Saturday September 14, 2019
etc TRAVEL
Insider advice How to make the most out
of your hotel stay (and avoid the turkeys)
M
OST of us enjoy
a hotel stay but
how do you
make sure you
get the best out
of your trip?
Julia Thornton,
director of Glasgow-based hospitality
promotions company Hotel PR,
represents hotels, serviced apartments
and restaurants from Inverness to the
Cotswolds. She says the overall quality
of UK hospitality has improved in
leaps and bounds – particularly in
Scotland – since Hotel PR was set up
in 2001 yet much mediocrity remains
and hotel stays can be fraught with
unexpected complications. Here she
gives tips before booking your
accommodation.
Your relationship with a hotel
generally starts with the reservation.
Most bookings are done online,
directly or via an agency like booking.
com. Agencies take commission so
the hotel either earns less for your
stay (and can cut some of the frills
as a result) or puts the price up to
pay for the fee. Book direct when
you can. Booking with a chain
often means dealing with a central
reservations department which may
not know much about the particular
area or establishment you want and
is unlikely to have flexibility on rates.
Try the independents which can be
more interesting anyway.
Beware of being hoodwinked by
nice photos which may not be of the
actual hotel.
Should you use a guide book? I
recommend the Good Hotel Guide
(GHG) and Michelin Guide. The
book Scotland the Best has plenty
of information on hotels but is only
updated every three years. Hotels do
not pay to go into the GHG’s print
edition but pay for inclusion on its
website. Be careful about websites
promoting ‘luxury’ hotels. They’ve
probably paid to be included.
Should you trust TripAdvisor?
On balance, yes, but remember that
guests are often moved to contribute
a review to lodge a complaint. In
general, people take a good experience
as a given. TripAdvisor has done a lot
to stop malevolent manipulation but
this still happens.
How to get the best room?
You can pay a premium but this
doesn’t always work. De Luxe and
Superior can mean different things
to different people. Check the small
print. Some of the best independent
hotels, like those listed in the GHG,
give the owners’ names. Call them
direct. In principle, family-run hotels
are a good bet but remember the chef
or other key members of staff may have
got the job because they’re family.
Does the hotel’s website have a
weddings section?
How many does it host a year? Some
hotels only have them as exclusive
use but you don’t want to be staying
in one when there’s a wedding on.
If a hotel claims to have a spa don’t
assume this is relaxation Heaven.
Smaller hotels buy in the services of
a therapist when there’s demand and
the ‘spa’ may just be a treatment room
or two.
Consider a self-catering serviced
apartment.
These tend to be more spacious,
sometimes with a lounge and fully
equipped kitchen so you eat when
you like and not just during the
times fixed rigidly by many hotels.
The better operators give the size in
square metres. Serviced apartments
are particularly suitable for females,
The Herald Magazine 45
Do your research to
avoid a Fawlty Towers
experience
including business executives,
travelling alone since they have more
than a bedroom to which to invite
friends or business colleagues.
They’re especially good for
families too. Check if it’s a member
of the Association of Serviced
Apartment Providers (ASAP). Be
careful about being swayed by the
establishment’s awards. Many are run
by organisations saying the finalists
are chosen ‘by public vote’ and make
money by selling them tables for the
presentation dinner.
During your stay, check the quality
of the furnishings, fittings, technology
and staff. Hotels which invest in
these are successful and likely to
remain so. More and more chain
hotels and serviced apartments are
moving to self-service check-in – very
well if you’re tech-savvy but I find
it impersonal. The value of a warm
personal welcome and a show round
of your room or apartment should
never be under-estimated.
And after your stay?
Give written feedback. Complain
if you have to but give praise as
well. The best hotels and apartment
operators thrive on honest feedback.
(hotelpr.co.uk)