7 Expert Tips for Picking a Good Hotel Online

If you don’t know what you want from a hotel, how can you hope to pick the right one? Before searching for accommodations, make a quick list of the things that you require to have a good night’s stay. Do you care about complimentary breakfast? Would you rather be in the heart of the city or somewhere quieter? 


To break it down simply, first think about what you want in terms of price, basic amenities of the hotel, and location. From there, you can then branch out to things like the history of a property, environmental practices, and the personality of a place, such as “party vibe” or “romantic atmosphere.” 


This list of priorities can help you quickly narrow down the hotels you’re considering and find the right one faster.

You might not even think to check that WiFi is complimentary or that your hotel room is air-conditioned because you assume that all hotels have those features. However, it will only take you one sweltering night in an unairconditioned historic hotel in Europe to reevaluate your stance. 


If you plan on working remotely, be sure to check the WiFi situation (and search reviews to see if people deem the connection good enough for video calls). Headed somewhere hot in the summer? Filter your search by air conditioning. 


Other amenities you might want to confirm are included are:

• Minifridge
• Microwave
• Blackout curtains
• Elevator access
• Toiletries
• 24-hour reception

Traveling is all about location, location, location, and if you don’t know where your hotel is in relation to where you want to be in the city, you aren’t going to be happy when you arrive. You probably shouldn’t trust the hotel’s own description of their location. Hotels are notorious for advertising things like “The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower are easy to reach from our hotel.” Many people assume this means they can walk to the attraction, but what the hotel might be saying is that you can “easily” walk to a metro stop 15 minutes away and then “easily” take a 20-minute metro ride to a station near these attractions. 


Before booking a hotel, check a map to determine the location of the hotel. See how long it would take you to reach attractions, dining options, shopping, and other points of interest on foot. If nothing is walkable, where is the closest metro or bus stop? How many restaurants and shops are there on the surrounding streets? 


We recommend creating a Google Map with saved points for all the attractions and restaurants you want to visit on your trip and then adding in potential hotels so you can see how close (or far) they are from those stops.

Travelers often trust hotels to provide them with a clean, modern stay, but too often, that’s not the case. Before booking a hotel, find out when the whole property was last updated. 


If the hotel has updated or renovated its spaces within the last few years, you can usually expect clean, well-maintained decor. No one wants to see grime in the showers or peeling wallpaper.


Likewise, do a quick search of reviews to find out if the hotel you’re considering is currently undergoing renovations—which could mean construction noise and limited access to public areas.

If you decide to read guest reviews on TripAdvisor, Google, and other sites, interpreting the rating can be tricky. Some hotels were fantastic five years ago in terms of management, decor, and amenities and, therefore, may have received an overwhelming number of positive reviews that resulted in a five-star rating that’s no longer accurate. 


However, a lot can happen in five years, like a change in owners or a neighborhood going downhill. Therefore, those positive reviews from five years ago might interfere with the negative reviews from the present. When researching, sort the reviews by “most recent.” This will generally give you a good sense of what you can expect during your stay.

This might be the best tip for anyone looking to book a hotel room, as you will find the underbelly of a hotel’s problems. Read through the lowest ratings from within the last year, and you’ll start noticing a pattern of issues.


It may be WiFi connectivity issues, cleanliness problems, or booking complaints—whatever the case may be, notice the trend and consider if those major issues would be a problem for you. For instance, if past guests give one-star reviews for the abysmal parking situation, but you’re not planning on bringing a car, you can disregard those rankings. However, if you absolutely need a quiet environment to sleep, but a majority of reviews note a noisy street outside, you should consider looking elsewhere.

Couples, business travelers, families, solo travelers, backpackers, adults in their 20s, groups of friends, and budget travelers are all drawn to different types of hotels. Before booking a hotel, find out what kind of traveler tends to visit that hotel. You can do this by reading the Oyster.com review of the hotel. If you want a quiet getaway but you discover a hotel is popular with families with small children or groups of friends, you might want to look elsewhere.