A few years ago we went to a cozy lodge to relax and read our books. However, the lights in the room were 40 watts, so not bright enough to read by, the phone at the nearby desk was ringing all the time, and the cozy fireplace in the lobby had a widescreen TV with 24 hour news going. So, on that trip, we thought "We could be doing this better at home."
Several years ago we stayed at Bangkok's Dusit Thani, where we had a suite with a luxurious livingroom. Back then we were paying about $50/night. The master bathroom tub was nearly big enough to swim in. The room service was actually on our floor at our beck & call... we'd come back from an afternoon shopping trip to find that the room had been picked up (for the second or third time that day) and the fruit bowl had been refilled. Free buffet breakfast every morning, including an omelette bar. All the other hotel amenities-- pool, gym, bars, restaurants, meeting facilities.
We decided that a suite works out way better for us because I can get up several hours earlier than everyone else and have a place in the living room (rather than the lobby) to sit with a cup of coffee and a laptop. If one of us wants an afternoon nap then everyone else can still watch TV or hang out without disturbing the sleeper.
So when my cousin had his wedding at Austin's downtown Omni Hotel, with special package pricing for the guests, I reserved a suite for me & spouse with a spare bedroom for our daughter. Through one comedy of errors after another (Seinfeld: "But I had a reservation!") we ended up being upgraded to the presidential suite: a 2BR/3BA 1400 sq ft apartment. Contents included three LCD TVs, a wet bar, armoires, bathrobes, king-size beds with two ZIP codes, artwork... almost embarrassingly over the top. It actually had a study between the livingroom and the bedroom, filled with built-in bookshelves and books. (Remember Reader's Digest "condensed books"?) Everything was ceramic tile, granite, dark wood, and leather. The entry "door" was a double-width door leading to an entryway leading to the livingroom. We had my cousin's entire clan hanging out in the livingroom with seating for 12. You had to use your room key in the elevator to get it to stop on your floor. The floor had its own central dining area with free breakfast and free happy-hour pupus.
The bad news was that we were one floor below the renovations which caused the reservation snafu. Lots of tile-jackhammer noise during the three days were were there.
As we're tried to rent suites (studio or 2BR) for family vacations over the years, we've noticed that many corporate apartments are competitively priced in cities-- even cheaper-- for a one-week stay. It can be hard to find the company but many VRBO listings are put up by these companies, or the apartment property manager has their contact info. Sometimes it's two entrepreneurs with cell phones, other times it's a company with a hundred apartment subleases scattered across a dozen complexes. The advantage is that you get a real apartment, fully furnished and with a functioning kitchen. You can get your own groceries when you arrive or (for an additional fee) ask the property mgt to stock the fridge. It's just a short-term apartment lease with all the comforts of home.
We're going to do something similar for all the relatives when our daughter graduates from college-- a place just a couple miles from campus, easy access to local restaurants, and a nice walking neighborhood.