We've all had at least one unpleasant experience of a night spent in a hotel that didn't quite meet our expectations: rooms with inexplicable stains, mice or cockroaches, lights flickering in the hallways as if it were a horror movie, breakfasts that almost poisoned us, or rude employees who managed to ruin a trip we had planned for a long time.
But there are even worse scenarios: fake reservations, which simply cost us money because, upon arriving at our destination, we may realize that the hotel doesn't even exist.
At least as we have more and more online tools available, with photos, descriptions of the place and, most importantly, ratings and comments, we can protect ourselves from making the wrong hotel choice.
These are, according to the Washington Post, the "red flags" that warn us to never press the "book/reservation" button:
1. Problematic hotel website: Before making any reservations, visit the website and check the hotel name, photos, and descriptions. For example, text that is machine-translated or unrealistic photos that appear to be taken from Shutterstock or processed with artificial intelligence programs indicate that something is wrong.
2. Too many bad reviews: One or two reviews out of a hundred don’t mean anything – there are always vacationers who have different expectations than ours and, more importantly, than what a hotel promises. But when the bad reviews are many, very bad and, even more so, when the hotel owners respond in a bad way, e.g. if they are rude or ironic, then it is better to continue our search elsewhere.
3. Deals that are too good to be true: If accommodation in an area starts at 80 euros per night and you find a hotel for 40 euros, check carefully: for example, are there additional fees for services you might not have imagined, from breakfast to Wifi. If not, perhaps the hotel needs immediate renovation or is located in a very dangerous neighborhood.
4. Rude behavior of employees on the phone: It is advisable to make a phone call in advance, where you can not only negotiate a better price, but also understand to some extent the hotel's service. If you encounter rude or unprofessional comments: do not book.
Source: Marie Claire
