Finding a good hotel is most vital task when you are planning for a picnic or vacation. However, the internet and communication technology has simplified this important problem at some level, but still there are some factors you need to consider while choosing a hotel especially when you are travelling with your family and kids. Let’s discuss the five major factors which are mandatory to consider when you are finalizing the hotel.

Hotel Location:

If you are on a leisure trip, make sure that the hotel is located in the proximity of all the tourist destinations. If your hotel is located centre of the city or town, it makes easy for you to visit the all tourist places in less time. If you are visiting for a business trip, chose a hotel that is nearby to the main business centers or industrial centers of the city. Medical services, shopping malls and airport or railway station also should be near the hotel. It’s just not save time; it will also make your trip more enjoyable.

Hotel Amenities:

The modern hospitality players understand the importance of services and different amenities to their clients unlike the traditional ones. In cut-throat competition, hotels which give exceptional services and amenities are preferred mostly by tourists. For example, if you are staying for a business trip, internet facilities and Wi-Fi is mandatory in your rooms. There are many hotels in India which offer professional guide facilities for the foreigner visitors to prevent any deception or cheating from local wrenched people. Check in the hotel after gathering required information about amenities provided by the hotel.

Testimonials/ Reviews:

In an era of the technology, an end-user has unlimited options to choose because of the competition. Before choosing any particular hotel, you may go through the testimonials received from the other tourists who have already visited that hotel. There is no direct control of the hotel management to the reviews and testimonials so there is a space of 100% honesty and transparency in the reviews published in different travel websites. You can also surf diverse travel articles by different travel bloggers depicting the experiences about the city or the tourist spots.

Accessibility:

This is an extremely important factor when you are on a trip. You should check the smooth transport accessible from the hotel. The Hotel must give shuttle services to the key destinations like shopping malls, tourist places, railway station and airport. Also, there should be public transport or frequent taxi services nearby the hotel. The lack of accessibility of fast transportation is very annoying and it can ruin your travel experience. You can use online maps to decide which hotel to choose while deciding your travelling plans.

 Value:

You can choose a hotel by comparing prices of the different hotels simultaneously. Asking discounts and other lucrative offers is not at all wrong. You are just asking for the best value for your money. You can research about the value added services provided by hotels. Many 3 star hotels in Ahmedabad today come up with new attractive schemes and offers to attract tourists.

Remember that your trip’s pleasure is directly proportional to the hotel you chose to stay. So take great care in choosing the hotel.

Len’s Bio: This article describes necessary factors you should check before deciding the hotel to stay when you go for a vacation. The vicinity of hotel, amenities, value, and accessibility are some of the important factors when you choose a hotel for the comfortable stay.

The Valentine’s Day is celebrated in India and in the world on 14^th February every year. This day is celebrated on the remembrance of the saint of love- Saint Valentine.

According to legends, Saint Valentine was a saint who has served during the third century in rope. The Roman Emperor Claudius II signed and implemented the law which forbids the soldiers to get married and having families. Saint Valentine opposed this law and started helping soldering to get married. When he was caught, he was assassinated by the emperor.

The youngsters celebrate this day with their loved ones to express their love. Though there is no public holiday on the Valentine’s Day, youngsters bunk their school-colleges to celebrate this day. They visit restaurants, pubs, discos and also for picnics. However, Valentine’s Day is not limited to any age limit. Hotels and restaurants and coffee shops offer different discount schemes to attract the youngsters. Post offices and courier companies are filled with greeting cards and flowers.

This is also an ideal day to propose someone whom you love. “Will you be my valentine?” is one of the most spoken sentences in the world. The greeting cards chocolates and flowers are exchanged between couples as a sign of love and gratitude. 

In addition to India, The Valentine’s Day is celebrated in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and Australia.

If you are worried about how to plan your Valentine’s Day then we have solution for you. Hotel The Westend, one of the finest 3 star hotels in Ahmedabad, is offering 10% flat discount for its Mayflower restaurant’s cuisines. Mayflower Restaurant is renowned name for its delicious Indian and continental cuisines.

Ahmedabad is a largest city and business hub of the state of Gujarat. In recent years, it has experienced a paradigm shift in terms of urban development and growth. Also, after declaring as the metro city, the tourism industry has experienced significant augmentation. Also, the hotel industry boomed with new entrants came into the picture. There are more Three star hotels in Ahmedabad than it was before five years. Also, different prestigious hotel chains are opening their hotels in the Ahmedabad.

Below are the few famous tourist places you should not miss during your stay in Ahmedabad.

Hathisingh Jain Temple:

Founded in 1850 by a retail businessman named Hathi Singh, this temple is devoted to worship the 15^th Jain Tirthkar “Dharamnath”.  The Hathi Singh Temple is the symbol of one of the finest artworks in the Gujarat. It was designed and constructed by the spellbound efforts of the chief engineer Premchand Shalat. At that time, it took 10 lakhs worth amounts to construct the temple. The Hathisingh Temple is a two storey building contains 52 shrines embellished with image of tirthankara and a marble replica of the 15^th Jain Tirthkar Dharamnath.

