When booking your vacation, it can be tough to decide which hotel to book. There’s nothing worse than booking a hotel and arriving only to realize it’s not what you were hoping to book. To help you find the hotel that is perfect for you every time, we’ve put together a list of tips that can help you in your search. That way the next time you are booking online, you’ll be sure to end up in your dream hotel.

1. Figure Out What Amenities You Need:

Start by asking yourself a couple of questions before booking like: Is this a vacation or a business trip? Are you planning on bringing your family? How long do you plan to stay? How much time will you spend at the hotel versus how long you’ll be off-site. From these questions, you’ll be able to determine which amenities you will need. For example, if you are bringing your children and plan to stay at the hotel most of the time, find something with kid-friendly amenities like a waterpark or mini-golf course. On the other hand, if you are traveling for business and will be mostly off-site look for something with WIFI access and a business center. Every hotel website will have a full list of amenities, so you’ll be able to read through and determine what you want.

2. Location, location, location:

Even if you find a hotel with everything you want, you still want to check out the location. You don’t want to spend your precious vacation hours commuting across town to get to all the sights you want to see. So make sure before booking, you pull up a map of the area and figure out the distance between the hotel and your destination. Finding hotels near where you plan to visit can help you narrow down your choices to a few ideal hotels. Also keep in mind that you may want a hotel that reflects the local culture. If you are staying in South Florida for example, you’ll want something with maybe a beachy vibe. However, if you are staying in upstate New York, you might want something a little more colonial. So make sure to check out some of the decor options as well to get the most out of your experience.

3. Read Some Reviews:

Once you have narrowed down your choices down to a couple of options. From there, go ahead and read some reviews. There are a ton of websites that offer hotel reviews, so make sure to read a few. Stick to reading reviews from the last six months to get a good idea of the current service. Read both the good and the bad reviews, so you have a full understanding of the pros and cons. If you are looking for a great place to read reviews, check out Trip Advisor. You can also compare the reviews right on the hotel’s Google listing.

4. Find A Trustworthy Referral Site

Reviews can be helpful, but sometimes if they are extremely mixed, you may not be able to determine whether or not the hotel is what you want. Instead, finding a good referral site that selects the best hotels in specific cities and includes a lot of great, detailed information about each hotel can help. Referral sites spend a lot of time featuring the amenities of every hotel and can really help you get a good idea of what to book for your next trip.

Following these simple tips can help ensure that you book the right hotel every time. A little research ahead of time can make all the difference in your vacation, so take a few minutes to follow these steps and you’ll end up staying somewhere great!