Accommodation is no doubt one of the single most important factors to consider when planning that next vacation trip. I must confess it has been the most expensive item I spent the bulk of my money on during my recent travels. The reason I’ve taken it upon myself to bring to light steps to book cheap hotels for your next travel.
The huge cost of travel can not be underestimated. In order to enjoy my travels at the same time not going bankrupt, I’ve adopted a simple yet effective strategy to cut down massively on hotel and flight expenses no matter where the trip is taking me to. This trick works for all destinations across the world as long as you are booking the hotel online and I’m going to take you through the step by step guide to book cheap hotels on Booking.Com
Since booking.com is one of the most popular booking platforms the world over, I’m going to take you through the steps involved in order to book very cheap accommodation on this platform.
But before we continue, please take note that it is not only hotels that you can book on this platform, studio apartments, full house, single-room apartments, cars, flights and so much more can be booked as well with ease.
First of all, I’ve made the video with all the steps involved from start to finish since videos are simple to understand and can be easily followed. If you want a visual view of how to book accommodation for that your next travel vacation, watch the video and get to know the complete guide to book that home away from home in a real practical way.
Alright, after signing onto the booking.com platform, go straight to input your travel date and destination. Assuming you are taking a trip to Dubai on the 20th of May and Returning on the 26th of May, 20th will be your check-in date and 26th will then be your check-out date. Don’t forget to input Dubai as your travel destination.
Please don’t forget to input the number of visitors supposed to be present at the facility since this will determine the bed and room to be filtered for you
Alright, after undertaking the above functions, it is now time to filter your search in order to get the cheap hotel that we are looking for.
Hotels are grouped based on the facilities available at the premises and the individual items in the hotel rooms. Most of these items may not be needed by an average traveler.
To start with, you can filter the hotel based on the kind of bed you want, the TV size, the size of the room, whether gym is available or not, and most importantly whether there’s Wifi and breakfast included in the package. Wifi is very important to me since I work online and data charges can be really ridiculous in some countries but breakfast is really not my thing.
All the above factors and many more are the determining points when we want a very cheap but neat accommodation. You can go straight forward to select how much you will like to spend per night at the hotel. Well, do take note that above all these factors is one single most important element that contributes greatly to want the price of a hotel no matter where it is located.
This factor is the star rating of the hotel. Mostly, 5-star ratings are more expensive and 1-star ratings are the lesser expensive ones taking into account all the facilities available. But the problem here is the 1-star hotels are mostly in very poor condition. I normally settle for the 3-star hotels which are very neat, spacious, and classy but at the same time cost-effective.
Getting into the hotel room proper, there are rooms with twin beds and there are some with double beds, queen size beds, king-size beds, and so on. I always go for a twin bed since I travel with a male friend and we like our space separately.
You can however go for any of the other options available if you are traveling with your partner or alone.
This is the point where we go ahead and book that cheap hotel since we have filtered the search and by this time will be ready to make a choice between some of the options presented to us. But before you do, the following factors are also very critical in selecting your accommodation which will go a long way to make you travel a stress-free one.
Factors to consider when you want to book cheap hotels online
Below are some of the most important factors to consider when booking a cheap hotel on booking.com
1. The exact location of the hotel and distance from airport
The exact location of the hotel from the airport is one very important factor that every traveler must take into consideration when booking a hotel. Even though our main focus is to get a very cheap but neat hotel, we must not forget to look at the proximity to major social centers and tourist facilities in the city. You may also want to find out whether the hotel operates a shuttle service.
2. Hotel reviews by former clients of the hotel
Booking.com allows customers to leave a review on their platform. These reviews are used by the platform to rate the hotels over 10. Mostly hotels with over 7 ratings are considered to be very good and loved by customers. Take a moment to read through these reviews before you go ahead to finalize the booking.
3. Special discount or loyalty program offered by some hotels
Some hotels also offer some form of discount for first-time visitors. You can be on the lookout for some of these offers in order to cut down on your hotel charges. Booking.com also offers a special discount when you book using their mobile app.
4. Payment method accepted, whether cash or credit card
Depending on the hotel, you may be required to either pay immediately after booking using a credit card or pay cash at the facility. It is always better to settle on facilities that allow payment at the premises instead of paying online.
5. Cancellation Policy
The reason the payment method is very important is the cancellation policies of some hotels. Some hotels charge fees when a customer is canceling after booking. To avoid this, it is always good to filter for those hotels that give the customer the option to cancel anytime before they arrive at the facility.
6. Hidden Charges at the Accommodation
Another very important factor to also be on the lookout for is additional charges that may not be on the booking platform. The idea is to book cheap hotels so everything must be taken into consideration. For instance, almost all hotels in Dubai require an additional fee in the form of taxes and tourism levy which is mostly not included in the hotel charges. It is better to be aware of these fees before you settle on the facility to book.
7. Finally, Call Ahead!
Last but not the least, remember to call ahead of your travel date. Most travellers don’t remember to get in touch with the hotel after booking online. This is very dangerous and can get your stranded if care is not taken.
I was personally stranded in Rwanda for over 5hours when we arrived at the apartment we booked online only to find out that the apartment has already been occupied by someone else. Never forget to call or email the facility after booking and repeat the process few days before your arrival date.
Booking.com normally sends a confirmation message to the traveler and this confirmation includes the contact numbers of the facility. Make it a point to get in touch with the hotel after your booking and do same a day or two before you arrive on the travel day.
Following all the above steps, not only will you be able to book cheap hotels for your desired location on your next trip yourself but you will also be able to get that done without stress thereby making a lot of savings.
