If you are business traveller, you probably don’t get too excited about your hotel room. You might only be there for one or two nights and chances are you don’t even pull back the curtains. The room is a place toeat sleep, shower and change clothes.

But when it comes to holidays on the Gold Coast the circumstances are quite different. For a start, if you intend to stay in a 4 star plus Gold Coast resort or apartment you’ll be paying quite a lot of money. So the last thing you want is to find your apartment has not been refurbished since Adam was a boy and it’s on the ground floor with views only of the passing traffic. The holiday your family was so excited about has just gone pear shaped.

Every high season,when demand always exceeds supply, scenarios just like this are played out. Most reputable property managers will advise a potential guest when the only available accommodation is the one described above. But allocating available apartments is a juggling act for property managers. If you book into a new high rise because of its fantasic panoramic views, then find yourself on the third floor with ocean glimpses through the trees on the nature strip, then you are obviously going to be disappointed. But someone had to end up with the low level apartment, so how do you make sure its’ not you?

Nowdays, most apartments and resorts are booked online via a website. Bookings are often made through an online booking agent or a third party web site. You enter your dates, number of bedrooms required, check the availability and confirm the booking with your credit card details. The process is very simple and caters to the needs of the majority. BUT….. automated booking systems are designed to be just that.. automatic. They keep you at arms length from the reservations desk until the money has been paid.

When you receive confirmation of the booking, you’ll get the contact details for the front desk.  It’s a good idea to immediately call them and lodge your request for an apartment on a particular level, whether it be as high as possible for great views or as low as possible because of small children on balconies. Whatever your individual circumstances, it’s good practice to follow up directly with the property and clearly advise your needs and expectations.  

One other way to go about making your booking is to choose your preferred Gold Coast apartment property, then find their own website, call them and make the booking direct with the reservations desk. It makes for a much better experience when you can establish a rapport with a real person who is able to answer all of your questions BEFORE you book and who can add a note to your booking that gets seen and acted on when apartment allocations are done.

The bottom line is that if you just go online, make an automated booking and leave it at that, then the reservations desk has no way of knowing what’s important for you. Don’t expect the reservations desk to be able to find you an alternative apartment when you check in. During high season and school holiday periods there won’t be another apartment!