Greetings and a Happy New Year to you too! Wishing you a fantastic year filled with many adventures and travels – may they be near or far!

I've had some pretty interesting experiences staying at different hotels and inns. I'm hoping they can give you some helpful tips for finding the best accommodations in the year ahead. My experiences have taught me a lot about understanding room options, booking tricks, and even getting upgrades or changes in accommodations. Most of my stays, whether in the US or abroad, turned out great, but a few had some bumps before they got better.

So, let me tell you about this one experience that happened just about a month ago. My husband (let's call him M – he's a bit of a private guy) and I just got back from this wonderful trip that included India. To start our adventure, we booked a classy five-star hotel before our tour began. We thought we would live large for a few days especially since a great hotel in India isn’t super expensive compared to U.S. prices.  The plan was to get used to the time difference and be all set when our tour kicked off.

After spending nearly 25 hours on two long flights, we landed very late at night in Delhi, India. Did the whole airport dance – immigration, bag grab, found our ride, and finally rolled up to The Claridges Hotel in New Delhi at around 4 am. At that point, all we wanted was a clean room, a comfy bed, and a good shower. I think we zonked out even before our heads hit the pillows!

The next morning, around 7 am, there was a loud incessant pounding noise. M tries to look out the window, but it's covered with what looks like black paper, so we can't see a thing. At this point, we aren’t too happy with our five-star choice since the room, although nice, certainly doesn’t measure up to a luxury hotel and not being able to see outside felt claustrophobic. We figured maybe the hotel staff puts people in these rooms when they arrive really late there so they don’t wouldn't disturb other guests.

With that banging going on non-stop and having barely gotten three hours of sleep, coupled with the fact that this room was more like a nice Best Western than a fabulous five-star resort, we decided to ask for a different room. The concierge was very professional and did not hesitate to change our accommodations. He apologized profusely indicating that the wing our present room was in was being refurbished.  He then gave us a lovely upgraded room with a pool view – just what you'd expect from a top-notch five-star establishment! They even sent an attentive porter to help us switch rooms.

The rest of our stay at The Claridges was fantastic! Later on our tour, we met someone who arrived several days earlier and stayed at The Claridges too. She mentioned she was in that same noisy section.  She didn't ask for a new room because she didn't want to be a complainer and also because she had early breakfast plans before her day trips. But looking back, she wished she'd asked for a change because the room's look and all that noise didn't match the five-star experience she paid for.

After spending several days at the wonderful The Claridges, we relocated to The  Lemon Tree Premier in the Aerocity Hospitality District– a hotel that many tour companies use since it is close to the airport.  There is also a very large security-enclosed mall Aero City that offers lots of food choices as well as a limited number of shops and a nice grocery story.

After going through security (yes, every hotel has a metal detector and guard), the hotel looked beautiful.  The lobby is large, spacious and light.  There is a large pool with a tumbling waterfall located outside at the rear of the lobby behind a huge glass window.  After checking in we arrived at our room.  While we didn’t expect The Claridges, this was quite a let-down. The room was clean but drab. For the short time we would be there, it would be ok. But things went downhill. The staff, except for some very nice porters weren't exactly winning awards for hospitality. Our room code key didn't work four times! Every time it didn't, we had to sprint (ok, maybe we didn’t quite sprint)  down a long hallway, take the elevator to reception, wait in line, and then finally, after practically begging them, the hotel staff finally sent someone to check what the issue was. We needed a new battery for the lock mechanism.  We were only there for two nights and that was enough.  As it turned out, some of the other people on our tour were not enamored with their rooms or treatment here either but we all knew that it was just a convenient stepping-off point for what would be a great tour.

Two weeks later after finishing our fascinating organized tour, M and I arranged for a short few-day tour of the Golden Triangle.  When the tour ended,  M and I were faced with the question of where to stay for the last two nights before we went home.   Because we were leaving super early in the morning for the airport, we reluctantly decided to return to the Lemon Tree Hotel since it was so close to the airport and also just a few steps away from the mall.   This time for a slight increase in room rate, we opted to stay in a deluxe room.  

When we stepped into the new room, we spotted some nice changes that made a difference. Freshly painted walls gave the place a livelier vibe, making it brighter and more welcoming. The bathroom, although it had same footprint as the first room we stayed in, was nicely redone and nicely lit.  Even the hallways looked a lot better.

