Drumbeg Donegal Bed And Breakfasts
Just how to Pick a Fantastic Motel
Only one of the overwhelming assignments while heading on a holiday or on a small business escape is opting for a good motel. The determination in obtaining a fantastic lodge, notably in a city or town where one is not comfortable with can be a daunting task. Judging by the marketing materials and ‘good reviews’ just about all lodges publish on their websites, it is extremely rough to tell if what is posted is valid. As an illustration, virtually all hotel's website boasts of warm hospitality but some nightmarish real life accounts shared by individuals in all portions of the world have supplied the expression a whole different message. Furthermore, many places to stay have impressive photo galleries on their websites showing you clean, fashionable and unique hotel suites but occasionally the truth does not meet up to half of what was portrayed.
Here are some tips and areas to bear in mind when sourcing for a good hotel to spend one’s vacation in. After all, a hotel is like a temporary home; a good hotel makes the whole difference to one’s escape, be it a long awaited vacation or a business excursion when one has to go through grueling days of meetings.
International Chain
Ranging from five-star chains to budget hotels, hotels that belong to international chains often follow particular corporate branding and policies as they are normally run by the same management. One would expect to find a hotel chain in one town in Asia to be quite similar to the same hotel chain in another town in Europe. For example, the room size configuration, décor, breakfast menu, room amenities, business center and recreation facilities could quite possibly be similar in hotels of the same international chain.
If there has been a particular hotel of an international chain that one has stayed in before and has had a good impression about, one should check the hotel’s website to see if the hotel operates in the town or city one is going to. Besides, many international chains provide lower rates online or corporate membership discounts for room bookings. One can get a good deal while obtaining the similar level of hospitality and service.
Travelers' Reviews
The vast majority of resorts post wonderful marketing appraisals on their websites that are supported by incredibly good photo galleries of their bedrooms and amenities. Despite the fact that the majority of of them are trustworthy, it does not do any harm to to get more tips by simply heading online and keeping track of numerous travelers’ reviews and recommendations on the lodge they have stayed in.
This is most definitely called for in case the motel is a private neighborhood lodging of a certain area or urban center that does not belong to an international chain. In certain cases many of the greatest destinations to stay whilst on holiday vacation are small to medium size family-run establishments that offer the personal touch and comfortable appearance that great foreign chain hotels could lack. Various boutique hotels for example have stunning décor that offer personalized guest services and home-style breakfasts. One should start by searching the web for the destination in mind and read reviews and recommendations posted by past travelers to find some particularly good hotels in that location.
Rooms
The room is where one spends most time in while staying at a hotel. Be it standard, deluxe, king, queen, superior or suite, rooms in a good hotel must be clean and equipped with comfortable beds with clean sheets, central heating or air conditioning, private bathrooms with shower stalls and toilets, toiletries, hair dressers, hair dryers, televisions, telephones, coffee making facilities, mini bars, ironing facilities, shoe polishing and sewing kits. According to the standards of European hotel classification system, these are the basic criteria of a three-star hotel rating. The hotel industry has a five-star rating system that ranks one-star hotels as ‘tourist’, two stars as ‘standard’, three stars as ‘comfort’, four stars as ‘first class’ and five stars as ‘luxury’. When determining on a good hotel, one should think about a three-star rated hotel by European standard.
Certain hotels boast of rooms with good views but these are normally provided with additional charges or at the request of the guest. Good hotels normally offer options on the sizes of beds in their rooms; some rooms may likely come with two single beds or two queen sized beds while others have one king or queen bed each. It is important that hotels cater to distinct variety of guests, be it the lone business tourist, the family on vacation or the couple on their honeymoon. Good hotels should also offer room service, movie-on-demand and laundry service.
Many good hotels also have rooms designated for guests who smoke, as the odor of cigarettes can linger in a room and can be hard to eliminate. So, checking into a ‘non-smoking’ room is certainly attractive for non smokers or families with young children.
Facilities
The five-star hotel rating system also looks at the kind of facilities a hotel has such as fitness center, sauna and jacuzzi, swimming pool as well as gift shop, beauty salon, tour counter, restaurants and bars. Loads of international chain hotels have restaurants that serve totally different cuisine such as Japanese, Italian or Thai for example. Depending on the nature of one’s excursion, the facilities of a hotel might probably be a main consideration when finding a good hotel to stay in. For example, a family vacation by the beach can certainly be enhanced with a good swimming pool, sauna and massage facility in the hotel. On the other hand, a short morning workout at the fitness center should do the trick for the business traveler.
In addition to recreation and entertainment, many good hotels have business meeting rooms and ballrooms that are rented for weddings, business conventions, trainings and corporate meetings.
Location
Where the hotel is located is the key consideration when finding a good hotel. This is especially so when one is on vacation in a foreign city or town where one has to rely on public transportation. Good hotels in cities are normally located within walking distance to shops, restaurants and pubs; most of them should be in the heart of the city or in the town’s popular entertainment and nightlife areas. The problem is, just about all hotels would market their location as being “centrally located” or “within walking distance” to key amenities, be it the beach or shopping malls and restaurants. Therefore, locating the hotel through online mapping system can enable one to find out the exact number of miles the hotel is located from a specific destination. For example, a one-mile radius (depending on the weather condition) can easily be achieved by foot. The location of the hotel is also important to ensure one does not spend too much on transportation or waste too much time cruising instead of enjoying the day at the beach.
Hospitality
Employees are the life and soul of every hotel. Most online reviews from hotel guests pertain to how they were treated during their stay at a hotel. Therefore, as soon as a guest enters the lobby of a hotel, he or she is greeted by the doorman, concierge and reception desk staff. Good hotels have employees who are friendly, polite, helpful, honest and sometimes, multilingual. In order to ensure one chooses the right hotel to stay in, one should take into account calling in to the hotel and gauge the employee’s level of service especially in how promptly the call is answered, phone etiquette and whether a call is returned as promised.
Business Center
High speed internet access, faxing and photocopying services, computers, scanners and printers are essentials for business travelers. Good hotels are normally equipped with these facilities at the request of their guests. Loads of guests today look out for hotels that provide complimentary wireless internet connection in their rooms. Some good hotels even provide secretarial and translation services.
Management
Good hotels are run by management that has strong employee friendly policies and social responsibility programs. There should be facilities in their hotels for the physically disabled such as ramps for wheelchairs, toilets, wheel-in showers and disabled parking. Loads of would have environment friendly programs as part of their operations, such as recycling and energy saving practices. In addition, the hotel should also have first aid facilities that are easily available when requested and on duty staff who are medically trained to provide first aid assistance should the need arise.