How to Pick the Best Hotel Room

Sleep soundly in a good hotel room. Image credit: independenttraveler.com
Sleep soundly in a good hotel room. Image credit: independenttraveler.com

Ever found yourself in an unsatisfactory hotel room? Noise from the hallway or the neighbors, strange smells, a brick wall right in front of your window and a couple of trash cans underneath. While you likely won’t be spending most of your waking hours in a hotel room, the comfort of your lodgings is paramount to the success of your trip. You’ll want your downtime to be as restful as possible to enjoy your daily adventures.

Independent Traveler has compiled great lists of ways to ensure that your hotel room is as wonderful as the rest of your trip: 33 Ways to Sleep Better at a Hotel and Get the Best Hotel Room. Here are some of the highlights.

  • Book a room midway down the hall, which is the quietest part of the floor, away from clunky ice and vending machines and exits.
  • Avoid rooms that face the pool. The pool area tends to get noisy, and the noise is only amplified by the water.
  • To avoid thumping bass beats from the banquet rooms, bars and other public spaces, book a room at least two or three levels above.
  • Join the hotel’s rewards program or a travel club such as AAA or Entertainment Book to gain access to upgrades, discounts and maybe even free nights.
  • Work with the hotel to get a room that meets and exceeds your expectations. Specify what you are looking for, whether it’s the best view, silence, a specific room type, or all of the above.

Visit Independent Traveler for the complete lists, and ensure that you get a room that pleases you both when you walk in and when you check out.