Father working from home while holding toddler

We’ve all been there: ten tabs open, 3 or 4 hotels (with equally as many room types) and they all look fairly similar.

Comparing hotels can get frustrating fast. The trick is to narrow things down and compare what matters most to you side by side. Here’s how to get started.

Define what matters most to you.

First things first, figure out what’s most important for you. This could be the location, the price and a free breakfast. Or maybe you really need kid-friendly amenities or a pet-friendly hotel.

Other things to consider include: guest ratings, free Wi-Fi and flexible cancellation policies. Once you have this clear in your mind, you can start comparing.

Find the hotels you want to compare using KAYAK’s hotel search.

Pop in your destination, dates and who’s traveling and KAYAK will search hundreds of hotel and travel sites for you. Then you can start narrowing down your options using filters.

Here are some options to start with:

  • Trying to save money? Filter by price
  • Want something reliable? Lean into guest ratings 8+
  • Business trip? Use the map to find the best location
icon ai

Go a step further and Ask AI to narrow down your options. Here’s a sample prompt:

“Find me a hotel in Boston for my partner and me with free breakfast and free cancellation. The location needs to be downtown. My dates are August 10 – 12“

Compare the details side-by-side.

If you’re stuck between a couple of options, this is where KAYAK’s side-by-side comparison can really help.

Select the ‘compare button’ for up to 3 hotels and you can view them together on one screen. Compare the prices, ratings and perks in one place and make your choice with confidence.

Things you can compare side-by-side:

  • The total price (not just the nightly rate)
  • Guest rating and number of reviews
  • Where it is & what it’s close to
  • What’s included (breakfast, cancellation, room type)
icon price-alert

Tip: If you like the look of a hotel but the price isn’t quite right, set a Price Alert to see if it drops.

Note: this feature is not currently available on the KAYAK App. For the best comparison experience, open up your laptop.

FAQs

When comparing hotels look at what’s most important to you. Key things to consider include price, location and reviews (plus the number of reviews.) You can compare all of these side-by-side on KAYAK.
To compare ratings and reviews at a glance, you can use hotel search or KAYAK’s side-by-side comparison feature. For a deeper dive, click into each and read a sample of the most recent reviews.
A good rating can be easily skewed if a hotel has only a few reviews. Look for hotels with at least 50 reviews. Review should be consistent and match what you want from a hotel.

About the author

Author KAYAK
KAYAK Since 2004, we've been making travel planning less of a headache. KAYAK gives travelers the tools, deals and data they need to compare their options, cut through the nonsense and book with confidence. Because finding the right trip feels good. Booking the right trip feels even better. Got that right.

Explore more articles

Want to know the world better? We got you covered.

Sign up for our newsletter and get more travel inspiration straight to your inbox each week