How to choose a hotel from an online travel site

Some of the best deals for traveling are found online, however, the problem with taking advantage of these deals is sometimes you pay less but get less too. This is especially problematic with hotels. You are often offered a list of hotels, and you must haphazardly choose one. So, how can you choose a hotel from an online travel site, and be sure to get a quality one? Try the following tips:

First and foremost, all online travel sites offer luxury hotel, but a lot of these hotels do not fit into your budget. So, first establish a price range from which you will choose a hotel, that way you do not waste time on hotel rooms that do not fit your price range.

After establishing the price range wished to spend on lodging, it is time to narrow hotel choices. This is your opportunity to get rid of hotels that do not offer the amenities that you want or to have the level of lodging preferred.

Hotels run the gamut from very basic economy style rooms to luxurious suites. Know what you want and research a little before you book. Just because the online travel site does not offer pictures, or ratings of the hotel does not mean you can't find them. So, take some time to look online for ratings of the options you have for hotel rooms.

There are several other places you can look for information about your online travel site hotel options. Consult travel guides, tour books, or brochures to ensure that the hotel you choose offers what you want.

Make a list of all the things you want in your hotel stay, whether it's an indoor swimming pool, onsite restaurant, in house laundry, Internet connections, or a gym. Once you create this list, eliminate rooms or hotels that do not have what you need.

Once you eliminate some of the available hotels, it is time to do a little more research for the various hotels left. Visit the website of the individual hotel if one exists. Look at photographs and read text about the guest services on site. Remember that photos of a property are designed to provide the best view, so look at the lobby picture and evaluate it hard, and then know that whatever room photos are shown are of their best rooms, so your will likely not be as nice.

When choosing a hotel room from an online travel site is especially important to read reviews. Epinions.com provides a collection of candid reviews of many hotels. So do Expedia and Travelocity, which are some of the places you may go to book your hotel room as it is. Reading reviews are a perfect way to be satisfied by a hotel choice. Guests that review hotels do not spare the hotel's feelings, they are very straightforward about what they like and what they do not. If other guests are satisfied, you will likely be satisfied as well.

Another thing you can do if you are serious about choosing the best hotel from the online travel sites is to call the Tourist Bureau or Chamber of Commerce in the city where you'll be staying. Ask them to recommend a good hotel. In most cases, locals will be honest and point you toward one of the better hotels, even if that hotel is not one of the most expensive in the area.

One of the best ways to choose a hotel from an online site is to compare prices and amenities. You have to do your homework, but if you do, you will not regret it. You can save yourself the hassle of an unpleasant hotel stay by doing your homework first. Part of that homework is to review what the online travel site offers. For example, you might find a hotel that offers internet, but when you book through an online travel site, that is not included in your stay, thus you have to pay extra for it once you arrive should you choose to have it.

Now that you know the basics of what you need to do to choose a hotel from an online travel site, let's take a look at some specific steps you can take to find the right hotel for your stay:

First, whether you are going somewhere for business or vacation, staying in the right part of the city you are visiting is huge. Also, this is a great way to pare down the seemingly endless list of options an online travel site will pull up for you to stay in. You might go to Fort Worth, and end up in the industrial district, when you need to be closer to the commerce centers. So, go to Wiki Travel. This is just like Wikipedia, but with a focus on each city from a traveler's perspective. Take the time to find out where you should be staying in the city. This means what area, what region, etc.

Next, when you go to the online travel site, use the map feature as an elimination tool. You can eliminate any hotels that do not fit in the areas of the city you should be staying in.

Next, use another online travel site, such as Expedia to double check prices. Your browser can have more than one page open at a time, so just make sure that you are not paying more than you have to by checking other sites offering stays in the same hotels.

Ok, so now you should have a narrowed down list of hotels in the right area, and priced at the right price. What next? Your next step is to look at the star ratings. Eliminate any of the hotels that have really poor star ratings.

Alright, now you have a working list of hotels to look at.

The first thing you should look at is the price - again, there is no use in getting one's hopes up, if you can't afford it, do not look at it, it will make everything else seem not as good.

If the price is right, it is time to start your homework. These first few steps should only take a few minutes, now it is time to browse a bit. Take time to look at photos. How is the lighting? How are the linens? What kind of art is in the room? Does it look happy? Cozy? Efficient? Decide if the look and the feel of the room suit you. Look at the lobby too, does it look professional, or cramped and low cost?

Once you decide what hotels you like based on the pictures, take time to look at the customer reviews. Sometimes photos lie, but customers rarely do. Of course if they complain about something silly, like how much breakfast cost, disregard it because you can always buy your breakfast somewhere else.

Once you find one with good reviews, find its personal website. If they don't have one - don't stay there. It shows a distinct lack of pride in their business, and in the world today, there's no excuse not to have one. Check to see if their prices are better than the travel website, and if they have any special deals you can take advantage of. On occasion you can get the exact same hotel for less by booking through the hotel.

Before booking, double check to make sure there is nothing better, or no better price offered elsewhere. Sometimes the price break you get through an online travel site is when you combine hotel and air, so if you are just booking hotel, there is a good chance you can get it for less by looking a little harder.

Last but not least, confirm that your online booking has everything you want. For example, if you want a King size bed, call and make sure that is what you are getting. If you want non-smoking, call and make sure that is what you get. If you want a balcony or terrace, ask for it. The best way to be happy with the hotel you choose from an online travel site is to ask for what you want, not just assume you will get it.

When you choose a hotel from an online travel site do the following:

• Narrow down the list based on location, price, and ratings.
• Do some research on the remaining hotels, check out their website, look at customer reviews, etc.
• Book, but confirm that you are getting everything you want.

If you can do these three things, it won't matter if you book online or through a travel agent, you will be satisfied with your stay, comfortable, and happy about the value for the price.