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Find High Quality for Low Cost in Your Next Hotel Stay
Choosing a hotel while on a budget can sometimes be a challenge. You want to get the most quality for the best price, but that can mean a lot of different things depending on what you’re looking for. For example, business travelers tend to value friendly service and a comfortable room, while families on vacation seek amenities like a pool and complimentary breakfast. Plus, hotel search engines can be overwhelming to muddle through. At The Best Western Siesta Key, we know there’s a difference between cheap prices and low-cost, high-quality service. We’ve developed some ways you can search with confidence to find exactly what you’re looking for: the point where high quality meets low cost in all the ways that matter to you.
Do Your Homework
First things first. To find the right hotel that’s a perfect fit for you and your trip, it’s important to do a little legwork first. Research the hotel rates for a variety of hotels in the area, including competitors in the same neighborhood. Look for deals like last-minute booking deals or find new hotels that give deals during their first month of business. Sometimes these discounts have nothing to do with the quality of your stay and everything to do with the fluctuating nature of a hotel’s booking engine.
Read Consumer Reviews
Consumer reviews can be helpful or harmful, depending on how you approach them. Keep in mind that consumer reviews are not the same as the official star rating system for hotels, and can often be manipulated by paid reviewers (or even rival hotels seeking to sabotage each other). Plus, actual consumers usually give their rating based on personal experience. So a 4 or 5-star hotel, which may be very expensive because of the luxuries they provide, could be given a 2-star consumer rating because a particular guest was displeased. Likewise, a 1 or 2-star hotel could receive a 5-star consumer rating because the hotel met that guest’s full expectations. So, take consumer reviews with a grain of salt. Read their comments to learn why they gave the rating they did. If you’re looking for specific amenities, see what other consumers said about those amenities for the hotels you’re considering. Many times, the luxuries provided by a more expensive hotel may not be things you need or even want, in which case you could be paying unnecessarily higher costs.
Commit to Memberships
A great way to find discounts and savings without sacrificing the quality you seek in your hotel is by joining a membership. Most hotel chains offer a membership program in which members can earn points, extra amenities, discounts, and plenty of hidden perks. If you find a quality hotel chain you love, take a look at the benefits of their membership program. You may find new and innovative ways to save simply by staying loyal to your favorite hotel.
Read Between the Lines
Finally, be sure to take a hard look at each hotel’s official website. Discover what amenities they actually offer and what they truly mean. For example, does “complimentary breakfast” mean a full buffet, or bagels and coffee? If the hotel offers free wifi, does it run efficiently, or is it slow, funneling you into paying for a faster plan during your stay? Focus on the amenities that will truly matter to you, improving your trip and lowering your costs.
The focused research you do upfront can truly lead to great savings whenever you choose to stay in a hotel. The process of looking for deals online will become faster the more often you do it, and committing to a favorite hotel chain’s membership will guarantee savings and extra perks that you know you’ll love. Once you’ve found the perfect combination for you, be sure to book early and give your own consumer ratings to let others- as well as hotel personnel themselves- how much you enjoyed your stay so the benefits will continue. At The Best Western Siesta Key, we want to make your stay in our area as enjoyable and relaxing as possible. Talk to us about your list of must-haves, preferred amenities, and let us work with you to find the sweet spot between our high-quality services and your budget-friendly costs.