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 Whether
you are traveling for business
or pleasure, you will want a
comfortable, secure place to
rest your weary head. It is
important to give some thought
to the kind of hotel or motel
that you want to stay in and the
type of room you are willing to
accept. There are millions of
hotels to choose from - but
first, you need to know how to
look.
The best thing to do is go
online and look for package
deals. Websites like Hotels.com,
Expedia.com, Orbitz.com, and
Cheaptickets.com all have search
engines that can help you find
low-priced accommodations.
You can also check the major
hotel chains' websites, where
you can make reservations
directly and sometimes find
special online bargains.
For worldwide travel, the Best
Western chain is a good bet for
safe, reliable hotels. It is the
largest hotel chain in the world,
with more then 4,000 hotels in
80 countries. There are some
2,156 hotels in the U.S. alone.
Best Western is what some
consider a mid-price range
hotel.
For upscale lodging, Starwood
Hotel and Resorts is one of the
largest leisure companies in the
world. Their properties make up
some of the best and most well-known
establishments, from Westin,
Sheraton, Four Points by
Sheraton, St. Regis, The Luxury
Collection and W hotels. Because
these are upscale hotels, the
rooms can be a bit pricey -
especially for major tourist
destinations like New York,
Washington and Chicago. But
travelers can find great
bargains with the Starwood
Weekend Escape program. For
example, a three-day trip to
Miami that includes round-trip
flight and hotel accommodations
can cost as little as $311.
Hotel security and safety
Though prices and the
type of accommodations
should be considered
when choosing a place to
stay, security should
also be a main concern.
A recent study,
conducted by Cornell
University's Center for
Hospitality Research,
ranked 85 percent of the
2,123 hotels surveyed as
"very safe." The study
found that hotels near
airports offered the
most safety and security
features, while luxury
hotels and newer hotels
also ranked high.
Resorts, bed-and-breakfasts,
and motels tended to
score lower for safety
and security.
Cathy Enz, director of
the Hotel School's
Center for Hospitality
Research, noted that the
news was reassuring
given the heightened
concern among the public
about safety in public
buildings. Keep these
security precautions in
mind when choosing a
place to stay:
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If you're traveling
alone, register at
the hotel with your
last name and first
initial. Don't
advertise your
gender or the fact
that you are
traveling alone.
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Don't leave your
room key lying
around, especially
at bars and
restaurants.
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Request a room above
the third floor, but
not higher than the
tenth floor. Lower
floors are easy
targets for thieves,
and higher floors
are more difficult
to escape from in
the event of a fire.
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If you must carry
valuables on your
trip, consider using
the hotel safe.
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Leave a TV, radio or
light on when you
leave the room. This
gives the impression
that the room is
occupied at all
times.
-
Make a mental note
of where all the
emergency exits are
located.
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Find out who has
access to your room,
and how often. For
information on the
Center for
Hospitality Research,
log on to
www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/chr.
The hotels listed in
this article can be
found at
www.starwood.com
and
www.bestwestern.com.
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