Get The Best Out of Your Hotel

Hotels globally are more or less same in offering facilities except that the quality in service and attitude of the people there that makes the difference. Here comes the necessity to make the right choice. Some background knowledge about the hotel is essential to know about the hotel. The essential parts to be looked into should cover – its approach, its distance from airport/ railway station to the city, services it provides, whether it serves your purpose. Sometime only name and plus star category do not suffice. Atleast in some countries, the standard of hotels in some categories vary from region to region or may not match your perception about star category hotels you have seen in other parts of the globe. Hence a proper knowledge about the hotel you select may help you to get best out of the hotel.

Many a time, glossy pictures and aggressive marketing strategies of the hoteliers keep you confused to know the right picture. Here the clarification about price, discounts, mode of payments, extras etc need to be clarified in advance or you tend to pay more at a later stage.

While you make a choice of the hotel first you look into your needs and not what hotel claims. If you are going for business purpose, see that it is a business hotels – It has internet service, secretarial service, efficient communication service, courier service, parking facilities, board room (for small meetings) and preferably 24 hours checkout timings. While selecting rooms also be a bit choosy so that it is not nearer to the lifts as the sound of lift is quite disturbing if you are busy in your work in the room.

If you are with your family and children are with you, the choice of rooms is very essential. Better to ask for inter-connected room for the children and just avoid balcony as for children it could be accident prone.

Same applies for hotels which are in blocks, try to avoid such hotels as visibility becomes very difficult and hotels look very stuffy. For best views look for mountain view or sea view and pay for it. Be careful if you are making the choice through website. Sometimes seaviews etc are shown but sea could be kilometers away. So check on this part.

Also try to avoid such hotels where constructions are in progress next to the hotel or backyard has automobile repairing garage. 24 hours sound will spoil your holiday or even check whether there is open drain around and that may make your stay unbearable with the stench from the drain.

If the hotel room is more than 3 floors, be sure that lifts are in working condition and do take care of your children – don’t allow them to be in the lift alone. Many time hotels offer family packages, weekend packages, off season packages, loyal client packages, 3 night stay with one night free, free transfers, one meal free as value additions. Be educated about these discounts and avail yourselves of these benefits which will give added comforts during your stay. You can use the savings for your shopping. Not a bad idea.

Many hotels do not accept outside cheque or some specific credit cards or do not accept cash, do ensure about all these payment so that at the check out time you don’t confront with such problems and carry back a bad memory of your holiday at the hotel or delayed for your flights.

While checking out, please try to settle everything in advance better do it in the previous evening (if checking out early morning) and settle all small bills. Do checkout that your baggage are down and properly addressed and you have not left behind anything – check the bed table where you could have left behind the empty spectacle case, key ring fountain pen or your night-slipper at the bedside or your nightsuit hanging in the bathroom. Remember to take back mobile phone or charger if used at the hotel. In a hurry one tends to forget all these small things.

While leaving out of the hotel do check again that your baggage are properly tagged and these are your baggage and do check again when these are being loaded in taxi or hotel coach. All breakable items are marked “Fragile” so that hotel porters do take special care while handling. It is advisable to keep some changes with you to give as tips to the porters/ waiters. They do not expect but your appreciation with some coins means a lot to them.

Most of the hotels are having doctors at call but do carry your regular medicines and if you need any special care like wheel chair, special attendant, baby crèche etc do inform the hotels in advance. Most of the hotels are now providing these facilities or can arrange at a short notice.

You have to see that you get the best from the hotels and hotel will always try to ensure to have satisfied clients who should be their repeat visitors. They become their ambassador with word of mouth publicity and become loyal clients.

Indian hotels are doing very good business with its excellent service and value for money facilities. You deserve the best & you get the best if you make the right choice.