Pre-Trip Prep - Hotels

We're just about a month away from our trip to Bali.  I'm going to start a series on pre-trip preparation (hotels, flights, lounges, packing, etc...) as a lot of people have asked me how we prepare for a long haul trip.  For the most part, this is all basic common sense but if you remember to do it prior to your trip, I think you'll end up more prepared

Once our hotels are locked in, I search online for an email address for reservations, the concierge, front office manager, etc...These are usually pretty easy to find and with luxury hotels are typically located on the website.

I will forward along my confirmation (which includes my name, elite status, room type, rate, etc...) to that person a month before arrival.  The content of my message depends on the particular stay but for our Bali hotels, I wanted to confirm our room type, let them know it was our wedding anniversary and about food allergies, ask about transportation options to the properties.  I always ask for an upgrade via email (you won't get one if you don't ask) and it has actually worked a couple of times (Conrad Singapore and Park Hyatt Istanbul are good examples).  We loved the Executive Lounge at the Conrad Singapore so I specifically asked for an upgrade to that floor in my email stating that we were there last year, are Gold HHonors members, etc...

I heard back from each property within 12 hours.  We've gone back and forth a few times (there is a 14 hour time difference) to work out the details.  I now have confirmations for transportation, VOA (Visa on Arrival) service, and our arrival times.  I will print out the emails prior to our trip and put them in my "trip folder" in my carry-on.

Again, this is all common sense but can be really helpful to get everything squared away prior to departure.  It makes things go a lot smoother and helps to manage expectations.