What's Important To You?!

What To You Makes the Perfect Hotel?

Priorities for hotel requirements likely vary for you depending upon whether you're traveling for business or pleasure and alone or with others but here are a # of considerations when booking your next hotel accommodation wherever you may be going next. 1. Complimentary Breakfast – Isn't it great to be able to grab a quick breakfast in the lobby or restaurant downstairs before heading off on your daily adventures?! In many European hotels, breakfast is included in the room rate, and can range from basic rolls & coffee to a huge spread. 2. In room coffee/tea – Many hotels include this but there are also many more that instead opt to have this available in their lobby, sometime free and sometime not. It's nice to have this available for those mornings when you're just not quite ready to go downstairs before that cuppa. 3. Free Internet/Wifi – Fortunately, this is getting more commonplace everywhere, thank goodness. Sometime the signal isn't always the strongest in the hotel room depending where you're staying but more often than not, free internet is now available in most places. 4. Plenty of free parking – Sometime more difficult to get when a hotel is located in the heart of a city, you at least hope they'll offer valet parking and not charge an arm and a leg for it. Some hotels simply get crazy with pricing for their parking sadly. 5. 24-hour Front Desk services – Something that's essential when you have a late flight or late arrival to the hotel and not something that tends to ever be a problem fortunately in most places. 6. Non-Smoking facility – Such a relief when this is the case and becoming more common these days although there are still some holdout countries, especially in Europe. Certainly essential to request a non-smoking room if available.

7. Swimming Pool – Indoor or outdoor, this is important to some for the sake of their exercise routine when traveling either for business or pleasure. Likely less important when you have a jam packed itinerary for sightseeing. 8. Bar with Happy Hour – Now, this is an essential for me and most of my clients. At the very least, there must be a bar that is open more often than it's not! The happy hour option just adds that additional element! Of course, if there's a reasonably priced mini bar, even better! Although that is so often, not the case. This one tends to be a cash cow for most hotels, for sure! 9. Air Conditioning with in-room thermostats – An absolute essential particularly in warmer weather countries. Not usually too much of a concern and more often than not the case. The most important item is that it's controllable since sometimes it's set too low for my liking and I hate being cold. 10. Exercise area/gym – This has become more important to many more people these days when they're traveling, particularly on business. It's so great to see how much more people care about keeping their exercise routines in check, even when they're on vacation! What's your list for hotel requirements? Is it similar to this one or do you have other items that you look for? If there's anything I can do to help you find your perfect stay, let me know and I'd be happy to help!