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Accommodation Guide
How to choose the right hotel?
Hotel choice depends on many factors: location, standard, other guests' reviews, and price. Always check the location on a map - whether it's close to the city center, tourist attractions, or public transit. Read reviews on various platforms, paying attention to the recency of reviews. Also check if breakfast is included in the price - it can significantly reduce the total trip cost. Remember that the cheapest offers are often outside the center, but consider transportation costs.
When to book?
- In high season - book 2-3 months in advance for best prices and availability
- Off-season - can book a week in advance, prices are significantly lower
- Check prices on different platforms - sometimes the same room is cheaper on another site
- Combine nights - longer stays often come with discounts
What to watch when booking?
Always read cancellation conditions - some offers are non-refundable but cheaper. Check if wifi, parking, and breakfast are included in the price. Pay attention to room size and elevator availability for those with luggage. If traveling with children, check the hotel's policy regarding children. Attractive "bed and breakfast" or "half board" offers can be more cost-effective than just accommodation with later expenses on food.
The advertised rate is 59% below what you actually pay
Hotels compete on the number shown in search results, and everything that can be moved out of that number has been. Add the resort fee and the taxes levied on top of it and a 120 room bills at 190.65 — which is also why comparing two hotels on their advertised rates can point you at the more expensive one.
How it works
- Adds mandatory per-night fees to the advertised rate before any tax is applied.
- Applies city and occupancy taxes to that combined figure, which is how they are actually charged.
- Multiplies out across the stay, so the total is the number you can compare and budget against.
nightly subtotal = advertised rate + mandatory fees true nightly = subtotal × (1 + city tax + occupancy tax) trip total = true nightly × nights taxes apply to the fees as well as to the room — that compounding is the part that surprises
Worked example
A room advertised at 120, with a 35 resort fee, 15% city tax and 8% occupancy tax, for five nights.
- 120 + 35 = 155 subtotal
- city tax: 155 × 15% = 23.25
- occupancy tax: 155 × 8% = 12.40
- true nightly: 190.65
- five nights: 953 against an advertised 600
58.9% above the advertised rate, and 353 more than the arithmetic most people do in their head. The resort fee is taxed too, which is why the gap is larger than simply adding the fee would suggest.
Reading the result
- Comparing advertised rates can invert the ranking. A room at 120 with a 35 fee bills 190.65; one at 145 with no fee bills 178.35. The second looks 25 more expensive and is actually 12.30 cheaper every night.
- Resort and facility fees are mandatory, not optional, and are charged whether or not you use the pool or the gym they nominally cover. Treat them as part of the room rate, because that is what they are.
- Taxes vary sharply by city and are often several stacked levies. They are usually shown only at the final checkout step, which is by design — the comparison has already happened by then.
- Parking, breakfast and internet may be extra on top of all this. A stay quoted at 600 can settle above 1,100 once a car and two breakfasts a day are included, so check what the fee actually covers.
Common questions
- Why is the final price so much higher than the search result?
- Because mandatory fees sit outside the advertised rate and taxes are then charged on the fees as well as the room. In the example that is 35 of fee generating a further 8.05 of tax, on top of the 27.60 the room itself attracts.
- How do I compare hotels honestly?
- Take every option to the final checkout page and compare the total for your actual dates. Nothing earlier in the funnel is comparable, because the fee structures differ between properties in exactly the way that defeats a rate-to-rate comparison.