11 Things Not to Do When Booking For Accommodation

Byline: Unathi Nkanjeni

When it comes to preparing for your end year holiday, finding accommodation in your destination city is likely to be one of the most challenging aspects of the process.

Let’s be honest, finding accommodation in your own city can be tough, not to mention a completely unfamiliar city that you are yet to actually step foot in. With various rules and regulations that you’ll need to wrap your head around, it’s undoubtedly daunting. To help ease some of those stresses, here are a few important things to consider when looking for your accommodation this festive season. 

Then you can get back to what really matters – making plans and looking forward to your holiday adventure!

Follow these accommodation booking tips to get the best room in the best location at the best price.

1. Don’t forget to check the exact accommodation location.

There are great places that seemed to be in an ideal location, except that they are surrounded by busy roads, including an on-ramp and off-ramp to a highway on either side of the place. It will feel like you are staying in an interstate rest stop. You won't really be able to walk anywhere, and stepping outside will not just be annoying but borderline dangerous.

In some places, fine restaurants are a block away, and a running trail a half-mile away, and a great river walk another half-mile from there. When you book for accommodation, you'll think it is close to all those cool things, but always check closely enough to realize where exactly it’s located and that you can get to any of them without risking life and limb.

The easiest way to prevent this sort of problem is to see the site for yourself. Most booking websites include a map view of some kind, and you might also take a look at Google Street View or Bing’s Bird’s Eye view to get a good look at the lay of the land.

2. Don’t skip the review sites.

Knowing as much as possible about any given property is your best strategy for getting accommodation and a room that you actually enjoy staying in.  Switch your preferred accommodation after a bit of research, as there is always something you would never know without the help of folks who have already stayed at a property. 

These might include noise, lousy food, Wi-Fi, dated rooms and more — even the fact that the place is pretty much on a highway median. And you might find out a lot of good things as well.

3. Don’t forget to check if the accommodation has an airport shuttle.

If you a big fan of using public transportation when zooming around at your destination, as it puts you among the locals in a simple, straightforward way.

If you not a huge fan of public transportation to and from the airport, however. Starting and (especially) ending a trip by hauling massive bags through an unfamiliar subway system can be a grueling experience, especially when you are trying to get some rare R&R.

But getting to and from your accommodation in a taxi (or even an Uber) can be expensive, especially since most airports are quite a distance from the nearest city center. When considering the cost of one place vs. another, you will want to know whether the airport offers a complimentary shuttle.

4. Don’t fail to check parking availability and cost.

If you will have your own car, check both availability and pricing on parking at the place. Even if the place has parking available, it often comes with a price tag. If the place doesn’t have its own parking, the cost can be even higher in some places where you are forced to use private lots, and you have to worry about the car getting dinged or broken into — not to mention the hassle of having to find a spot every day.

5. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of breakfast.

The actual per-night difference between an accommodation that offers a solid continental (or even full) breakfast included in the rate compared to one that offers a R23 buffet can be significant, to say the least.

You can usually find out this information on the accommodation website or by calling the front desk directly. Since most folks prefer to breakfast at their accommodation, this is an important question if you are concerned about your budget. Sure, you can always try to find an affordable cafe nearby, but you can’t beat a free breakfast for convenience.

6. Don’t take internet access for granted.

As with breakfast, parking and a shuttle, if you absolutely need internet access, you also need to consider it part of your nightly accommodation budget when comparing prices. A place where you save R100/night but then pay R200 a day for internet is no savings at all.

This is a tricky one, though, so make sure you check this closely; internet access may be free for loyalty members but not to other guests, for instance.

Additionally, some places have started charging for access per device, or sometimes allowing only two devices per paying customer. If more than one person is staying in the room, this can become a problem very quickly, as most folks connect with at least two devices these days (e.g., a laptop and a smartphone). Check the fine print.

7. Program members, don’t book anywhere but directly through the accommodation.

This applies mainly if you belong to a loyalty club and hope to have points awarded to your account — because if you book through pretty much any third party, places won’t pony up the points. This includes well-known booking sites, group bookings, bookings by your travel agent, bookings by the accommodation’s own vacation club and even bookings at conference rates.

