In the past, booking a trip away, and in particular a stay in a luxury hotel, would almost invariably have meant paying a visit to a travel agent. Whilst travel agents are undoubtedly well meaning, experienced and knowledgeable people, they are also in business, and the nature of that business is to make money out of you. This means that even if they manage to track down the very best deal possible for the holiday of your choice, they’ll still be taking a percentage of whatever you pay for them. Whilst this may seem like a small price to pay for taking the hard work out of arranging a trip, you really have to ask yourself two things; firstly, wouldn’t that money be put to better use if it was tucked into your pocket whilst you strolled the streets of some exotic getaway and, secondly, is booking a trip on your own behalf really that hard anyway?
The answer to the second question, at least, is a definitive no, and the largest factor driving this revolution has been the rise of the internet. Pre-internet, you simply had no choice other than to place yourself in the hands of a travel agent who would have access to lists of luxury hotels in all parts of the world, whereas now you merely have to sit down with your laptop or even scroll through your tablet, and hotels from all around the world will be right there in front of you.
For example, features luxurious 4 and 5 star hotels from all around the world, and finding the one which is perfect for you is so simple that it actually becomes the first fun part of the holiday. The first aspect to be borne in mind is that the descriptions of the hotels on a website simply have to be fair and accurate, and that’s because, down at the bottom of the page, there will be a link to countless reviews written by guests who have stayed there. As any hotel owner will testify, the judgements handed down by ordinary guests who’ve paid real money to stay in a room will often be much harsher or, conversely, far warmer, than those written by professional travel writers. That’s why modern hotels have to go out of their way to ensure that they offer everything, and more, that their internet listing promises, and that the image created, including the photographic material, is completely accurate.
Safe in this knowledge, someone arranging a trip can take their time and select a luxury hotel on the basis of those tiny little details which make one place stand out in contrast with the other. For some people, the presence of a rooftop infinity pool in a sun-kissed Mediterranean hotel will be the factor which seals the deal, whilst others might be looking for a location in a certain district above all else. For business rather than leisure travellers, on the other hand, the chief selling point of a hotel might well be the conference and secretarial facilities on offer, although the luxury of the surroundings will undoubtedly go a long way towards keeping the delegates at any conference happy.
By Mr. Jones
