Planning a trip can be stressful even for the most seasoned travelers. With so many things to consider and variables to account for, booking a hotel might seem like the least of a traveler's worries. However, ensuring that there is hotel availability at a destination is key to making your trip go smoothly. Although it is sometimes tough to predict when and where availability will be limited, there are certain methods travelers can use to check available rooms near their destination.
Determine the date of travel. This is best done far in advance, if possible, to ensure that hotels at your travel destination aren't booked full at the last minute. Get out in front of the rush.
Search for hotels at your destination. This can be done using a phone book or, more simply, using an Internet search engine to pull up results. Use these results to make an ordered list of hotels that are best suited for the trip by comparing location, price and amenities.
Log on to the chosen hotel's website. On many web pages, hotel companies give users the ability to search for the corporation's entire list of hotels and to check availability. If a room is available, travelers can book it through the company's website by phone or through a third-party booking site. Popular hotels chains include Hilton, Marriott, Best Western and Holiday Inn. If there is no room available, the search should bring back a prompt saying that there are no rooms at that particular hotel for your specified dates.
Call the hotel if there is no availability listed on the website or, for smaller hotels, if there is no website at all. Occasionally, hotels will experience last-minute availability when travelers cancel or change their plans. This may not be reflected on the website, so try to speak with an employee to determine up-to-date room availability.
Move to the next hotel on the list if there is no availability at your top choice. Check for availability again, moving down the list until a suitable hotel is found.