Sabarmati Riverfront:

The Sabarmati Riverfront is the latest attraction in the Ahmedabad and has marvelous response from the Ahmedabad population and outsiders who visit to the Ahmedabad. Nowadays it becomes the sole destinations to spend time with family for Ahmedabad people. There is 10 km walkway for the public with benches to sit and relax. There is also water amusement rides including motor boats and speed boats. The honorable chief minister of the Gujarat, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sabarmati Riverfront.

Akshardham Temple:

One of the masterpieces of the architecture, the Akshardham temple is visited by probably 2 million people all around the world. The Akshardham temple is devoted to Lord Swaminarayan, the father of the Swaminarayan faith. This temple was made by around nine hundred workers and it encompasses of 93 pillars. The main attraction of the Akshardham temple is the unique sandstone which stands straight without a single iron rod. The Akshardham temple is the symbol of brotherhood and humanity and shows the model of ancient Indian culture and tradition.

Sabarmati Ashram (the sacred home of Mahatma Gandhi)

The Sabarmati Ashram is situated on an Ashram road in Ahmedabad. This was the holy place where the father of the India Mr. Mahatma Gandhi stayed during the freedom fighting. This is the most visited places in Ahmedabad by tourists including political leaders. You can feel the calm and peaceful environment here. There are few residual things belong to Mahatma Gandhi is put in for the exhibition for the visitors. This is a place you should visit once in your lifetime, no matter from where you belong and what is your ideology.

Ahmad Shah’s Mosque:

The namesake of the Ahmedabad is in the name of the great king and founder of the city, Ahmed Shah. He ruled the city for many years and constructed few key buildings and valuable infrastructure.

Ahmed Shah’s mosque was built in 1414 AD by Ahmed Shah. It is very ancient and holy place to pay the visit. There is a garden surrounded the mosque and it has become the famous tourist place in Ahmedabad. It is believed that the Ahmed Shah’s mosque was built on a Hindu temple. It has large prayer room or Mehrabs and separate prayer room for women, called Zananas.

Gujarat, the most developed state in the India, presently has become the hub for business houses. A techno-savvy infrastructure, profound highly educated and skilled workforce and trade- friendly government has played an important role in Ahmedabad to emerge as a strong alternative to build a business here.

In recent years, Gujarat is also emerging as a one of the best tourism option for not just in India, but throughout the world. The vibrant Navratri Festival and Kite Festival marketing has attracted tourists towards Gujarati Culture and traditions. Every year, countless tourists come from all over the world to the Gujarat which has several tourist destinations in the state.

The Dwarkadhish Temple, the Modhera Sun Temple, the Ranchhodrai Temple, the Ambaji Temple, the Somnath Temple and The Buddhist Caves are the prime holy religious tourist destinations which attracts people to visit Gujarat. The Asia’s only lion’s wildlife sanctuary is located in the Junagadh city. Also there is a hill station called the Saputara, which is considered as the heaven of Gujarat.

The main cities of the Gujarat are Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat. Ahmedabad, a largest and city in the Gujarat is also now considered as a metro city. It is known for its famous heritage sites all around the city. It is also rising as a financial capital of the Gujarat.

The hotel industry of Ahmedabad was not much in competitive edge, service oriented and customer-friendly before. But in the last ten years, it has made a paradigm shift due to the heavy sprint of the tourists and the interests of the business communities. The hotels in Ahmedabad have developed a more professional approach than never before. Now they have some finest infrastructure, more qualitative and comfortable rooms and some extraordinary interiors to offer to the people who expect better hospitality. They also started promotional activities and marketing strategies to get competitive advantages. In recent years, many top hotel groups of India started their hotel chains in the Ahmedabad. If we talk about financially  hotels in Ahmedabad, there are some good guest houses and hotels in the areas like Raipur, Shahibaug etc. The 3 star hotels in Ahmedabad are also well equipped with the latest technology and restaurants within the hotel premises.

One of the basic reasons why people are attracted towards Gujarat is that Gujarati people love guests. We can say that Guajaratis are the best hosts in the world. Gujarat has also better roads and strong transport facilities. The climate of the Ahmedabad is decent and people are very civilized here which makes this city tourist-attracting city of the Gujarat.

Makar Sankranti or Uttrayan is Gujarat’s most celebrated and most awaiting festival, especially in cities like Ahmedabad, Surat and Vadodara. The sky is filled with thousands of colorful patangs (kites) and earsplitting yells and shouts. The thread which is made with abrasives which make it strong enough to cut other strings. Kites are made light weighted papers.

In Gujarat, this festival lasts for two days i.e. 14th & 15th January as Uttrayan and Vaasi Uttrayan respectively. From the early morning, youngsters and kids, with their family, start gathering on their terraces with kites, threads and food especially Undhiyu( a cuisine backed by mix of all vegetables ) and Chikkis(a sweet made of Tal, peanuts and Jaggery).
In Makar Sankranti, People try to cut one another’s kites by powerful threads, they shout words like “kaipo chhe…, Lappet…, Phirki vent Phirki…” etc.
According to Hindu puranas (holy books) , On Makar Sankranti, God Sun, who is a sign of Knowledge, spiritual light and holy wisdom according to Hindu Religion, pays visit to his son Shani (Saturn) who is the father of Makar (Capricorn Zodiac Sign).
Makar Sankranti is celebrated throughout India with different names and traditions. In Tamil nadu, it is called Pongal. In Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana it is called Lohri, Khichdi and Maghi respectively. It is also celebrated in countries like Philippines, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.