Google Maps

When trying to decide on a hotel, I always read reviews, go through the hotel's website, and look for articles written about the hotel.  This can give you a pretty good idea of what a hotel is like.  But what about the neighborhood?  Just enter the address of the hotel into Google Maps, then select street view.  This is especially helpful when staying in a big city.  It gives you a great view of what the area around the hotel is like.  You can even look up and down the neighboring streets to get a better idea of the area.

For example, look up one of my favorite hotels in Paris, Hotel Bellechasse, and you will see the view above.  You can see that the hotel is on a quaint, adorable, narrow street.  There are people walking by, but there shouldn't be much street noise.  And if you move around to see the surrounding streets you will see that it is in a great neighborhood with cute shops and very Parisian cafes.  A perfect base for a wonderful stay in Paris!