Ready to book your next hotel stay?
Did you know that there are a lot of mistakes you can make when booking a hotel that can end up costing you money, bonuses, or airline miles?
There are risks you need to be aware of, and if you keep reading, you’ll learn the 6 common hotel booking errors that you must avoid!
1. Using a Debit Card or Cash
When booking a hotel stay, try to use a credit card where possible. Credit card usage has a lot of benefits like airline miles, complimentary night stays, and cash-back rewards.
Not only do you earn luxury bonuses, but you also get guarantees you do not get when using debit cards or even cash transactions.
2. Picking the Wrong Time to Book
Although there is no โright timeโ to book when booking your hotel, being aware of the varying seasons and more popular times for bookings to take place will save you money.
For instance, when booking a hotel around Christmas time, or thanksgiving, youโll end up paying more because of the large number of people traveling to family and requiring a hotel to stay in.
3. No Doing a Price Comparison
There are usually hundreds of options for hotels, but before jumping into the first deal you find, itโs very important to do your due diligence by comparing hotel prices.
There are many price comparison sites that will quickly give you all the best deals available, including the cheapest times to book. We recommend using comparisons sites so you donโt have to do all the manual researching yourself.
Also, checking out the Marriott Destinations Club Membership Levels will offer you some of the very best deals for vacations and hotels.
4. Ignoring Hotel Reviews
When comparing hotels for families, itโs absolutely critical that you keep a keen eye on the hotel reviews. Itโs easy to see a great deal and have your excitement stop you from looking at the whole picture.
Reading reviews will give you an insight into otherโs experiences at the hotel. Although people have different expectations and standards, it gives you a good idea of potentially good or bad about the hotel.
5. Not Reviewing The Fine Print
Booking a hotel for vacation includes a lot of details that you need to be aware of. These details hide in the fine print.
Not reading through the fine print may see you being hit with unexpected bills that arenโt included in the room tariff.
Be sure to check if Wi-Fi is free during your stay and there are no common hotel amenities or hotel room options you may be charged extra for.
6. Canceling Your Booking With The Wrong Party
If you are booking a hotel through a third-party comparison site, it is important that should you need to cancel your booking; you do it through the third-party site and not the hotel.
If you cancel your booking with the hotel and not the third-party site, you may end up still being charged for your stay if the hotel doesnโt adequately alert the third-party site of your cancellation.
Want More Information On Hotel Booking Errors?
We hope this article has given you a clearer idea of some of the big hotel booking errors that must avoid when booking your next hotel.
There is a lot of things to take into consideration and be aware of to avoid costing yourself money, but following the steps in this article should keep you safe.
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