*Collaborative post.

I like to pay extra attention when booking a hotel for a holiday. The last thing I need is to discover the hotel does not suit my needs after checking in.  That would be a holiday from hell. That is why I like to research the hotel we intend to stay especially now that I have kids. When it comes to hotels, I like them luxurious and comfortable. I want a home away from home. The hotel needs to feel like a hotel. It needs to look and feel better than my home, after all it is a holiday and should feel like one.

Here are some of the things I look out for when booking a hotel for holiday –

Hotel Facilities

I always check the hotel facilities before booking a hotel. It is important to check the facilities you need are available before booking a hotel. I like to have an amazing room, room service, gym facilities, swimming pool, spa, restaurants and concierge. Room service is so important because sometimes we are just to tired or lazy to go down to the restaurant. So I like to have the option of eating in.

Having a spa in the hotel is also vert important. I like to sneak in a massage whilst on holiday. Having a massage with M is always on the cards too! We have been busy visiting cities in England this year. So far we have explored Essex, London, Birmingham and Blackpool this year, and we have many more cities to strike off our travel bucket list. Cornwall and Yorkshire are on our travel list. We are hoping to visit the both cities soon. I have my eye on a couples spa break in Yorkshire and I can’t wait for that to happen.

Location

The hotel location is very important. I like to stay in a decent area and I like the hotel to be reasonably close to the tourist attractions we will be visiting. Being fairly close to the airport is also important. I don’t like to spend hours commuting to and from the airport, so the closer the better really. However, the more central a hotel the more expensive it is, but it is a price we are willing to pay.

Reviews

I make sure I read the hotel reviews online before booking. I like to read the good and bad comments to see if the hotel would suit our needs. The reviews with real pictures are also very useful. I don’t pay too much attention to the photoshopped pictures on the hotel’s websites. Sometimes, the pictures look nothing like the rooms in real life. I also check the hotel rating as that is another way of checking the quality of the hotel. The hotels we like to go for usually have a 4 or 5 star rating, especially when we go abroad.

Luggage Storage

Hotels with luggage storage are amazing. We like to make use of the luggage storage option when we have an evening or night flight. Sitting around in the airport for hours with kids is not wise. We rather explore the city for a few more hours after checking out so the luggage storage option is very important.

Free WIFI

I work from home and pretty much anywhere, so having free wifi is so important, especially when we go abroad. Free WIFI is an essential I won’t stay in a hotel where I have to pay for an internet connection. It is shocking that we still have many hotels charging expensive fees for WIFI.

What do you look out for when booking a hotel?