Wanderlust World Wanderlust World According to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, 94 percent of hotels now offer wireless Internet service, 83 percent of them have exercise rooms. These comforts serve as two of many amenities that hotels can offer to their guests, with or without an additional fee. When you plan your next vacation or business trip, you can value hotels by comparing their amenities and choosing one that fulfills what is most important to you -- whether it is having an exercise room, a hotel restaurant or a complimentary cookie upon check-in.
Use search engines or travel websites like www.hotels.com or www.expedia.com to find a list of hotels near your travel destination. While on travel websites, you will probably need to enter the city where you plan to stay, the dates of your visit and how many guests will accompany you. You will get an entire list of hotels in the vicinity.
Look at hotels that meet your style. If you enjoy luxurious cuisine, you may want to look at hotels that house upscale restaurants. Or, you may enjoy unusual lodging, such as in a cave or under water.
Find hotels that fit your price range. Keep in mind that prices can increase during busier times of the year. Also, hotels located within and close to large cities can cost more than hotels located farther away from a main attraction or city.
Check out the amenities that the hotel offers with its overnight rate. Look for comforts that you would want to take advantage of during your stay such as a complimentary breakfast, an exercise room, a swimming pool, Internet access, a mini bar and video games in your room, a smoking or non-smoking room or room service.
Look to see what amenities each hotel does not include with its overnight rate. In other words, ferret out for items you can enjoy for an additional fee. Not all hotels will offer complimentary Internet access or breakfasts. Rank your hotel choices based on what you will need to use during your stay versus what you are willing to pay extra for, if necessary.
Compare the location of the hotel to your ultimate travel destination. Map out the distance between the hotel and the theme park or convention you are planning to attend. See if the hotel offers shuttle service so that you can easily travel to your destination.
Continue to scan the amenities for any unique perks, such as technology that you may want to use while staying there. For example, the Algonquin Hotel in New York offers guests complimentary use of a Kindle during their stay.
Call the hotel if you have any specific questions or want to find out if they offer any special rates.