Depending on your trip, your hotel can can make or break it. However, checking out the hotel before you check in can help you to avoid any motel mishaps.

Know your budget.
Start with outlining your travel needs; airfare, rental car, activities, food and drink and then assess what's left. If you're looking for a place to crash and nothing more (and depending on location) you can find an economic place with no frills. If you're looking for luxury, make sure you have left enough in the bank to take care of room service every evening.

Know the area.
Take a spin around the web and learn the layout of the area in which you'll be staying. Where are the hot-spots in comparison to hotels? Is it worth laying down some extra cash to be able to walk to the beach? Are taxis plentiful? Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and call the hotel - they have front desks for a reason.

Be travel-savvy.
There are lots of websites that can help you choose the best hotel. Hotel.com and Priceline.com are great at comparing prices and amenities, plus they often feature great deals.

Be safe.
In addition to understanding the area around you for your own entertainment purposes, make sure you check out the area in terms of safety. (I recently traveled to New Jersey and had I not researched the area my hotel choices were in, I would've ended up in a very dodgey area.) There's no reason to be a nervous guest if you can avoid it.

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