Choosing a Hotel at the Jersey Shore
So you’ve decided that you want to have some sun and fun at the Jersey Shore. Once you have narrowed down the resort area you want to visit, you then have to decide on accommodations. If you only have a long weekend or less than a week, you will most likely be depending on a Hotel for the length of your stay. But the question is: “How to decide which hotel”? Being a seasoned traveler, I’ve come up with some great ideas to help you find the best hotel to suit your needs.
To help narrow down your search, you want to ask a few basic questions to get you started. First: “How much am I willing to spend”? There are a two ways you can approach this tough question. You can decide a maximum amount based on your budget and then start looking, or you can take a look at properties to get a price range and go from there.
With the excellent resources of Hotel Web Sites such as Hotels.com, Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity, and various others, you can input the Jersey Shore town you want to visit and have many options come up for your viewing. This will give you an idea of how much your accommodations will cost per night. I strongly suggest that you only use this as a guide and follow through with calling the hotel direct and also checking more than one site. You will find different prices for every situation, and many times you can save even more money by going directly to the hotel. Every situation varies.
Once you have an idea of what the properties cost, and you have your price range of what you can afford, you then need to narrow down the choices that fall within your price range. You want to ask yourself: “What amenities do I prioritize as the most important”. You may want the location to be within a few steps to the beach, or you may want an ocean view, or you may want a pool or bar located at the hotel. Every individual has his or her needs when vacationing. Decide what is most important to you and then you can narrow down your search.
After you have narrowed down your search, my recommendation is to take a few minutes and call the hotel direct. Check the price of the room without telling anyone that you have done some research on the Internet. You may be surprised to find that the room rate is less than the quoted prices on line. This may or may not be the situation, depending on the resort. Some Hotels offer higher prices to the travel web sites because they know that they have to pay a commission to the site.
If the price given to you from the hotel direct is higher than on the web site, ask to speak with a manager and explain that you found the hotel at a lesser price and would like to know if you can get an upgraded room for the same price, or the same room for a lower one? The worse the manager will say is “No”, but at least you asked.
One last positive thing about the hotels on the web sites is that many travelers will post the positive and negative things about the resort. Take the time to read them before you book. It can make a difference it your decision.
An educated consumer makes the wisest choices. Take the time to research your accommodations and you will be staying in a hotel that meets your expectations. So go and have a fantastic time at the Jersey Shore. Have fun and relax and have the vacation of a lifetime!!!
Recommended Jersey Shore Hotels:
