Know The Difference Between An ‘Ocean-Front’ And ‘Ocean-View’ Room

When you’re booking that overseas summer holiday at the beach, make sure you’re paying attention to what type of room you’re reserving.

This week Business Insider talked to a business entertainment consultant, Jeff Russel, about some of the travel scams out there. The basics are things like watching out for resort fees and other mandatory additional charges or being wary of deals that seem too good to be true.

He also suggested one thing that I know I rarely pay attention to: make sure you understand the language of how your room is being described, and on beach vacations make sure you understand what “view” you’re signing up for.

“Ocean view’ simply means you get at least a sliver of a view from somewhere in the room,” Russell told Business Insider. “An oceanfront room actually faces the ocean.”

As someone who moderately recently had an “ocean view” room in Hawaii that was actually a “parking lot view” this one seems like a no-brainer in retrospect.

If what you’re booking seems unclear, don’t be afraid to call the hotel and ask for an explanation of the room you’re considering.

It also pays to ask again at reception when you’re checking in. When I called and questioned my parking lot room I was promptly moved to one with a better view. In my case they had the availability, all I had to do was ask.