Hotel Type - Serviced Apartments, is it for me?

Source: easyhotelselection.com

For many travelers, staying in a service apartment is the first option when travel for a longer period. There are more other reasons why you should choose a serviced apartment over a hotel for your business and leisure travels.

Like At Home Feeling
Serviced apartments, also known as aparthotels, corporate housing and extended stay hotels offer travelers somewhere to live rather than just a place to stay. Hotels are, for the most part, impersonal in feel but a serviced apartment gives such a feeling like staying at home..

Lifestyle Advantages, Freedom, and More Space
A hotel room can cramp your style but a serviced apartment lets you entertain the way you want to. It’s just like having your own space and it makes meetings, events, and having family over easier (especially if you are relocating) with separate spaces for living, sleeping, eating, cooking, and working..

Ideal for Business Travelers
A serviced apartment is perfect choice for visitors who are relocating, working on a contract, executives on a short visit or colleagues traveling together. Avoid the “hotel feel” and enjoy amenities such as broadband, flat panel TV, digital or cable channels and a fully fitted kitchen at an all-inclusive price, and make your business trip an exceptional stay.

Save Money
Serviced apartment rates are per apartment and not per person so there can be significant money savings especially when you travel with the family or in big group. It usually is featured with fully equipped kitchen which obviates the need to eat out all the time.

Ideal for Group Travelers
Besides saving money, serviced apartment can reduce the hassle of group coordination when you travel in big group or with the family. You can book a 3-bedroom apartment and you will get private bedrooms for each member of the family plus a living and dining area for the whole family.

The Feel Good Factor
Staying in a serviced apartment can be a huge benefit during relocation. The first few weeks or months in a new country can be difficult and disorienting. A serviced apartment with the space and amenities of home helps to smooth that adaptation process.

With the above good reasons and the growing popularity of serviced apartments, why don’t you skip the hotel and opt for a serviced apartment on your next trip?

Hotel Rating System

Source: easyhotelselection.com

The most common rating system for hotel is using star classification. It was created to standardize the level of quality of a hotel worldwide since hotel is for international market. It helps guests to expect how good a hotel is by its star. The star ranges from 1 to 5 with the higher star ratings indicating more luxury. Lately, a few of new very luxury hotels started to claim having diamond or up to seven stars for certain higher quality that never exists before. This star is determined by room number, size and conditional of room and building, room amenities, hotel facilities, the quality of service, quality of good and drink, hotel presence and efficiency of staff, safety and security, and hotel atmosphere in general.

One-star hotel
It offers a basic accommodation. You can’t expect anything other than the basic needs – bed, share bathroom. It is certainly the cheapest accommodation you can find. It sometimes has a good location in a city downtown or tourist areas. If location is your first priority, in limited budget and don’t mind not having en-suite facilities, you may consider one-star hotel, but it is advised to check the room first and don’t be tricked with photo if you book from Internet.

Two-star hotelIn this class, you may find en-suite facilities in some hotels. While other hotels may provide share shower room down the hall. Some hotels even offer a television in a room. Restaurant or dining room is usually available.

Three-star hotel
You will find private shower room in hotel room and other room facilities such as television, phone, mini bar, laundry service (optional) a more formal style of service along with the opportunity for room service. You can expect a swimming pool and at least one restaurant you can enjoy.

Four-star hotel
Four-star hotels have reached comforts with a luxury touch in room quality (spacious room, private bathroom, more room amenities), hotel facilities (more restaurants, larger swimming pool, business center, library, spa, etc) and hotel services (24-hour room service, dry cleaning service, transportation service, etc.). It is usually located in strategic location.

Five-star hotel
Surely is the best in room, interior, amenities, facilities, location and building. All comes with style and absolute luxury. You can enjoy an exceptional comfort of 24-hour room service, luxury amenities and facilities. You will be well served by professional and trained staff providing a perfect service..

Although, you can expect a hotel quality by its star, this hotel rating system should be treated as a general guide only since there is subjective criteria in establish the star and no definite international standardization available. This inconsistency in hotel ratings worldwide may make you book a hotel that does not meet your expectation according its star rating or your four-star hotel abroad is better than four-star hotel in your country..

B&B - the way to go....

Souce: easyhotelselection.com

Travelers tend to choose well-known hotel chains for easy and no-risk pick, although most budget hotel chains have no personality and do nothing more than provide a place to sleep for their guests. In fact, there is another great accommodation option for budget travelers to enjoy their trip which is by selecting Bed and Breakfast inns. Besides focusing on each individual guest, there are several advantages of Bed and Breakfast Inns over regular hotels:

Feel at Home
Bed and Breakfast Inns mostly have a limited number of rooms to rent out and are managed by the owner. However, each room has a lot of personality and is generally decorated in an elegant at-home way and focuses on the comfort of guests. At a Bed and Breakfast, you certainly won’t encounter the generic rooms of regular hotels and you will feel at home.

Great Food
As the name suggests the daily rate of a Bed and Breakfast stay will certainly include the first meal of the day. While a Continental breakfast is frequently included in chain hotel rates the breakfast at a Bed and Breakfast is always of a significantly higher quality. This is because innkeepers take pride in serving well balanced and tasty meals allowing guests to enjoy every aspect of their stay. Although every Bed and Breakfast is different, you can generally expect a full breakfast of meat and eggs with fresh baked breads, muffins, fresh squeezed juice and fruit.

Cost Effective
For budget travelers, saving expenses on accommodation is essential. Bed and Breakfast Inns really are cost-effective when you consider the entire price of the stay. For example, a Bed and Breakfast may charge what seems like expensive nightly fees, but everything is basically included from local phone calls to movies, and concierge services to parking. Just these extras at a hotel can add $100 or more to your daily bill. So, in the overall, a Bed and Breakfast will probably save you money and you will be more comfortable and relaxed at the same time.

So, you may want to choose Bed and Breakfast accommodation next time you travel

Types of hotels

Source: easyhotelselection.com

London hotels offer quality service, comfort, and great value for your money. You will find a wide range of hotels in London to choose from like luxury hotels, tourist hotels, budget hotels, boutique hotels and B&B hotels to cater travelers’ various needs. You need to know more about these types to let you choose hotel type that most suitable for you.

Luxury hotels
Luxury hotels in London are centrally located to attract best tourist to stay in these hotels. One of most prominent luxury hotel is the InterContinental Hotel Park Lane that is situated on the edge of Mayfair, one of the most exclusive areas not just in London, with easy access to Hyde Park, Green Park, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly – well known for up-market..


Tourist hotels
Tourist hotels are the most popular hotels among tourists. These hotels are not only tourist friendly but also budget friendly and offering quality service that makes your stay worth. Montana Hotel on Gloucester Road, South Kensington is one example of tourist hotels..

Budget hotels
Budget hotels provide standard room facilities such as a television, room phone, and a private bathroom. Most budget hotels are located off the main road or outside of central London, but some have easy access to public transportation. One good example of a budget hotel is Reem Hotel London located in residential area of Bayswater. This hotel is situated at a short distance from Paddington Station and is well connected by buses to Central London. A good choice for less demanding travelers who are looking for good value for money accommodation..

Boutique hotels
Boutique hotels are suitable for travelers who want to experience the comfort and cozy atmosphere of home in hotels. There hotels are popular for those who want high privacy and get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. One of hotels within this type is Chesterfield Mayfair Hotel that also offers all modern room facilities and great location..

B&Bs
B&Bs (Bed and Breakfast) is very popular in Great Britain for budget travelers. This type of accommodation is a good option for experiencing British tradition and British country homes. B&Bs are usually in a family home offering a very standard room facilities (few with private bathroom) and breakfast.

Cheap and comfortable Hotels in London

Beautiful City London hosts endless travelers and to accommodate the travelers the city has also wide and well arrangement of accommodations which include both cheap and luxury hotel. Have a nice planning over the London tour which includes sightseeing, shopping, recreational activities like visiting to pubs, clubs and theaters. There are lots of popular locations which offer hotels and these hotels are located near the attractive places and at the center or the heart of the city. The hotels are expensive but proffer lots of facilities and entertainment within the hotels. Also the restaurants of such hotels serve various mouthwatering British dishes. Sometimes during Christmas or New Year or during off season these luxury grand hotels offer discount rates to its travelers. So check out the availability of discount offer when ever you want to afford the room rents. If the room charges do not suite your pocket then go can opt for London Cheap Hotels which are suited just a short distance from the main city. However, due to good transportation system it is advisable to opt for such cheap hotels in London.

During searching Budget London Hotels over internet you can also search the options how to get around the whole city to explore its attractions and breathtaking sightseeing. Traveling the whole London city on a double-decker bus is a great idea for it can be done in minimum expenses. The best attractions of London include Buckingham Palace, Victoria Hall, London Eye, London Tower, Westminster Abbey, and so on.

Before finally booking a room in London hotels, never forget to check out the hotel facilities and room facilities. Further you can also see its safety and security arrangements and front desk service which helps travelers for further tour in the city. Most of the renowned hotels arrange transportation for the travelers who wish to see the whole city. Due to availability of safe deposit box, people can roam around the city leaving the cares behind. The hospitality and the attentive service of the staff of such hotels are awe-inspiring. The guest can have a great holiday time by staying in one of the Cheap Hotels In London.

Source : Comfortable Yet Cheap Hotels in London

Few things to consider while booking Cheap Hotels in London

Traveling to the place like London is the most happening event of your life. This city is the hub of culture, history, business, art and music of European countries. London hosts millions of visitors’ whole through out the year. Due to its great number of tourist that comes every year, the dare requirement of hotel accommodations is present there. People come to London for a few days or for months but before they start doing anything, fixing a hotel room is London is must. However, London is the city of grand luxury hotels but there are also many hotels which are of cheap rate.

The wise travelers prefer to check the Cheap Hotels In London before they decide to book for sometimes such hotels do not keep the promises they made while booking the hotel rooms. In fact, you can fine some of the Budget Hotels In London are not so clean and its services are very poor. One more thing a traveler should keep in mind while choosing cheap hotels is the locality of the hotel. Fortunately, all the motels of these categories are not fraud. So, mindfully you can search out the hotel of your choice.

Follow the reliable sources like someone who had settled in London and known to you, take advice about the accommodations. On the other hand take help from the travel agents and hotel websites as well. In fact, finding a cheap but safe and comfortable hotel is a great matter. You cannot search such hotels like a vagabond randomly. The deep enquiry of the hotel details will let you know about the room facilities and hotel facilities. Step by step you can find out the hotel that gives sufficient facilities to its guests. The rooms may be small but it is quite fine for staying a few days. Further, your purpose to visit London is not only confined to staying at good hotel and consuming foods. So, after occupying one hotel room of Discount Hotels In London, go ahead for the further interesting quest that lies in front of you.

The city offers a wonderful and vibrant atmosphere through its natural ambiance, pleasant weather, and exiting tourist destinations. The must visit places in London are Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, London Eye, Royal residence, the House of Parliament, the Westminster Abbey, etc. Your personal visit will confirm you the greatness of the cultural beauty of the European society which London city reflects beautifully. So, give your curiosity an opportunity of full freedom to explore London city.

Source: Few Things to Consider While Booking Cheap Hotels in London

One Day Car Insurance

Some helpful notes on why you should buy a "One Day Car Insurance"

Opting for a cheap car insurance policy wouldn't be a wise decision, as well, purchasing a pricey policy too wouldn't fetch you all the benefits. Don't just rate the companies based on the insurance premium. It is better to gather all the company details and insurance benefits offered by the insurer, you are planning to deal with. And, the best way to assess the companies is through the consumer reviews, which would certainly be unbiased and definite.

When will you need One day Car Insurance?
There are many instances when you find that one day car insurance is a better option than Regular Insurance. In most cases you can plan your insurance cover but this is a convenient option in case an emergency arises and you need insurance cover immediately.

Best Uses of One Day Car Insurance.
Many people today opt for this kind of insurance for a number of reasons. They may be taking a long road trip and plan to take turns driving or you may want to lend your car to a friend or borrow a car from a friend. In most cases this occurs because your friend’s car might have features your car doesn’t or is better suited for long journeys, a large number of people, capacity to carry loads of luggage or you want to drive a car better suited for a holiday abroad.

You may also need to borrow a minivan or a moving van in case you’re moving your home from one place to another and you wish to drive yourself there without the addition cost of a moving company. You may need a big car to fit in all your baggage and your furniture along with your family.

Another popular reason is if you wish to test drive a car you plan on buying or when you’ve bought a car at an auction or from a private owner, you would need insurance to drive the car home immediately.

When students come back home from their university during their mid-term breaks, they don’t have a car to drive! One day car insurance allows them to get protected under an insurance plan for a limited stipulated period of time. When you have friends or family coming to stay with you from abroad, they only need a UK or an EEC license to apply for one day car insurance. This gives them flexibility while on holiday and saves them a lot of money avoiding the high rates of car hire and you wouldn’t need to spend hours a day driving them around either. One day car insurance is an easy way of allowing your family and friends to drive your car without going through the formalities of adding them to your yearly insurance policy.

