Finding Accommodations in a Strange City
By bufNblu on Jun 18, 2009 in Travel
Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, finding accommodations in a strange city is harder than when it is someplace you are familiar with. You might not know the area well enough to know where is the best place to stay.
One way to find accommodations in an unfamiliar city is to check booking websites. There are many websites that can help you find, say, hotels in Atlanta or San Diego hotels. These websites help you comparison shop by showing you the rates for different hotels, but many also will display a map of where the hotel is located in relation to the rest of the city, as well as a list of nearby restaurants and other businesses.
Another good way to find accommodations is to read reviews of hotels in the area. While there are bound to be more negative reviews than positive ones — a complaint is the best incentive to write a review — there should also be enough information to help you decide which hotels are going to work best for you. In addition to review websites, don’t forget to check travel forums, which can be a great source for informal reviews and recommendations.
When it comes to finding accommodations — or anything, really — in a strange city, the Internet is the most powerful tool at your disposal, so be sure to take full advantage of it!
Tammy | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
These days, I never go anywhere without checking it out online. This blog is absolutely right. The Internet is an essential tool for modern travelers.
Arthur | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
Since I’m addicted to working out, I need to know that the hotel where I’m staying has a gym on the premises or that there’s a health club nearby. I always use the Internet to check this out ahead of time.
Danny | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
Besides looking for hotels that have good rates and are located in decent neighborhoods, I also use the Internet to find good restaurants. I always look for Thai and Vietnamese places. It’s become kind of a game with me, trying to find as many good restaurants as I can.
Auntie Em | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
Finding budget hotels is nice, but I use the Internet to locate good antique stores in every city I go to. Antiquing is one of my passions, and I’ve found some wonderful shops in the most unexpected places!
Julio | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
The Internet is a great way to find good deals on hotels. I wonder what people did before the Internet? Can’t imagine what it was like. If I find a hotel that had lousy service or was unsatisfactory in some way, I always let ‘em have it with a bad review. Hey, the customer is always right.
Dana P. | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
Since I travel a lot for work, hotel review websites are a real Godsend to me. It helps me avoid places that aren’t clean or are located in crummy neighborhoods. I post reviews, too, because I think travelers need to stick together and share info.
Harvey | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
I’m a big traveler and I like to find black-owned businesses if I can so I can give them my business. I vote with my pocketbook to support hotels and motels owned by my community.
Carter | Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
Travel forums are really useful to me since I’m retired and I travel a lot. Because of the travel forums I’ve consulted I’ve found some really interesting and unusual places to stay.