When you’re planning a trip and need to book a hotel, it’s important to know what to watch out for. There are some common mistakes people make when booking hotels, which can lead to disappointment or even cost them more money. Here are three things you should avoid when booking a hotel.
Don’t Book Famous hotel if you are on a tight budget:
Famous hotels are always overbooked and that’s why they don’t provide discounts to new clients. If you are their returning and loyal customer they might consider giving you a discount but not everyone is lucky. In real life example, one of my friends wanted to book a hotel near Mumbai Airport for the weekend. He approached the hotel directly and the hotel gave him a quote of Rs.3500/- per night while another hotel with the same class offered Rs.2500/- per night.
Always check the hotel rates on multiple deal aggregator sites and also check the hotel directly. Most of the time you will grab the best deal if you compare the price on Hotel aggregator sites. If you are booking the hotel in the morning you may not likely get the best deal but if you are booking the hotel in the late night just for sleeping you might get the best deal on hotel aggregator sites.
Don’t rely on Hotel booking Apps:
As I said to compare the prices of the hotel on hotel aggregator sites and also check with the hotel directly by calling them. It is super easy to find the contact details on Google Maps, just type the hotel name and area name you will find that hotel. Sometimes the app will show that there is no room available in the hotel but you might be surprised to see that the hotel room is still available if you approach them directly.
What’s included:
We always forgot to ask what’s included in the hotel room tariff. Some hotels offer you a complimentary breakfast. Some may offer you a brunch. It all depends on your negotiation skills.
Never ask your hotel to book a Taxi for you:
It is easy to ask your hotel to book a taxi for you and most the taxi drivers pay commission to these hotels. Hotels always have the taxis available but they charge up to 2x more than what you can get in the real market. Now you know why the taxis are costlier at the hotel.
Bonus Tip:
If you are booking in peak time you should not rely on On-demand Cab Aggregators as they might be in surge and you might end up paying even more than what hotel could have charged you.
