If you travel much, staying in hotels becomes second nature. But even professional travelers have had to learn some hard (often expensive) lessons along the way. Between jet lag, knowing you have a flight to catch, and early morning check-outs, it’s easy to forget or overlook some important details about staying in (and checking out of) hotels. So, after a particularly avoidable mistake at a hotel earlier this year, I decided to write up my best tips for avoiding common hotel mistakes that everyone can benefit from–veteran travelers and newbies alike!

Always review the paper copy of your bill before you leave the front desk at check out

I know, it seems like a waste of time, and you know what charges you did or didn’t put on the room. But is what you know the same as what they’re charging you? Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s easier to resolve them before you leave the hotel, rather than after the charge officially posts to your card. We were once accidentally charged for someone else’s meal at a luxury hotel in Egypt (someone had written our room number on their bill, but the signature was clearly not my or my husband’s name). I got charged for something from the minibar at a 5-star hotel in Nashville (as a tee-totaler, I had to laugh out loud at that when I explained I never even opened the fridge). And we were charged for parking at an Orlando hotel during a trip where we didn’t even have a car with us! It always pays to check before you leave the property, and to check your credit card a few days later, just in case.

More here: The Best Hotel Luxuries in the World

Use your remaining currency to pay the bill

Most destinations, especially in tourism-dependent cities, credit cards are widely accepted. But it’s always a good idea to have cash on-hand for small purchases, tips, or businesses that still operate on a cash-only basis. Sometimes you can overestimate how much cash you’ll need, and you might end up going home with $20, $50, or even $100 or more worth of the local currency. If the destination you visited happens to be on the Euro, you might intend to go back in the next year or so, and you can save it to use on a future trip. If you’ve been visiting Iceland, Switzerland, the UK, Morocco, Australia, Aruba, or any other country that uses its own unique currency and don’t know if or when you’ll return, you’ll want to use it up before you leave. 

The solution? Pay your remaining hotel balance with the local currency! Even if it’s just a few dollars worth, use it and put the rest on your card (hopefully one with a good rewards system). Whether you ordered room service, had a massage at the hotel spa, put a meal on the room, or just have to pay the remaining taxes and fees before departure, use your cash first to do that.

Also helpful: The Ultimate Guide to Travel and Your Money

Evaluate loyalty programs vs. credit card rewards vs. third party rewards programs

This one can seem overwhelming, but it can truly be worth the trouble if you stay in hotels on a regular basis. 

Hotel loyalty programs are great if you only (or primarily) visit destinations with Hilton-brand hotels, or IHG-brand hotels, or Marriott-brand hotels. If that’s where you’re staying anyway, by all means, climb that loyalty ladder! Top-tier status can get you some amazing perks, like executive level lounge access, room upgrades, and free nights with enough points.

Credit card reward systems are more flexible than brand loyalty. With the CapitalOne Venture card or similar, you can use points earned on any purchase (not just hotels) to reimburse yourself for hotel stays also put on that card. Because you can earn points on all purchases, you rack up points faster, and get rewarded faster. (Most big hotel brands also have their own rewards credit cards, which is worth checking into if you want to go the hotel loyalty AND credit card rewards hybrid route.)

Third party rewards programs are my personal preference. This is the most flexible option, because you don’t need to be tied to one brand or even one credit card. We have used Hotels.com for years to book our stays all over the world, and we’ve been able to redeem some amazing free nights because of it. Hotels.com falls under the Expedia Company umbrella, along with VRBO. They changed their loyalty program to the universal “One Key” rewards program in 2023, so when you book with any of their sister companies, you get rewarded equally. This is amazing when staying in places like Santorini, Easter Island, and other destinations where major brand hotels (including American brand hotels) don’t exist. Brand loyalty does little for you if the brand you’re loyal to isn’t available in the places you want to visit!

More here: The Beginner’s Guide to Hotel Rewards

Remember or make note of what’s included in your reservation

Don’t miss out! I am maybe the world’s worst about this. Is breakfast included? Is there a resort fee? Do I have to pay taxes at the end? Is there a coffee maker in the room? Was I supposed to have an ocean view or a city view or a garden view or a view of the building next door? Sometimes those things don’t matter, but if you’ve paid extra for those, or gone to the effort to find and book a hotel that includes any or all of that, make sure you actually get it! If not, make sure you have the information handy in an e-mail or other confirmation so you can show it to the front desk or manager at the hotel. If something isn’t right, ask about it. And always have your proof ready!

