5 tips to avoid booking a bad hotel online
Yes, I've indeed been the victim of booking a crappy room online. Third-party websites, and tricky wording and photography can make it pretty difficult for guests to know exactly what they're getting sometimes.
I once booked a hotel that came well-recommended on TripAdvisor, only to turn up to stale-smelling elevators and what looked like shoddy electrical wires coming out of the floor. From then on, I've learned how important it is to do extra research.
So how do you make sure you don't end up staying in a cardboard box masquerading as a "cute luxury suite," or in the middle of the boonies when you're meant to be in the city? Here are a few helpful tips:
Check the hotel's website. Booking a room through a third-party like Hotels.com or Priceline is typically a bad idea for many reasons, but before you head straight to the hotel's reservation page make sure to take a good look at its website first. Spelling errors and outdated info are red flags that service isn't up to snuff.
Pay close attention to photos. What you don't see in a hotel's professional photography is just as important as what you do. For example, a beachfront property without any beach shots has to make you wonder. Too many weird crops or random close-ups (like flower vases and towels folded into swans, for example) may also be trying to mask poor quality in other areas.
Search Google Maps. Every hotel on every third-party website likes to say its "close to the airport and tourist attractions," but that's definitely not always the case. This is where Google Maps can be a real savior, allowing you to search travel time ((including traffic or construction that may be underway) between the hotel and popular destinations.
Read reviews from various sources. Hotels are always comping free stays for writers and bloggers in exchange for good press, even asking them to leave positive reviews on sites like TripAdvisor. Look for reviews from verified or top users, preferably with non-professional photos that show the property from a more realistic angle. How hotel managers respond to negative feedback can also be very telling of the kind of service you may expect when you get there.
Talk to a real person. Sometimes, the best way to suss out how good a hotel is is by calling up and asking a few questions (especially for smaller, boutique hotels that may have reasonably bare websites). Can't reach anybody? Send an email before ruling the hotel out completely. The promptness and tone of that reply will likely give you everything you need to know before you put your money down.