8. Don’t forget to sign up for the rewards program

It is often free to sign up for a place’s loyalty program, and in some cases, significant rewards kick in almost immediately. These can include complimentary Wi-Fi, as mentioned above, but also many “soft” benefits that you might not even be aware of; front desk agents might give you a slightly better room, for example.

9. Don’t be afraid to ask for a better rate.

One of the simplest but most effective tactics for getting a better rate is to ask for one. An open-ended approach is usually recommended - something like “are there any better special rates available?” This usually prompts the reservations person to ask if you are a member of a travel or other association, a member of a loyalty program, etc. From there they will often offer a better rate one way or another, simply for the asking.

10. Don’t be afraid to call the place directly.

If you have an accommodation place that is showing no rooms available, or really high rates, or lack of availability of certain special needs rooms (pet-friendly, accessible, kid-friendly, etc.), you should call the place and ask directly. The front desk often has information about cancellations, additional rooms and more that may not immediately show up on accommodation or booking sites.

Even if you have a simple question, such as “How much does internet access cost?” or “Is breakfast included?” a quick call to the place can settle pretty much any doubts you might have.

11. Don’t forget to ask.

You would be surprised what a place can and will do for you if you simply ask politely. Many front desk folks will lend common toiletries, make restaurant recommendations and reservations, call for taxis, give directions, help with public transportation and handle other logistical items without even flinching.

Additionally, you can often request a room on a certain side of the place, on an upper floor, away from the main road, closer to the elevator if you are disabled and more. Simply ask, and you may receive.

How to avoid holiday accommodation scams

 Byline: Unathi Nkanjeni

Whether it's a cosy festive staycation that appeals or a sunny villa to look forward to in the New Year, the promise of a relaxing trip with family and friends is sure to perk you up as the days turn colder.

Unfortunately, thanks to the abundance of holiday accommodation scammers out there, some travellers may well find their dream holiday turns into a nightmare.

According to reports, more than a thousand cases of holiday booking fraud are reported every year.

The most common complaint by far is that of the fraudulent booking: when groups arrive at their accommodation only to find that no record of their booking exists – and other residents are already settled in place.

Unscrupulous scammers also pretend to be property owners on holiday rental sites, often choosing random property images from other websites to entice those looking for a great deal: a deal which doesn't exist. Once travellers have parted with their cash, they are left high, dry and having to fork out additional funds to book last-minute holiday accommodation.

Another popular scam, often accomplished through similar holiday booking websites, involves the hijacking of a genuine listing with intercepted emails – meaning that you are communicating with the scammer whilst the real owners have no idea what is going on.

But with multiple platforms all promising you the best prices to book your accommodations, how do you make sure that you avoid such unwanted scenarios?

Finding that the establishment does not exist. You have not only lost the money you’ve paid but there is no other accommodation available. Read on to find out how you can avoid falling victim to holiday accommodation scams.

Use the internet to your advantage

In this digital era, many legitimate owners and rental agents of holiday properties advertise online. 

Because it’s such an easy way of finding potential victims, many scammers also use the internet to great effect. The trick is to be able to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent accommodation listings.

The simplest way to do this is to use reputable sites when searching for accommodation and verify as much of the information given as possible before making any payments.

Once you have found a suitable property, do an online search of the rental agent or owner to get confirmation of their contact details and address as well as check for complaints from other customers. Use Google Maps to make sure that the address exists and compare images of the surroundings with those used to advertise the property.

Remember, if a facility has hundreds of rave reviews online but it has only been listed for a short period of time, you should be suspicious as those reviews are probably fake.

Phone a friend

A good way of finding reputable holiday accommodation is through word of mouth. Ask friends and family for recommendations and referrals.

Furthermore, if the accommodation listing is in a resort, complex or estate, phone the caretaker or manager to confirm the establishment exists and verify the details of the owner. If the area you plan to visit has a tourist information centre, they should also be able to verify the existence of such listings and perhaps even the owner or rental agency too.

Ask away

Don’t be embarrassed to ask as many questions as it takes for you to be satisfied that the information is credible.

Reputable agents and owners won’t mind providing the information you require as they will have nothing to hide. In fact, if someone is hesitant to answer your questions or gives vague and incomplete information, it should raise a red flag and you would do better to walk away.

