Not every hotel is created equal, and that’s a lesson that countless people have learned over the years after booking a room and then having one of the worst nights of their lives. Hotels can be a serious hit and miss, and it’s important to do the right research before spending money on a room.
Fortunately, there are a few red flags that most bad hotels will exhibit that are fairly easy to pick up on, and can help save both money and time.
Doctored Photos
This is something that many might not consider when checking out the pictures for a hotel on Google, but it’s worth always keeping in mind. With the power of modern photo editing software, unscrupulous businesses are able to completely alter what their hotel looks like online, which can be completely different from real life. One way to get around this is by checking out pictures taken by previous customers – they will never edit their own photos for the sake of the hotel.
Check Out Reviews
There are countless review sites and tools these days, from the first page of Google to review sites like TripAdvisor, where it’s possible to see what other peoples’ experiences were like. Only a small handful of people will leave good reviews for a venue, but anyone that has had a terrible experience will make sure that their grievances are heard, and there aren’t many better ways of doing this than by going online. Sometimes the rewires won’t always be fair, but if there are more than a few, it’s a good sign that something is amiss with the hotel.
This can be a complicated issue, however, as it’s not that uncommon to find a hotel that suffers from a couple of bad reviews – people are difficult to please. But if the hotel itself responds to these reviews by being aggressive with the reviewer, this is a great indicator that this is a place worth skipping.
Location, Location, Location
Another consideration that many don’t take into mind when making a booking, the location of a hotel may not be always as described. For instance, a hotel that’s near the beach might say that there are wonderful views of the coast, but upon arriving, they might find that they can only see the beach by walking up the road, while the hotel itself is actually behind a long line of apartment complexes. This is where Google StreetView comes into play, where it’s possible to actually see where the hotel is located, what’s surrounding it, and whether the reality matches the description, involving the kind of detective skills usually reserved for gaming strategies.
The Condition of The Signs
Expert travellers will agree that the condition of the physical signs outside of the venue is a great way to tell if the hotel is worth the trouble. If the owners are not even willing to do some basic maintenance on the sign that hangs outside of their establishment, it’s very likely that they care just as little about the accommodation itself, including cleanliness and general upkeep.