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What should I verify
before I make my reservation?
What extra charges and fees should I ask
about?
What information will I need to reserve
my room?
How will I get to the Hotel?
Where can I find information on airports
so that it will be easier for me to find the rental car counter
or meet the Hotel’s airport shuttle?
How can I decrease the chance that the
Hotel will break my reservation?
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What should I verify before
I make my reservation?
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Ask about any other groups or conventions
that have booked the Hotel at the same time since any large
group could effect your stay.
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If you plan on taking advantage of some
of the Hotel’s services such as shuttles, babysitting, free
meals or recreational facilities, make sure those services will
be available when you will need them. You don’t want to arrive
at the airport and be surprised to find out that the shuttle
service ended two hours ago.
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If you are reserving a special room, make
sure you know just what special really means. Is your "ocean
view" room right on the beach, looking down on the ocean
or can you just barely see the ocean if you look closely between
several other buildings on a clear day.
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Check the Hotel’s check-in and checkout
time. Hotels have started to offer various time packages to
accommodate the traveler’s needs.
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Make sure you get the Hotel’s complete address
and take it with you to get local directions.
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What extra charges and fees
should I ask about?
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There can be charges, fees and extra taxes
for everything. In some cases, the government’s percentage of
your Hotel bill can be very high, so you’ll want to make sure
you have budgeted for these items. Ask about any other extra charges
if you think they will apply.
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Parking, is there a charge and can you
park your big RV in the lot?
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Shuttle service.
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Phone calls, local and long distance.
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Extra people or beds.
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Local surcharges and taxes
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What information will I need
to reserve my room?
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The name of the person who’ll be staying
at the Hotel.
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The number of guests staying in the room.
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Credit card type, number and expiration
date of the card to be billed.
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The name of the location where you want
to reserve a room.
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Date and time you’ll be checking in and
checking out.
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The type of room you want to reserve, such
as standard, business, suite, etc.
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Any special requests, such as smoking/nonsmoking,
spa appointments, childproofing or room location.
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Any discounts or coupons that you are planning
to apply to the stay.
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If you have it, some Hotels like to have
your flight information. That way they can keep track of delayed
flights.
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If you are reserving more than one room,
have them give you a confirmation number for each room you reserve.
Otherwise, your extra rooms may be listed in the special request
section of the reservation, where they can be overlooked. Since
you will have a separate confirmation number for each room,
it will be clear that you’ll need more than one room.
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How will I get to the Hotel?
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If you are flying in, find out where you
are to meet the Hotel’s shuttle. Do they have a fixed meeting
place or do you need to call someone once you arrive.
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If they use a shuttle, find out how often
it runs and its hours of operation. See if they will still be
running the shuttle if you are delayed, you might need a 24-hour
service.
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If you are driving, get directions with
the complete address and local phone number.
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Where can I find information
on airports so that it will be easier for me to find the rental
car counter or meet the Hotel’s airport shuttle?
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Go To: US Airport & Foreign Airport
Links
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This page contains web links to many major
U.S. and foreign airports. Although, each airport’s site is different
many contain airport layouts and other information that could
save you time and help make your visit a safe one. This links
page also lists many airport codes that can be helpful when making
Airline reservations so you and your luggage will be heading to
the right airport.
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How can I decrease the chance
that the Hotel will break my reservation?
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Just like the Rental Car Companies, the
Hotels must cover the costs of all those rude people, who reserve
rooms, don’t cancel and never show up. This means that at certain
times, especially during holidays and other peak travel times,
they may get caught overbooking and have to break some reservations.
Here’s a few ways to keep you at the top of the list for available
rooms.
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See if the reservation center will guarantee
your reservation. Some do offer this service and they will usually
have a much bigger penalty for themselves if they don’t have
a room for you. However, to get this guarantee, you are usually
charged a fee if you don’t show or cancel within a certain time
frame.
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Confirm your reservation. Make sure everything
is correct and they are aware you’re coming.
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If you are reserving more than one room,
get a confirmation number for every room you reserve.
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Arrive on time.
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Update your reservation. If you’re going
to be late, call to let them know.
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Stay often with the same Hotel Chain. Some
reservation lists show frequent guests, and management will
know that you are not the type of customer they want to lose.
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Join their Premium Clubs. These groups include
their frequent guests and their big corporate accounts. If it
comes down to who gets the last few rooms, you probably won’t
be seeing the Premium Club members waiting around.
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If you really fear that your chances of
getting burned are high, you might call the location directly
and speak with a manager. Let them know you will be there at
a certain time and you want to make sure you’ll have a room
waiting. If you’ve made that extra effort and they know you’ll
be looking for them, most managers will also make an extra effort
to have a room for you. If you do call and they do produce,
don’t forget to thank them for their efforts.
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Section: BEFORE YOU LEAVE
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