One Day Car Insurance is handy in an emergency situation.
In an emergency situation one day car insurance can be a life saver. What if your car breaks down and you find yourself in a fix having to borrow a car to get to work on time? Or what if your spouse has borrowed your car and a medical situation creeps up? In a crisis situation like that one day car investment can ease the pressure of the situation and allow you to be mobile.

Source : http://carinsurance1.co.uk/

Buying Travel Insurance

Where to buy travel insurance ???

The 2 best places to buy travel insurance:

The best option is to buy a policy direct from the insurance company website. This is a good choice if you already have a good idea of the type of policy you need, a specific plan, or a specific company based on their rating.

Buying direct from the company ensures you are choosing from their full selection of products, and you will have full customer support for those products.

All travel insurance companies sell their products online, and most have developed very user-friendly websites. You can get an instant price quote, buy with a credit card, and get immediate email confirmation of coverage.

The second option is to use a comparison website to compare quotes from several companies at the same time. This is similar to using Expedia.com for buying an airline ticket, as opposed to visiting each individual airlines website. You simply enter some trip & travel information, and get instant comparative quotes from many companies and for many products.

The main benefit in using a comparison website is getting to analyze different plans, side-by-side, and seeing how the different coverages and prices compare to each other.

However, this can also be overwhelming, since you’re comparing up to 100 plans from 20 different companies.

Only buy from reputable companies

Purchase your travel insurance plan from a reputable company with a good rating. A.M. Best is a company that rates insurance companies based on many factors. They assign a grade rating (A+, B-, etc.) for each company, and provide other details like financial stability and size.

The following link goes to a chart with all A.M. Best ratings for the different travel insurance companies. They are all reputable; earning scores of A- and higher.

View A.M.Best ratings at http://www.ambest.co.uk/.

Buying direct vs. through a comparison site

As far as price, there is no difference between buying direct or using a comparison site. The price of your policy is the same whether you purchase direct from the company, or if you use a comparison site. A comparison site is simply an agent, and they earn a commission from the policies they sell, just like your regular insurance agent. It doesn’t cost you extra; it simply means the insurance company pays a portion of the premium to the agent for selling the plan.

Do not buy from travel agents or cruise lines

Buy from the insurance company or an insurance agent, but do not buy from a travel agent or cruise line. Over the years, travel agencies have seen the potential profit in selling insurance to their clients and it has become very popular.

Travel agents are not insurance agents, and they will not know the products thoroughly enough to make a good recommendation. They might make more commission on certain products, and direct you towards them. Oftentimes, the insurance coverage offered by a cruise line is very limited, it doesn’t provide adequate protection, and it is priced too high. Always buy travel insurance from a third party such as an agent or the company itself.

Do not shop based on price alone

It is surprisingly common for travelers to seek out “cheap” travel insurance, even though they are attempting to protect their health, well-being, and finances. If you are looking to save some money on your trip, look for ways to save without risking your health and finances.

Instead of shopping based on price alone, decide what coverage is important to you and your trip, then compare policies that provide this coverage. Adter you have narrowed the selection down to a few, then consider price. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples; don’t pick the cheapest policy only to find out it lacks an important coverage.

The best time to purchase your policy

It is best to purchase travel insurance as early as possible, meaning as close to the time of booking as possible. There are several benefits to purchasing your plan right away.

First, you take advantage of insurance coverage for the longest possible amount of time. If you book your trip and buy the travel insurance at the same time, you are covered for trip cancellation immediately.

So, for a trip in 10 months, you would enjoy 10 months of coverage. On the other hand, if you booked a trip now and decided to wait to buy insurance, something could happen between now and then.

Furthermore, many policies include extra benefits if the plan is purchased within a certain numbers of day of booking. For example, some policies provide supplier default/bankruptcy coverage under this condition.

Also, most policies have a grace period for purchasing where you can still take advantage of these additional coverages. For example: a company might cover financial default if you purchased your plan within 14 days of the initial trip deposit.

Source: www.travelinsurancereview.net

Glossary of Travel Insurance terms

Following is a list of various terms used in a travel insurance policy. Many of us find it difficult to understand certain travel insurance terms laid down in the travel policies. It is therefoe important for insurance holders to have a complete understanding of their policies, so they will know what the policies cover and how they will be compensated on occurrence of emergencies.

