You know how they say that a picture paints a thousand words. If you want to have an idea of what your hotel is really like, you should visit its website if it has one.

Most hotels – from the biggest hotel chains to the smallest bed-and-breakfasts – promote their establishment through a website. After all, the Internet has changed the trend for making hotel reservations in that it is now mostly done online. Hotels with an eye for business usually have their own websites or are at least listed in an online hotels directory.

If you are planning to stay at a particular hotel but find it impossible to do an ocular inspection of the place, your best recourse would be to find its website and browse through it. How the website is constructed and maintained is a telltale clue of how service goes with the hotel. If the website is not well-maintained, with broken links, pages that have not been updated and a copyright date that is not current, there may be something going on with the management of the hotel.

One particular section you should take note of is the picture gallery, if the website has one. Pay attention to pictures taken of the room. Trendy decor and furnishings are always a plus. If the decor seems dowdy to you, chances are that your instincts are right.

Most hoteliers recognise the fact that their hotel’s website is a reflection of the quality of service their hotel provides. You can always have a feel of how the service at a hotel is like by simply looking at its website.