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Tag: Hotel

  • Hotel Deals: Saving Money On Your Summer Vacation

    It is finally getting warm in most areas and summer is fast approaching. If you go on a vacation every summer, you may be ready to start planning it. One of the first things people plan concerning their summer vacations is a budget. Nobody wants to overpay while traveling and saving money on one aspect of your vacation such as your hotel room, can give you more to spend on others such as attractions and experiences. One of the easiest ways to save money is on your hotel room. Remember these tips when you are looking for hotel deals for your next trip.

    Location
    Many people want to stay near popular attractions when traveling, but hotels that are in the heart of everything are usually more expensive than those that are a little ways away. If you are traveling a long distance and staying over during part of your trip, you likely won’t have time to take advantage of any of the area’s attractions anyways. Look for hotels that are not situated directly on the highway or main road because they are often expensive. Also, don’t book hotels in the middle of the city either as they are also expensive. The best hotel deals can be found on the outskirts of town, just make sure they are in a safe neighborhood and meet your standards.

    Amenities
    While most hotel amenities are included in the room rate, some hotels take advantage of this assumption and charge extra for basic amenities that you don’t expect to pay for. Cable television, ice machines and Wi-Fi fees are a few of the most common ways that hotels make extra money on amenities that are usually included with your stay. To avoid overpaying for these amenities, ask about them and any others you are interested in, before you book the hotel.

    Haggle
    Don’t be afraid to haggle for your hotel rate. Just because you think you found the best deal on Hotels.com or Kayak, doesn’t mean you won’t get a better one by calling the hotel yourself. The best approach is to find the best deals on one of these hotel sites and then calling each hotel and trying to get it even cheaper. While some hotels are firm on their rates, others are not and the hotel sites don’t always reflect the best deals or current prices. You could save anywhere from 20-50% on your room just by asking for a better deal.

    Social Networks
    Check social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see if any hotels are offering deals during your trip or stay. Most advertise their specials and deals on their social pages and sometimes even offer special codes or coupons as well. You can also ask your friends on these sites if they have any recommendations.

    Vacations should be fun and stress free and finding a good hotel room shouldn’t take up all of your time or money. Take a few minutes to find the best hotel deals before you start your trip and always shop around for the best prices. Have a great vacation!

    Images via Wikimedia Commons 1, 2, 3 and 4

  • 50 Shades of Grey: Hotel Package Lets You Create Your Own Fantasies

    “50 Shades of Grey” is apparently the book to read if you’re interested in expanding your amorous exploits in the bedroom. It’s the ultimate how-to book for sexual freakiness, wrapped in a narrative that began its life as “Twilight” fan fiction. The popularity of the “mommy porn” novel has exploded as of late, with otherwise unadventurous folks using the novel as guideline for their own naughty experiments. If this is what it takes for people to loosen up about sex, then hey, I’m all for it, regardless of whether or not it’s poorly written.

    Those who are looking for the ultimate “50 Shades of Grey” experience should take note of the packages currently being offered up by lodgings such as Hotel Max in Seattle, which gives prospective customers the opportunity to live out their wildest Christian Grey-oriented fantasies. Of course, if you make a big mess — tampon flinging included — chances are you’re going to have to pay a clean-up fee, especially since this place looks a little high-class.

    According to their website, the hotel currently offers you the chance to “live out your fantasies with a two-night getaway in an Artist King room on the romantic 8th floor. During your stay, enjoy chauffeured town car service, a helicopter tour of the city and a private four-hour skippered sailing excursion on Puget Sound with gourmet picnic and a bottle of Bollinger Grande Année Rosé 1999 Champagne, a favorite of Mr. Grey himself.” Make sure to bring $1600, because that’s how much this particular package is going to set you back. How conveniently opportunistic!

    Not to be outdone, the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon has their own “50 Shades of Grey” adventure. “In honor of Mr Grey’s chopper, The Heathman is offering a ‘Charlie Tango No Limits’ add-on package that includes appetizers and white wine at the hotel restaurant for six people, a helicopter tour of Portland, roses for the women, dinner at the hotel and limo transfers,” says the lodging. The price for this excursion: $2,750.

    Is this ridiculous? A bit. If you’re really interested in getting the full “50 Shades of Grey” experience, spend all of that money on BDSM products and stay home. I can almost guarantee you’ll have more fun. If you haven’t read the novel, allow Gilbert Gottfried to introduce you to the mysterious Christian Grey. By the way — the clip embedded below is not safe for work.

  • Hotel Bible Kindle: Get in Touch with God. Digitally.

    Hotel Bibles are as commonplace as curious stains on bedsheets. Whenever I travel, I always take a peek in the drawers to see if one has been provided, should I decide to save my soul during my stay. Because I’ve watched way too many movies in my day, I secretly flip through the pages in case someone has left behind a key, a hastily-scrawled note, or, perhaps, a small collection of unmarked one hundred dollar bills. Alas, the only thing I’ve ever found is a stick of gum and a condom wrapper.

    However, the days of physical copies in hotel rooms may be coming to a close in the near future. The Hotel Indigo in Newcastle, UK has recently started putting Kindles in their rooms, which come pre-loaded with a copy of the Bible. Not a Christian? Don’t get too worked up, as the hotel allows guests to download any religious text they want for free. Assuming, of course, your religion charges less that $7.50 for enlightenment.

    If the last thing you want is to be preached to during your stay, you can always download other e-books to the device, though you’ll have to pay for this heathen literature yourself. Fair enough.

    Hotel manager Adam Munday explained the decision to start carrying Kindles alongside such luxuries as mini-bars and high thread count linen. “In the 18th Century, Newcastle was one of the largest print centers in Britain and we’re in Grainger Town, close to the Literary and Philosophical Society,” he said. “We wanted to reflect this literary history in a very contemporary way, so are offering guests the use of cutting-edge Kindles pre-loaded with The Bible, instead of the more traditional hardcopy Gideon’s Bible that they would expect to find in a hotel.”

    What happens if you decide to take the Kindle home with you? Well, besides incurring the wrath of God, chances are you’ll be stuck with the bill. On the extreme end of the deal, you might get charged with theft. Either way, you’ll have some explaining to do to the big man upstairs.

  • How To Avoid Hotel Cancellation Fees

    How To Avoid Hotel Cancellation Fees

    The majority of hotels charge a fee for canceling a room reservation, if one cancels within 24 hours of their scheduled check in. This sort of thing typically isn’t an issue if one has a planned vacation or trip, and has ample time to adjust changes in plans. Still, for cancelled or re-routed flights, various emergencies, etc., a Redditor called drwired has come up with a quick solution – reschedule the room for a few days later than it was originally booked, then cancel outside of the 24 hour late fee window.

    Theoretically, this tactic should work – hotels mind less if a customer reschedules instead of cancels altogether, and will alter a reservation as long as it stays on the books. Once the date is moved ahead, one can just call back later, and hope to cancel with a different person at the desk. Perhaps it might help to wait a day or two before calling back, as many places keep logs concerning customer issues.

    Personally, I have never tried this trick, but I can recall times in the past where it would’ve been useful. Still, commentary on Reddit concerning the matter kind of makes me think that the tactic doesn’t really work very often.