But here's the real kicker: the two nights we were there at about 7 p.m.,  we received a staff call asking if we wanted any refreshments. Such a nice surprise! One time, we asked for Cokes, and they went all out, sending us two chilled Cokes with glasses full of ice, and at no charge! The price difference between this room and our last one wasn't much, but the experiences were worlds apart. (We had no idea that the new room rate included this added perk.)

 We do know from taking the same tour company as we have on previous trips that some hotels on the tour are a lot better than others, though all are adequate. I know our tour company received some poor reviews of this one hotel. That said, looking back at our time at the Lemon Tree, it got us thinking how starting with such a nice room for not much more money might have boosted the anticipation of a great tour for our whole tour group. 

 I’m hoping that the tour company takes note of the traveler’s comments about our second separate very good experience at this hotel.

Here is something that might save someone a headache when they book a hotel. Back when we lived in Northern California, we loved staying at The Lodge at Squaw Valley Resort and Spa. It has a new name now, The Everline Resort and Spa, a Destination by Hyatt Hotel. Normally, we'd book directly with the hotel and always got a standard room for a few days. But one time, for some reason, we tried a well-known internet booking service. The price was similar to what we'd paid before, but after we arrived and saw the room, it was like a room within a room – kind of like a separate space attached to an apartment setup. Our cubicle was tiny, dark, and depressing. We were disappointed since we had such good experiences at this same location in years past.  So, my husband, M, went down to the reception and asked if there was anything else available, mentioning how we'd stayed there several times before and loved the resort.  Luckily the hotel was not fully booked since it was right after school had resumed in the fall.  We were told the reason we got such a terrible room was that we did not book it directly.  Were they trying to send us a message? We never would have known if the receptionist didn’t tell us. We were offered an upgrade for 50 bucks more a night, and it was a huge upgrade. The "room" felt more like an apartment, with a good-sized separate bedroom, and an L-shaped sofa living room connected to an open-concept full kitchen. While, yes, we had to pay more, what we got for our money was a steal and certainly made a huge difference in the pleasure we had in staying at the resort.  We'd never have got this amazing deal if we'd booked directly. It was a major perk for being a repeat customer and just for asking.

I learned an important lesson when my niece booked her accommodations for her wedding a few years back. She was tying the knot in California wine country and was scouting for inns and small hotels for guests. The wedding wasn't happening at the inn/hotel. After checking several places, she booked a lovely large room at a beautiful inn for herself and her husband-to-be for two nights – the night before and the night of the wedding. She also blocked out a bunch of rooms for out-of-town guests. A few weeks before the big day, she decided to book an extra night before the ones she'd booked directly with the inn. She did it through a well-known hotel internet site. But then the day before my husband M and I were set to arrive, she called extremely upset. Turns out, her guests were given better rooms than the one she had. The room she had reserved and paid for for the night before and the wedding night was given to another guest who was attending the wedding.  With my niece so upset right before her big day and because I went with her to check out the accommodations, I called the manager to see if we could straighten things out and make the prospective bride happy.  I was told they don't move guests once they're in a booked room, which seemed ridiculous because the "wedding room" cost way more than the room she booked online and should've been hers since she not only booked it but also paid for it in advance. The manager said they'd refund the price difference, but that wasn't the point. After some back-and-forth and a hint that one of the guests was a travel writer for a well-known magazine (that’s the truth!), the manager fixed things. Luckily, a couple attending the wedding had the room she paid for and were gracious enough to swap when informed of the situation. 

Lesson learned: If you book a cheaper room through a website or even directly with the hotel make sure that you will get the room type that you booked for the part of the week you booked them.  Send an email and get written verification.  This is especially true if you book two different types of rooms.

One more thing to consider when booking a room: I booked three days at a hotel along the Central California Coast last week.  M and I love the Central Coast and try to visit there at least once a year.  This year‘s plans are more tentative since we are a little bit concerned about the weather in mid-February and want to be able to cancel if the weather is bad. When I looked at the direct booking vs. the online hotel booking site the cancellation period for the hotel direct booking was just hours less than the online booking and the price was about $9 less a night.   That is not always the case.  If cancellation policy is important to you, be sure to look at that information carefully as well as the pricing.  If you are in a different time zone when you book be sure to take notice that the cancellation date and time might be a later or sooner than the time zone where you booked the hotel. 

The bottom line from these experiences? Always double-check the hotel's rules, especially if you've booked through different sites. And don't be shy to chat with the hotel staff if things aren't up to your expectations – they might just surprise you with a sweet upgrade or sort things out.

Happy travels!