Look for Discount Hotels, Even if it is not Off Season!

If I was visiting a city for the first time, I would definitely have to depend to a very large extent on the information available in magazines and on the net, for a choice in accommodation. It would be pointless to do this, without a clear idea of the amount of money I could spend on accommodation of any sort. Any person who is traveling to a city on business would do well to think of these things before he starts looking out for a hotel, be it a discount hotel or otherwise:

• The number of days you need to stay in the city

• The amount of traveling you will have to do within the place of stay; this is necessary because, you need to know the proximity of the hotel to travel take-off points

• The location of the hotel – this would be particularly important because, most brochures do not show the environs of a hotel. When a hotel is called a budget hotel or a discount hotel, the pictures that represent this are usually of the hotel room or lobby. Rarely do you get to see where exactly the hotel is situated. This could be quite misleading. You would think you have a good bargain; you would book yourself in from your home, and then have the time of your life, trying to find the hotel, because it is literally down some alleyway.

• Find out if there are going to be any hidden costs: if the hotel is going to ask you to pay a basic amount and then keep adding on for every small service that they provide, then the hotel is not a discount hotel, by any flight of imagination.

Though the list given above is not an exhaustive one, it would be good to think of these points when you are looking for a good hotel.

It is also a good idea to find out whether the hotel offers you package deals. For instance, if you know in advance that you might have to spend close to 15 days in a month in and around a particular city; it would be good to find a good hotel to stay in. It makes sense to go to a place, where you are recognized and treated more as a friend than as a guest. Apart from the feel-good factor, the hotel could possibly offer you a discount because you are a frequent visitor.

Some hotels offer you discounts on the tariff itself, while some others give you some add-ons that are quite attractive. They could, for instance, offer you the use of their sports and leisure facilities free; they could also offer you the chance to be rejuvenated in their spa or health centre for no extra charge.

Therefore, finding discount hotels could be both exciting as well as tiresome. You need to find the right balance that will make you feel that your money is well spent.