Read on: The Pros and Cons of Staying in a Hotel

Look for what’s important

Speaking of coffee in the room, remember to specifically look for what’s important to you. Do you want your reservation to include free wifi, parking, a fitness center, air conditioning, etc.? Look for those items specifically in the listing for the hotel and/or room you intend to book. You can’t just assume what you want will be available. Did you know that many accommodations in Hawai’i and other islands don’t have air conditioning or heat? If they don’t need it with any regularity, they won’t spend the money to put it in! If it’s important, or especially a deal-breaker for you, make sure you know what you’re signing up for to begin with!

Keep reading: The Best Tips for Choosing a Hotel Anywhere in the World

Consider the location

Hotels are an extension of the real estate market—location, location, location! It may be worth spending a little more to spend a lot less time in the car, or time and money on public transportation. I am a huge fan of staying in a centrally located hotel within walking distance of most or all of the things I’m there to see and experience. It’s important to travel within your means, but don’t forget to think about the trade-offs of staying farther out.

For instance, I have some friends who came to D.C. and stayed in Woodbridge (several miles south on I-95) because it was so much cheaper than anything in D.C. proper or even within Metro-ing distance. What they didn’t consider was the D.C. traffic both inbound and outbound! They spent hours of the limited-time weekend trip in the car (and that was after driving 10+ hours just to get here, knowing they’d have to drive it all over again to get back home). It would have been worth an extra $100 (or more) per night for the ability to simply walk out the door instead of sitting in the car for a few frustrating hours first.

Read next: The World’s Best Hotels for Couples

Call or email the hotel or concierge with questions

Yes, you can be in touch with the hotel concierge or front desk before you even book your trip! Just look for a phone number or e-mail address on the website. Act like you plan to stay there, or go ahead and tell them you’re considering staying there. If they don’t get back to you, you know it’s not a great place to stay anyway, and you can move on. Or, find out how responsive they are before you even book your stay. Ask specific questions about the hotel, amenities, what’s nearby, what you’ll need reservations for or what you can simply walk up to experience, whether that’s a restaurant or other activity. They’re there to help you and give information. I always do this if something’s not quite clear on the website, or if I can’t find my answer with a quick Google search.

More here: Your Ultimate Guide to Accommodations

Check hotel availability and prices before you book a flight

People (my husband and I are included in this) usually book flights before they even start looking at hotel options. But once in a blue moon, it really pays to look at hotels first, or simultaneously with flights. We once tried to book flights to Guam, and I just so happened to look at hotels while my husband was booking the tickets. I’m glad I was able to stop him in time because there was literally no availability on the whole island! No hotels, no vacation rentals, nothing. Guam was totally booked up! Why? It was Chinese New Year weekend, which was not even on our radar! Lots of Asian tourists flock to Guam for holidays because it’s an easy and close way to visit the USA, plus it’s beautiful all year round. We quickly changed course and saved Guam for another day! Check your hotel (and rental car) availability before you pull the trigger on those expensive flights!

Essential info: How to Be Your Own Travel Advocate

Research the parking situation in advance

Whether you’re driving to your destination or renting a car when you get there, you’ll need to do something with it when you’re not driving. Is the parking free for guests? Is there a charge? Can you self-park for less than if you use the valet? Is there parking onsite, or is it a block or two away? We made the mistake of believing the valet at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel when he said there was no self-parking, and valet for $65 per night was the only option. I was dubious, so I’m glad I asked at the front desk, where I was told we could self-park for $20 per day in the garage right across the street. We still had to pay an extra $22 for valet parking for that couple of hours we had used the valet, but we saved almost $100 by self-parking the rest of the trip!

I had some friends come up to D.C. a few years ago who drove up and booked a hotel on Capitol Hill. Great location! But then they were shocked, and even argued with the hotel staff, when they found out they were going to be charged for parking. I was shocked they’d never heard of a hotel charging guests for parking! The more densely populated the area, or more upscale the hotel, the more likely you’ll have to pay for parking. The more remote the destination, the less likely you’ll have to pay to park.

Read on: Your Ultimate Guide to Renting a Car on Travel

Read reviews (with a grain of salt)

Everyone has a bad day, and some people will only give glowing reviews of their friends’ businesses. That said, reviews are pretty helpful if you can decipher what’s true and what’s someone’s personal bias. I usually read over a few of the 1-star reviews to see if there’s consistency (if 100 people complain about the noise, it’s probably legit noisy), and I look at the 5-star reviews for the same reason (is someone gushing just a little too much about the “extraordinary” toiletries?). Where is the truth? Usually somewhere in the middle. Look at the 4-star or 3-star reviews for some honesty, and the good with the bad. It’s also helpful to look at multiple review sources, such as Google, Trip Advisor, and Yelp, instead of relying on just one of those. Also: Be sure to look at the photos posted by regular people!

Related: The Best Ever Air Travel Tips

Want more? Get hotel reviews, tips, and more on my dedicated Accommodations Page!

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