It can be tough knowing how to pick out the perfect hotel room online. Hotel ratings and photos are often not enough to determine what the stay will really be like.
We caught up with Alexander Shashou, the president and co-founder of hotel communication and workflow management company ALICE.
The company works with various hotel employees that play a part in operations and guest experience, from the concierge to the general manager.
From avoiding online scams to filtering searches to get the best results, here are 9 tips for picking out a top-notch hotel room when booking online.
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Make note of the hotel's age.
According to Shashou, hotels typically undergo renovations every 10 to 12 years, so keeping an eye on that timeline can ensure that you score a newly renovated space.
Hotels that have recently renovated their rooms will typically tend to have more accurate photos as well.
Look for hotels that make engagement easy.
Shashou also recommends looking for hotels that have apps or mobile engagement tools that can help you continue planning your trip even after you've booked the room.
For example, Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York has a Trip Planner feature, where you can request real-time reservations or amenities on your phone during your trip.
Choose hotels that are proud to showcase their rooms.
The more information a hotel provides about its rooms, the better.
When conducting your search, keep an eye out for hotels that give you enough information on their website to be able to understand the room, including photos and floor plans.
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