How to book a hotel stay without unpleasant surprises

Hotel reservation sites showcase abundant guest ratings, 3D room tours, and tools letting you filter properties by features from neighborhood to pet friendliness. So why does it feel so nightmarish to book a pleasant stay — and why have many hotels seen guest satisfaction drop?

I’m often challenged to find hotels I like. Ratings and reviews don’t offer much help. Booking.com, Expedia.com, and Hotels.com have puzzling star-scoring systems and reviews that seem written by easily impressed rookies. Plus AI generates many fake reviews.

Hotel websites overflow with glamour shots making 300-square-foot guest rooms resemble mansions. Travel TikTokers and Instagrammers create pretty content — but they’re often paid by the hotel, or their stay is comped in exchange for gushing about properties.

“Influencers don’t want to show you the bad part of a hotel; it’s more ‘look where I am,’” said Annie Fitzsimmons, author of 100 Hotels of a Lifetime.

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This lack of clarity and the mixed bag of online lodgings reviews mean that for every overnight success I experience, I’ve had a horrible hotel stay.

Recently, I bunked in a chain motel with a broken elevator — a real annoyance for my Eightysomething in-laws. For a girlfriends’ weekend, the historic B&B we booked was well-reviewed online, but in real life it featured dusty rooms, saggy mattresses, and glassy-eyed, worn-out dolls.

So, in an era of confusing booking websites and little honest information on hotels, how can you get a great room at a fair price? Here are my tips:

When sifting through online reviews, compare those with five-star scores to those with one- and two-star ratings. Read middling reviews for comparison. Look for comments on amenities important to you. If you’re a light sleeper, are there grievances about highway or nightclub noise? If a swimming pool for your kids is vital, do reviewers mention its size, cleanliness, or whether it’s even open?

“Dig into reviews,” said Jeremy Wells, a strategist at hospitality branding firm Longitude. “Negative comments might be for something that doesn’t matter to you, like someone who gives a bad review to a hotel because you can’t bring your dog, but you don’t have a pet.”

A red flag that you’ve found a Bates Motel franchise: Multiple negative comments about the same thing (uncomfortable beds, weird staff).

Positive signs include hotel management that responds constructively to gripes and praise.

Need a gym or java immediately upon waking?

Scrutinize the hotel’s website and photos before choosing the property and a specific room.

Don’t assume a room has a hair dryer or coffee maker unless that’s specified. Look at a photo of the room class you’re planning to book, not the fancy presidential suite.

Beware glowing social media posts and booking site reviews. Many people — even journalists — create content because they’ve gotten a free stay or want to art-direct their vacation into a White Lotus episode. Even some reputable magazines and websites primarily report on new hotels.

A few sources still do honest, critical reviews, meaning experienced journalists stay overnight (anonymously) and then pass judgment.

Look to The Telegraph, Rick Steves, Frommer’s, or the Michelin Guide.

For many travelers, location is everything.

Booking sites generally allow you to filter properties by neighborhood or indicate how far a hotel is from public transit. Check what else is nearby to avoid a room with views of New York City’s Lincoln Tunnel exit or a creepy cemetery.

Checkbook researched deals for 75 stays and found that most travel-booking sites and hotel websites offer identical prices. That’s because most third-party booking websites are owned by Expedia Inc. or Booking Holdings, two conglomerates with agreements requiring that they post the same prices across all platforms.

If booking websites and hotels spit out the same rates, book directly with the hotel. You might score a better room or a free upgrade, and if you have a problem, you won’t be dealing with a third party for cancellations or refunds.

Hotel chains seek repeat clients with branding, by giving travelers a sense that they’ll get the same cushy pillows/chocolate-chip cookies/warm welcome from Arizona to Zanzibar.

But many “name brand” properties are franchises and differ wildly from place to place.

“The quality isn’t consistent,” said Sarah Stodola, author of the travel Substack “Flung” and the book The Last Resort. “I recently had the worst experience at a well-known chain hotel in Fiji. Everything was dirty and falling apart.”

You might find a stay keyed to your taste via certain groups.

That could be a special-interest hotel consortium, a paid membership organization with specific requirements like vintage properties (Historic Hotels of America), eco-friendly stays (Beyond Green), or high-style spaces (Design Hotels).

A travel agent might find you a nicer room for a reasonable price, especially at high-end properties. Since agents are paid commission by hotels, their services are usually free.

“I never would book a five-star hotel without an adviser,” Fitzsimmons said. “Even if you’re in the smallest room, you’ll probably get an upgrade.”

For more advice, readers of The Inquirer can access Checkbook’s full hotels report and all its other ratings and advice until Aug. 5 at Checkbook.org/Inquirer/hotels.

Delaware Valley Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. It is supported by consumers and takes no money from the service providers it evaluates.