There’s a huge selection of places to stay at home and around the world. So many options: hotels, hostels, apartments, B&Bs, farm stays and more.
How can you choose the most suitable accommodation from all this selection at minimum cost? The place you stay is one of the most important parameters of a trip, and a wrong choice can really hurt the holiday experience.
In this post I’ll share the tips and experience I’ve gained about booking accommodation.
Of course everyone, and every trip, has its own priorities when it comes to accommodation. On a trip toJerusalem it was important to us that the hotel had a pool; on our couple’s trip toBulgaria we wanted a hot tub in the room; inBelgrade we wanted a private pool, andin Hungary we looked for the cheapest decent option.
Recommended Sites for Booking Accommodation:
My favorite site for booking hotels abroad. Its reviews are only from people who actually stayed at the hotel, so there’s a higher chance of honest reviews. I only pay attention to reviews in large numbers, because small numbers of reviews can be bought. Points to note:
- Sometimes the displayed price doesn’t include local taxes, such as VAT in some countries or the tourist tax in Rome. The final price appears only at the payment stage.
- The hotel managements themselves are responsible for the photos published on the hotel pages, so the photos are sometimes out of date.
What makes the AsYouStay site unique is that you can search for accommodation by check-in time and check-out time. So if you land late or take off early, you can pay only for the hours you’ll actually be at the hotel! A special discount for blog readers: $10 off a booking using the coupon code checkinout10. In addition, if you book over 100 hours at a hotel, you’ll get $50 off your next booking. Click here: to go to the site.
A search engine for apartments around the world that connects people renting holiday units or short-term residential units with the owners of the units. Points to note:
- Some apartments have a one-time cleaning fee in addition to the accommodation price.
Click here: to go to the site. A special benefit for blog readers: New users who sign up through the link will receive ₪150 (about $40) credit in their Airbnb account.
Another search engine for booking hotels, hostels and holiday units. An excellent site, especially for searching for places to stay in Asia. Click here: to go to the site.
A site for searching for hotels around the world. What makes it special is its program for collecting nights at some hotels. That is, after 10 nights you get an extra night free, at the average price of the nights you booked. I had a negative experience with the site. When booking a hotel inRiga it said the reception desk would be open 24/7 and luggage storage would be available. In practice they only worked between 7:00 and 19:00. The flight was a night flight and I’d planned to leave the bags with them while I spent time in the city, and at 19:00 they simply put our bags out at the hotel door. When I got home and complained to the site, they didn’t take responsibility and didn’t even correct the reception desk hours. Click here: to go to the site.
For those traveling backpacker-style and looking for hostels with a young, fun atmosphere. On this site you’ll find loads of hostel options around the world. Every hostel also has genuine ratings from users. Click here: to go to the site.
Want to compare prices across all the search engines? Go to the site, hotels combined
Booked a hotel and have a cancellation option?
The Pruvo site lets you send them your booking details by email, [email protected] (simply forward the email with the booking confirmation) and then they alert you if the hotel’s price drops. If the price drops, you can cancel the existing booking (provided you booked with a cancellation option) and rebook at a cheaper price. Click here: to go to the site.
What to Look Out for When Booking Accommodation:
Onour honeymoon in Eastern Europe we usually booked the accommodation a day before we reached the destination. Because we always booked at the last minute and at the peak of the tourist season, quite a few times we ‘landed’ on less successful accommodation. I learned a lot from my less successful experiences. Today when I plan a trip, even if it’s at the last minute, I have a checklist I go through before booking a place to stay.
- Check-in hours: very often low-cost flights land at inconvenient hours, such as the middle of the night or early in the morning. It’s important to check at what hours the accommodation allows check-in.
- Luggage storage : if my outbound flight lands early or the return flight leaves late, I make sure there’s an option to store the suitcases at the accommodation.
- Toiletries and bedding: when you choose to stay in a hostel or an apartment, it’s worth checking which toiletries and bedding are included in the price so you know what to bring with you. There are apartments and hostels where sheets or towels cost extra.
- Additional costs: make sure there are no additional charges beyond the stated amount. OnAIRBNB they sometimes require, in addition to the accommodation price, a one-time cleaning fee. Hotels and guesthouses sometimes have a local tax that isn’t included in the price. When booking onBOOKING a hotel in some countries, the price doesn’t include VAT.
- The fine print: it’s very important to read the fine print at the booking stage. It sometimes contains important information such as: no need to pay for children under 12, payment on site is by cash only, payment on site is by credit card only, etc.
- Twin room: a twin room is a room with two separate beds. I’m fussy about the blanket at night, so when my travel partners aren’t my husband I like to book only twin rooms.
Booking an apartment abroad?
I recommend emailing the apartment owner before setting off on holiday to align expectations and check where and when you can pick up the key. Some apartment owners don’t live near the apartments, so it’s important to coordinate with them in advance, especially if you don’t have a local SIM card.
Ways to Save on Accommodation Costs:
Cancellation options: If you’re booking the accommodation a long time in advance, in most cases it’s worth booking with a cancellation option (even if it costs extra). On the other hand, if you’re booking at short notice and the difference between the options is high, it’s worth taking the risk and forgoing the cancellation option. Breakfast: Most of the time, booking a hotel room without breakfast lowers the price of the stay. When I fly to cheap destinations I tend to skip the hotel breakfast and look for cool places for breakfast and brunch in the hotel’s area. Parking: If you’re traveling with a car, a hotel or apartment with a car park can save you time and money on the trip. Of course you need to check whether the hotel’s parking is free or not. Sometimes the hotel’s parking can be more expensive than a car park opposite the hotel.
Refunds: My favorite site for booking holidays, BOOKING guarantees the best price. That is, if you find a better price for a booking identical to the one you made through their site (the same room type and the same conditions), you’ll get a refund of the difference. So what do you need to do? Check from time to time the price of the hotel you booked on the same dates through the search engine of the Hotels Combinedsite. As soon as you find a cheaper price for the same hotel and the same dates, contact the site’s customer service.
Special Occasions
If you’re going on holiday for a birthday, honeymoon, anniversary or any other reason to celebrate, don’t forget to mention it in the hotel booking. Many hotels treat guests who come to mark festive occasions to a fruit plate, a cake and sometimes even a great room upgrade!
Do you have more tips on what to look out for when booking a hotel?
I’d be happy if you share them with us in the comments!
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Happy travels,
Shir-Yam.
