The most popular blog post in the year-end post was about hotels. When I was planning a trip, many asked me how I chose accommodations. I decided to share my method.
You know how much I love hotels and Airbnb. When I travel, I prioritize this. Some trips have been sparked by a place I’ve fallen in love with. It’s important to choose where to stay, whether you want to be in a great location or to fit within a certain budget. It could be to enjoy local culture or experience the design of a place through someone’s house.
In light of all this, I will share the process I use to decide what accommodations I want.
Check out this article for inspiration on hotels for the year. For Airbnb, see this article!
How to Choose the Right Accommodations for Travel Planning
Step 1 Budgeting for Accommodations
Price is the most important factor in everything. Budget is the first thing you should consider. It’s a necessity that can’t be avoided, so the first thing I would do is decide how much money you are willing to spend on accommodations.
I take into account factors such as these that will affect the budget:
- Will I spend most of my time at the resort hotel? (may consider spending more)
- Does this place serve as a base to use for a few days? (may consider spending less)
- Do I need a bathroom or kitchen? (may consider spending more)
Step 2: Rent a hotel or an Airbnb.
This is a personal preference question. This is a very personal question.
Considerations:
- Airbnb charges a lot of cleaning fees, and the rates may not be reasonable for a single night’s stay.
- It is possible that I will need to check in early and store my luggage. This can be an issue with Airbnb rentals that have late check-ins.
- Hotels are often more expensive if you want a kitchen or a place to hang out. An Airbnb could be suitable for me.
After evaluating my needs, I decide whether to book a hotel room or an Airbnb.
Step 3. Location is everything.
It’s possible you picked the most beautiful room, but is that where you want to stay?
My top recommendation when choosing a location is to star all the places on Google Maps where you might want to go, see or eat. Are you seeing a lot of places that are saved? You should consider this area as a possible location.
Location factors:
- Is the place crowded and noisy?
- If you plan to rely on public transportation, is it close by?
- Is it easy to access the airport, especially in major cities?
Step 4.1: How to choose a good Airbnb.
I wrote about this in a blog post titled “Top Tips for Booking an Airbnb Rental.” You can read it there, and I will summarize the post here.
- Have you read the reviews?
- Considerations like WiFi and other amenities are important.
- Have you considered the location, number of rooms and types of beds available?
A good Airbnb meets my needs and looks good. The owner also responds quickly. I love a ” super host,” who has had many positive customer interactions.
Step 4.2: How to choose a good hotel.
Budget will again be the most important factor in this decision, so it’s very individual. After I narrowed down the area that I wanted to live in, I began looking.
The top three sites for hotels with great service, great design and vetted websites are:
- Kiwi Collection
- Preferred Hotels
- Mr. and Mrs. Smith Hotels
These three websites have personally inspected each hotel, so I can be confident that any of the hotels listed will be a good choice. This takes away the anxiety of not knowing. Booking on their site offers incredible benefits, and there are opportunities to earn points on Preferred Hotels.
If the hotel isn’t listed, I begin my search by looking at reviews on Tripadvisor and Booking.com.
You can quickly tell if a particular hotel is providing a positive experience for its guests.
Step 5: Booking and reconfirming before travel.
After I have decided on a hotel, I book it immediately. To give myself more flexibility, I choose a refundable price if I have a long time before my trip. When I am close to my journey, and there is no way for me to change it, I will book the lowest rate.
Reconfirming my hotel is something I do every time before a major trip. It’s happened that sometimes the hotel reservation was double booked or there was a glitch. For long stays, I always check-in.
When I’m at an Airbnb, I tell them my arrival time and get their contact information. I also make sure that my Airbnb app is logged in.
This guide should help you make the right choice when choosing accommodations. Please share any travel tips you may have in the comments section below. You can find my entire travel planning series on this page:
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