There was a mouse in my hotel room one time when I went on a trip to New Orleans. I’ve never jumped onto a bed in one jump in my entire life but I swear I qualified for the high jump in the Olympics that day.
Ever since then, I’ve gotten extremely picky… or snobby… you choose the adverb.
Not that the hotel was run down and sketchy, but it certainly could have improved on the cleanliness meter. So now, I do a little more research when booking my hotels.
Here’s 7 things I do before I book hotel:
READ REVIEWS ONLINE (TRIP ADVISOR, YELP, ETC)
This helps you see how other guests really rated the hotel on cleanliness, hospitality, and you can find out other fun tips.. Like if the hotel is haunted!
(Real talk.. Read those reviews, guests will share their ghost experiences…especially in New Orleans)
SET A BUDGET
Sometimes you have to pay a little more to get a better experience especially depending on where you’re going.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE STAR RATING
There is a difference between a 3 star hotel rating and a 4 star hotel rating.
FIND OUT ABOUT THE CLEANING SCHEDULE
Since Covid, some hotels do not clean your room until you check out completely so you only can call for new towels.
DO YOU WANT A FULL SERVICE HOTEL OR NOT?
Super important if you’re a room service type of person.
FIND OUT WHEN WAS THE LAST REFRESH
This means, when was the last renovation update. Is it 2021 but the hotel looks like 1999? That’s a problem. Updating beds, changing out the carpet, new fixture, mounting a television and getting a fresh coat of paint really spruces up a place. Normally hotels will refresh items slowly every 3 to 5 years max.
LOOK AT RECENT PHOTOS PEOPLE SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Check out hashtags and see what people have to say and what photos they have posted. This way you know you’re not getting a staged photo the hotel created and you’re getting a photo of a patron showing you what their experience was like.
What do you do before you book a hotel? Anything I should know about?
