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How To Choose Your Hotel
When trying to decide which area will best suit your family consider the following:
-Exactly what are your plans?
-Exactly what will you be doing on your vacation?
If you’ll be headed to a number of the theme parks, choosing a hotel or resort that’s relatively central to all of them is likely the best way to go. But if you’ll only be heading to one of the parks (whether Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, or SeaWorld), or at least spending the majority of your time at only one of them with only a day or two at the others, it will likely be worth your while to stay as close to that one particular park as you
can (taking into consideration the hotels and resorts located within that particular park too).
-What type of setting does your family prefer? Do you prefer to stay in a quiet and removed setting - or maybe in the middle of all the action and excitement is more your style?
-What businesses and services might your family need during your stay (including grocery stores, pharmacies, and restaurants, as well as retail shops, transportation options, and places of worship). Where these businesses are in relation to where you’ll be staying is more important than you may think - after a long day at the parks the last thing you need (or want) to do, especially with kids in tow, is to have to go any farther than necessary just to eat dinner, play a round of mini-golf, or stock up on necessary supplies.
*Consider Exactly What Services and Which Amenities are Available at the Hotels and Resorts (and Which Services and Amenities are Actually Important to You)
What type of Hotel or Resort layout fits your family needs
-what type of building is it – is it a high-rise building (or buildings) or does it consist of only a few floors?
-does it have elevators, stairs, or both?
-are the corridors indoor, outdoor, or both?
-are the guest buildings spread out over a large and sprawling area or are they confined to smaller grounds?
-how many buildings are there?
-how many rooms (and of what type) does the hotel have?
-where is the parking located?
-where are the recreational facilities, restaurants, and other onsite businesses and services located with relation to the guest rooms?
-are the guest rooms (or even the main buildings) located right near the street or thoroughfare or are they set back, away from all the traffic and activity
Be sure to…
- Ask what (if any…and there usually are at least a few) additional charges might you incur? For example there may be room taxes, surcharges, resort fees, parking fees (even for self parking), cancellation charges, and so on.
- Read all the fine print – promotional pricing, packages, and coupons often come with catches. They are generally only valid for a limited time, they may only be valid for a discount off of the original or rack rate pricing, or they may carry a variety of other restrictions – so be sure to read the offer thoroughly.
- Consider and compare the different styles of rooms available to you. If your family requires a bit of extra space or possibly even 2 rooms worth of space, you may want to consider booking a suite. The cost may be less than booking 2 separate rooms (or it may not – which is why you should check this out well ahead of time) and may include extra helpful amenities not found in standard rooms (like a kitchenette). Also find out if any discounts may be available if you do book a second (usually connecting) room – at times hotels that do not offer suites will offer families requiring two rooms discounted rates on the second room (generally with some restrictions however so be sure to find out what the restrictions are ahead of time). If you do book 2 separate rooms (whether they connect or not be sure to find out if you need 2 separate confirmation numbers or if one 1 will do).
- Call the hotel or resort directly to verify absolutely everything! Make sure the arrival date, departure date, the type of room, the pricing for the room, and any special requests (like having a crib, roll-away, fridge, microwave or other similar item delivered to your room) has been noted and are all correct. Even if you have made your reservations through an “800” number or the chains main reservation department, calling the actual hotel or resort you’ll be staying at directly will help to ensure that there will be fewer mix-ups upon your arrival. Additionally, the individual hotel or resort may be able to offer you a discount, special price, or promotional package that the chains main reservation department is often times unaware of because it is specific to that location only (something that happen quite often in tourist hot spots like Orlando).
Also, be sure to keep all of this information (along with your confirmation number, the name [or ID number] of the person who made your reservation, and the name [or ID number] of the person who reconfirmed your reservation) handy so it’s readily available when you check-in should you be faced with any difficulties upon arrival.
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