I love hotels. I actually think I get more excited about the hotel than about the destination! Though, the hardest part is always which hotel to ultimately pick. Choices are great. But too many choices can be overwhelming. Especially when it comes to figuring out how to choose the right hotel for the trip you are planning! That’s why I put together this guide and by following these simple steps, you’ll save yourself time and reduce frustration. I promise!
Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, Cabo San Lucas
Best Websites
I always recommend beginning your search on either Tripadvisor, Kayak or Google. Each of these options pull from various other websites so you’ll have an array of choices and varying prices per hotel. For booking I suggest booking direct or utilizing Hotels.com (see why at the end of this post!).
Filtering And Sorting Hotels
No matter what site I’m using, the first thing I do, once I’ve put in the city and dates I’m searching, is filter the hotels by my desired star bracket. Let’s be real, no one wants to stay at a shady Motel 6 in the wrong neighborhood. Generally, I will select the three, four and five star filter to narrow down the properties.
Then, I filter out by establishing my price bracket. Unless there are hundreds of hotels, I will usually leave in the ones that are in the lowest bracket even though I’m willing to pay somewhere in the middle. You never know when something good might end up in the super cheap range. You don’t want to miss a great deal!
Next, if the site has filters for amenities, I choose the ones that are most important to me. You can say you only want hotels that have a gym, pool or free parking or maybe you’re loyal to specific brand. This will eliminate any hotels that don’t match your requirements, which gives you fewer options to sift through. Be careful with filtering amenities, I’ve found a lot of the time this can eliminate hotels which do have the amenities you are looking for, but have been improperly listed.
Last, go ahead and sort your list. Maybe price is the most important thing, or maybe you want to sort by the review ratings. Now you can look at all the hotel choices available!
Checking The Map
Are there certain attractions in the destination you’re traveling to that you want to be close to? Do you want to be close to the airport? Do you want to be close to public transportation? Once you have all your hotel choices filtered to your liking, use whatever search engine (Again, I recommend Tripadvisor, Kayak or Google) to map your options. This way you can visually see exactly where you’ll be staying in relation to whatever activities you’re planning.
Move the map around until it shows the part of town you want to stay in, then only open up hotels that are in that area and check them out!
Poolside at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, Cabo San Lucas
Final Decision
Once you have your handful of hotels which fit everything you’re looking for, I recommend going to Tripadvisor and reading the reviews of each. I generally will spend time perusing the first five reviews taking into consideration what people are saying and if their opinion is a deal breaker on the property. You can find a lot of valuable feedback in reviews which either confirms your choice or instigates you to keep looking! This helps me further narrow down my choices and make a final decision.
Booking A Hotel
We all love finding the best price for something we are about to purchase, and that applies to hotel stays as well! My favorite part about Tripadvisor, Kayak and Google is that you’re able to see several websites and their corresponding prices for the hotel you’ve chosen. However, do not forget to cross check the price with your chosen hotels direct website. A lot of times hotels will offer better pricing or extra add-on’s and amenities on their own sites to encourage you to book direct. And, if you’re a hotel brand loyalist, then there are generally always perks to booking direct.
Don’t forget that most major hotel chains offer a “price matching” program if you do find a lower price on a third party website. This can sometimes help knock hundreds of dollars off your overall stay and can be well worth the extra effort.
If you do decide to book through a third party booking engine, I have personally found that I generally book through Hotels.com. They have a rewards program in place which you receive a free night for every 10 nights (nights, not stays!) and they add up fairly quickly!
Want even more rewards? Check out my post about My Favorite Travel Credit Cards!
Really want to make travel a breeze? Make sure you have all of my favorite travel apps downloaded and ready to use!
Safe travels!
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