When you go on vacation or a business trip and need to stay at a hotel, you want that experience to be as positive and effortless as possible. And now with the help of online reviews, it's a little easier to predict what you will be walking into when you get to the hotel or rental. But that certainly is not a guarantee. If you're having some issues with your hotel stay than here are some tips for filing a complaint.

Make sure you know exactly what you're complaining about and don't feel that you need to exaggerate. If it's something that you can see than you might want to take a picture with your phone or digital camera to help with your complaint. If you have an issue with the people staying in the room next door while you're staying in a condo rental and you might not be able to show management what the problem is when the time comes, than you should be specific about what your issue is so that you can describe it to them in detail.

Before you approach management, you should know what you're expecting from them in terms of a realistic solution. You're unlikely to have your entire stay be made complimentary for one issue. If you're staying in oceanfront cottages for example, and you can see that all of the other cottages are rented than you're also unlikely to be moved to another unit. Make sure that you complain the moment you can, so that the staff has some time to fix the problem for you.

Remain calm and make sure you're complaining to the right person. The people that you are usually dealing with when you're checking in are not generally those with the power to help you when you have a major problem. If there is an issue with the furnace needing repair, the young lady who handed you the key to your room will not be fixing it. There should always be a manager on duty that you can speak to. You should attempt to stay as patient as possible during the process of complaining. And once you are talking to the right person you should be a persistent as possible.

Be flexible about what they are offering you as a solution. While you should have something in mind that's fair, they might have a completely different suggestion that could also work. Perhaps instead of offering you a different room, they are able to comp you on a number of different amenities. This could enhance your experience at the hotel and would be better than leaving empty-handed. If you can't get the problem resolved while you're staying in the hotel, than you can also address it once you get home.