Here is a list of common travel insurance terms:

Accident:
A loss sustained through an unexpected event.

Annual MultTrip Plan:
Provides coverage for all trips made within a year.

Assistance Services:
Services provided by the 24-hour Assistance Company regarding medical matters and expenses, loss of travel documents, credit cards, luggage, etc.

Baggage and Personal Effects Coverage:
Covers a policy holder’s baggage, passport, credit cards, and personal effects.

Benefits:
The amount a beneficiary receives from the insurance provider after a claim has been filed.

Deductible:
The amount a policy holder is required to pay before the insurance provider starts making payment. It can be a yearly amount, an amount based on the duration of the policy, or amount based on incident.

Catastrophe:
Natural catastrophe causing disruption to your trip (including hurricane, fire, lightning, explosion, earthquake, storm, tempest, flood)

Co-Insurance or Co-Pay:
Refers to the amount paid by the policy holder after payment of the deductible is completed.

Common Law Partner:
Any couple (including same sex) in a common law relationship who have cohabited for at least six months

Date of Issue:
The date shown on your policy showing when it was issued / purchased

Emergency Benefits:
Provides coverage for expenses incurred when a person is transported to a place where they receive immediate medical attention.

Emergency Evacuation:
Coverage that provides medical evacuation of a policy holder to a medical facility or their own country

Exclusions:
Expenses the insurance provider will not cover, and they usually include expenses that result from participation in high-risk sports or recreational activities.

Emergency Repatriation:
Return to the UK or Ireland by air ambulance if necessary and an accompanying doctor or nurse if required.

Family Plans:
Plans that cover every member of a family who is traveling, and they usually come with discounted rates.

Hazardous Sports and Activities Coverage:
Refers to coverage of medical expenses incurred to treat a policy holder who becomes injured because of participation in hazardous sports and activities, such as: sky diving, scuba diving, or rock climbing

Insured:
The individual who is covered by the travel insurance policy.

Incidental Basis:
Participation in a hazardous activity on a casual, fortuitous, occasional or minor basis. Sports tours and/or activity holidays would be considered to include participation in hazardous activities on a non-incidental basis.

Individual Plans:
Plans that provide coverage for only one person.

Level of Cover:
The amount covered under each Section of the Policy

Lost Luggage:
Secondary coverage that is paid when a policy holder’s checked luggage is permanently lost.

Maximum Policy Coverage:
Refers to the maximum compensation that will be paid for expenses covered by a policy.

Mugging Benefit:
Inpatient hospital treatment following a violent, threatening attack by a third party causing actual bodily harm.

Non-Refundable Travel Expenses:
These are expenses paid for a trip that cannot be reimbursed, and they include accommodation deposits and airline tickets.

Personal Money:
Cash and travellers cheques

Pre-Existing Conditions:
Refers to medical conditions of policy holders that existed before the insurance policies were purchased: Usually, insurance providers will only provide minimal or no coverage for expenses related to such conditions.

Primary Coverage:
Form of coverage provides insurance for the policy holder even though you have other coverage.

Rental Car Insurance:
Covers theft or damage of a car rented by a policy holder during their trip. It also covers the damage and injury sustained by other people if the policy holder causes an accident.

Reasonable Care:
Insured must take reasonable care to prevent illness, injury, loss or damage to self or property as if uninsured.

Scheduled Airline:
Cover for sums paid in advance in event of insolvency of scheduled airline Failure provider.

Secondary Coverage:
Only offers insurance for expenses not included in the primary coverage.

Single Trip Plan:
A policy that provides coverage for only one trip

Travel Assistance Services:
Refers to assistance available to a policy holder when they experiences difficulty in a foreign location. It includes: 24-hour emergency phone services, legal assistance, visa and passport assistance, and others.

Travel Documents:
Passport, green card, travel tickets, visas, accommodation vouchers and petrol coupons which are lost or stolen.

Trip Interruption Insurance:
Provides coverage for policy holders who interrupt or cancel their trips because of acceptable reasons such as injury, illness, death of a relative, flight problem, and others.

Usual, Customary, and Reasonable Charges:
Average amounts charged by travel insurance providers for certain services, treatments, or procedures in the same locality.

Withdrawal of Services :
Facilities withdrawn by your pre-booked hotel due to strike or industrial action following purchase of insurance

Bon Voyage !