Ensure that you have the advertiser’s full name, e-mail address and contact number. And insist on written confirmation of your booking and any payment made.

Trust your gut

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

If the accommodation you are renting is much cheaper than the norm in that area, it could be fake. If a prime location is still available, days before peak season arrives, it is probably bogus. If you feel uneasy in any way, rather search for alternative accommodation.

Don’t be bullied into making a hasty booking or payment and don’t fall for an insistence that urgent payment is required to secure your booking. If the party you are dealing with seems way too eager to get their hands on your money, you might be dealing with a scammer.

5 things to keep in mind when looking for the perfect lodge

Byline: Unathi Nkanjeni

It is no secret, Mpumalanga in South Africa boast a number of lodges in stunning settings. However, choosing which one to visit can be stressful.

Think of choosing a lodge in the same way you would choose someone to be your friend or partner. There's more to it than just looks – though they sure do help for that first spark of attraction. There’s appearance, personality, financial status, reputation, and, most important of all compatibility.

Here’s a breakdown of how to pick the right lodge for you:

1. How it looks:

Certain styles will naturally resonate with you, and the Internet is a visual medium - this depending on whether or not the lodge is being honest and truthful.

Are you into prints, animal skins, opulence or simplicity?  Beware of photographs depicting arrangements of fresh flowers, few if any lodges use fresh flowers outside of advertising shots.  Also, if it’s the extra things that they have showed on their site that draws you, then be sure when booking to ask whether these will be available, they are often done either only for publicity shots or for honeymooners.

2. Does it have personality:

Look at the guest reviews on the lodge’s own website or social media platforms. What is it that people praise most about this lodge? The lodge owners/managers are choosing which reviews to post, so you will get an idea of what is important to them.

Is it food, friendliness, pampering or luxury?  What are your three most important criteria and in what order?  Would you prefer self-catering or a lodge where you get served a 4-star cuisine?

The lodge isn’t everything, the other important factor to consider is the activities and excursion.  Are you focusing on seeing the activities and attraction sites and not that concerned about other smaller things; or wanting a bush experience with time to absorb everything, but it would be nice to see the bigger animals too?  Look at how much emphasis the lodge website puts on ‘big five’, if they’re any good, their guides should be aware of the marketing and working in accordance with it.

3. Check for their price:

Is value for money important, or do you want the best that money can buy?  There are some beautiful lodges that cater to everyone and their budget. However, remember that lodges in remote areas are expensive to run, much of the budget goes to providing basic services which are available for next to nothing in town, so you cannot compare the price and level of luxury between a city hotel and a game lodge.

You can do a self-catering fairly cheaply, but for a fully catered lodge, if the price is too low you run the risk of meals, quality of vehicles, staff and room amenities being skimped on.  That’s not to say that you shouldn’t take advantage of some of the great specials that even the best quality lodges run during the traditionally quiet months but look at the average rate of a lodge for comparison to get a general idea of standards.  Do a little extra homework if the average rate is less than R 500 per person sharing per night.

4. Check for lodge’s reputation:

There are many independent sites such as TripAdvisor and other rating/reviewing website where travelers and holiday seekers give candid reviews. What are people saying, and did the lodge care enough to respond to negative reviews – did they do so politely?

Look at the number of Excellent reviews, Good reviews and Poor reviews.  Don’t be fooled by the number of reviews, but rather look at the ratio it should be well stacked in favour of ‘excellent’– a lodge may only have a few reviews because it is new.

5. Check for compatibility:

You need to consider why you are going to the lodge, and whether this lodge is going to give you what you want.  Are you wanting to impress clients or someone special? Then consider famous names, and places frequented by the stars, look at rates per person sharing and upwards.  Do you want an authentic bush experience? Then consider a smaller unfenced lodge which can provide options.

Do you want to see the big 5 in the shortest time possible – perhaps you only have one night available for safari?  Consider a bigger lodge in a private reserve where many vehicles traverse a limited area and guides can call sightings into each other to get you quickly from one sighting to another.

With all of the above in mind, consider marrying your needs with good principles and ethics.  There are a few gems that manage outstanding environmental ethics, great game viewing, style and comfort as well as a reasonable price range.