3 Steps for Finding the Best Accommodation in 15 minutes

When I first started traveling I used to spend hours comparing the comparison websites finding the best accommodation deals.

Over the years I have refined the process so that I can find the best accommodation in 15 minutes.

What classifies as the best accommodation?

Well it is dependent on what you are looking for, which happens to be step one.

Finding the Best Accommodation in 15 minutes
1. Know What You Want

Facilities, budget and location are the three things to look at here. Basically just know what your criteria is.

Facilities

Factilities are those things which you want the accommodation to have. List those that are important to you, and also prioritise them so if your budget does not allow for it you can concede on a sliding scale.

I’ll use me as an example.

* I am not much of a people person and I like to work so I want a private room. This is the highest priority for me.

* If it is hot I at least want a fan, and if it is cold then heating becomes a must.

* I like to have a private bathroom too. It is not 100% necessary but if it goes with my budget then I will get it.

* Having a kettle is a big plus for me since if I really wanted to I could cook with it.

* Free internet used to be a must for me, and it is still pretty important, but these days I always get a simcard with internet which is enough to do what I need. Every now and again I can just go somewhere with wifi and work for a couple of hours to “catch up”.

* A fridge is nice but not a necessity.

* Air con, TV, toiletries etc are all just nice bonuses for me, but not really something I look for.

* I don’t care so much about free breakfast. It is a nice bonus and if everything else is the same then the one with free breakfast is a decision maker.

Budget

What is your maximum budget per night?

For me this is relative to my location. I usually go for the cheapest thing that meets my criteria. 20USD a night is usually my maximum in a non-western country.

Location

If I am coming in late I will catch a taxi, so closer to the airport (or bus station) is better. In all other circumstances I usually go for somewhere with easy access to the sites but preferably a little out of the city but still with things to do nearby i.e. a chilled bar and food.

Budget is a concern fore most people when finding the best accommodation. Image courtesy of FreeImages.com

2. Compare Your Options

This is the step that takes the longest. Go to Booking.com and search the city you want. Sort the results by price then go down the list looking at the maps and note the ones that are both in your price range and in the location you want. This should narrow things down quite a lot. Do not choose more than five. I usually just pick the cheapest three in the right location. Compare you choices and pick one.

If Booking.com does not have anything in the city you want (it may be an obscure place) then try hostelworld.com or Agoda.com. These are my three favorite accommodation comparison websites in that order, i.e., Booking.com is my favorite, then hostelworld, then agoda.

You can also consider Wikitravel.org as they usually have some good choices. Same goes for Lonely Planet guidebooks.

As a side-note, another reason I like booking.com so much is that it gives you GPS co-ordinates.

3. Book Your Accommodation

Once you have found the place you want, book it. Don’t um and ah over it and continuously re-read reviews, it’s a massive time waster. Just book the one you think is the best for your needs, but do not book it for more than a couple of nights so if you don’t like it it is no big loss. I usually don’t book anything for more than one night. If I decide I like it I just re-book it for however long I want.

Book your perfect accommodation today.

Do you have your own method in finding the best accommodation? Let us know in the comments .

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