prepared that this is likely what you'll actually encounter when you arrive. Likewise, if you see shot after shot of businesslike conference rooms, be ready to blend in with suits and attache cases.

Watch out for certain buzzwords as well, that just might be misleading. "Charming" can be a nice way to describe "old," and "cozy" nearly always just means "small." Cozy and charming in the same sentence in New York City means you're probably looking at a flip down Murphy bed and a Gideon's Bible.
Judge the Hotel's Pictures
Finally, keep an eye out for telltale details like floral bedspreads and plastic balcony furniture which probably equate to outdated and cheap, and be wary of hotels that have few or no pictures at all. Check out other travelers' reviews, as well as those sponsored by independent travel companies. Always be sure to call the hotel directly and verify any of your concerns over the phone, and book with an actual reservationist when you're ready to commit.


http://www.travelpod.com/members/greekcypriot

[color=#CC0000][b]

[starlagurl]

"Charming" can be a nice way to describe "old," and "cozy" nearly always just means "small."

Funny!

[dannydaidai]

Thanks for your information .so much we have to pay attention to...


-----------------------------------

China Hotel,China Travel Guide ,China Beijing Tours

[terri009]

Interesting article, I didn't realize how important a hotel's website was. Actually, I've noticed that even most hotel companies fail to recognize that as well. Sometimes when I travel, I stay at certain hotels at a discount because I do an evaluation of the hotel that measures the quality of service that I experienced during my stay. There are quite a few questions to answer, but I just realized that there isn't anything about the hotel's website! How weird is that? Not that the website has a lot to do with customer service, but it's still important, especially if the guests book online. So yeah, people definitely do judge by the website, but I don't think hotels know that...which explains why some have horrible websites that are either outdated or just very difficult to navigate through.