Nice Hotels as we get older?

[wildsun]

Another topic got me thinking that one of the ways I BTD is to upgrade the quality of the hotels I stay at when I travel. In younger days I mostly camped. If I needed a hotel, I found a room at the very inexpensive places - Motel 6, Econo Lodge and Super 8, etc.

For decades when I traveled my preferences has been vacation rentals, since long before VRBO and AirBnB and the other big listing sites were formed. Reasons?

o When traveling with kids or extended family, its almost always the cheaper option, unless you want to jam 4 or people into one hotel room. Even when traveling as a couple they are still often a less expensive option.

o When traveling for work, I like the solitude of a small rental, compared to the dispirited vibe of many of the lower cost hotel chains.

o If you are traveling in some parts of the country, VRs are often the ONLY decent lodging option.

o The properties are often unique in terms of structure, location, amenities, etc.

o I find I often have more options to interact with local people in an area that I am staying

o In most cases individual property owners care more about your experience, know more about the area, and freely share. In one place that I've never forgotten, when I booked a VR for the family and the kids were very young - the owner grilled me about the kids and what they like. "Ducks" were the current wonderful thing for the kids at the time, and when we got to the rental, there were kids books on ducks, duck toys, duck blankets, etc. You get the idea.

20 years ago when I had some money to invest, I bought 2 vacation rentals as investments, and applied all of past good and bad experiences at vacation rentals to how I managed them. Its been a great investment, but also lots of fun hosting 50-60 couples or families each year in an absolutely beautiful location on the Pacific Ocean in Oregon.

20 years later there are a lot more vacation rentals to choose from, and every year more and more people choose VRs over hotel rooms. You can find them anywhere in the world.

With that said, the quality of VRs vary greatly. Its a good idea to ask lots of questions. Get a feel for what the property is like, and get a feel for how engaged the owners are in making sure you have a good experience at their property(s). Not everyone wants to have a "unique" experience, compared to the more utilitarian motel/hotel option.

 

[athena53]

For decades when I traveled my preferences has been vacation rentals, since long before VRBO and AirBnB and the other big listing sites were formed. Reasons?

o When traveling with kids or extended family, it' almost always the cheaper option, unless you want to jam 4 or people into one hotel room. Even when traveling as a couple they are still often a less expensive option.
<snip>

My family always rented large houses on the Outer Banks- with 5 kids it was way cheaper than staying in a hotel or motel and having meals in restaurants I still remember one that had a ton of back issues of Reader's Digest and Town and Country. I read most of them!

I've used Airbnb on a few trips and my main observation is never to assume anything is provided when it's not listed or pictured. The last place I stayed in Munich was a lovely studio apartment that I don't think had A/C. Not an issue in May but last month it might have been. A place I rented on Edinburgh lacked a microwave, a coffeemaker (except a French press) and any paid TV programming (I used my Netflix account). No waste baskets, either- you have to tote your trash out to the dumpster. Still, I've been happy with them for longer stays when the cost of a hotel can get prohibitive.

 

[euro]

We bring lunches and snacks too but by supper we want a real meal. If we were worried about covid we wouldn't take trips to begin with.

Well, of course, not taking the trip is always an option but that is not always feasible. IT isn't really a black and white issue anymore. Rather, it is about managing risk and risk tolerance. We do accept some risk (we stay at a hotel), but in general, we try to minimize it. Restaurant meals, to us, do not justify the risk, but I understand that it is a personal decision. We do tend to stay on the "better safe than sorry" side of things. We still ALWAYS wear masks in indoor public spaces, grocery stores, etc. We are well aware that the majority of people do not.

 

[mpeirce]

Is there any significant difference in the properties offered by AirBnB and VRBO? Or are they just two variations on the same theme?

 

[travelover]

Is there any significant difference in the properties offered by AirBnB and VRBO? Or are they just two variations on the same theme?

Often the same property is listed on both.

 

[marko]

Is there any significant difference in the properties offered by AirBnB and VRBO? Or are they just two variations on the same theme?

IIRC, vrbo only lists stand alone homes. No condos or owner occupied, single room sort of things. You rent the entire house.

 

[audreyh1]

IIRC, vrbo only lists stand alone homes. No condos or owner occupied, single room sort of things. You rent the entire house.

VRBO does list condos.

We found condos via VRBO.

 

[disneysteve]

IIRC, vrbo only lists stand alone homes. No condos or owner occupied, single room sort of things. You rent the entire house.

We’ve rented condos from VRBO many times.

 

[rodi]

I just booked 2 apartment/condos in Italy - one on airbnb, one on vrbo.

I don't think vrbo does rooms in homes, though... and airbnb does. (Although most rentals are for whole home, now.)

 

[marko]

VRBO does list condos.

We found condos via VRBO.

We’ve rented condos from VRBO many times.

I just booked 2 apartment/condos in Italy - one on airbnb, one on vrbo.

I don't think vrbo does rooms in homes, though... and airbnb does. (Although most rentals are for whole home, now.)

OK. I take it back! Now remember that we had a 5 bedroom condo through vrbo in Barcelona. Again though, I don’t think they rent a single room in an owner occupied house, just the whole house. But I could be wrong about that too.

 

[TripleLindy]

We’re big VRBO fans and have been for years. Had a great trip to Maui for the whole family in May and rented a 4 bed/4 bath condo on Kaanapali beach. Never tried airbnb, as some rentals on there are single rooms inside a house or condo. I’m sure there are many full units available - we’ve just never tried it.

We avoid Motel 6 and similar chains. DW doesn’t feel safe in them and cleanliness is a concern. We’ll opt for something like Hilton Garden Inn or Marriott Springhill Suites when we’re just looking for a decent room. We can usually find them for around $150/night.

We’ll opt for luxury if warranted by the setting. We’re heading to the Grand Tetons next week and are staying at the Jenny Lake Lodge. While not “luxury”, the cabins are gorgeous and rate includes breakfast and dinner at a AAA four diamond restaurant. All at the base of the Grand Tetons. Yes, it’s very pricey, but that’s why I worked for more than 30 years.

 

[OnTheBeach]

As I have gotten older and my net worth has increased, I have upgraded several of my discretionary spending items. I am recently retired and I keep my spending to 3% of my net worth. As my net worth has increased - My budget allows for more travel and staying at nicer hotels and eating at high end restaurants.

 

[audreyh1]

Jenny Lake Lodge definitely counts as luxury. Really nice cabins, lovely location and the dinners are to die for! Also convenient to the ferry that takes you to the best hiking trails across the lake.

I’ve been wanting to go back.

 

[cyber888]

We own a 3-bedroom timeshare for more than 20 years, so we are able to exchange it for up to 4 weeks a year (6-7 night stays each) in other timeshares around the US and the world, and we have stayed at 2-3 bedroom suites like a 5-star Marriot resort. We have been able to stay at a couple of 3 bedroom oceanfront penthouses at the top floor, and it's just my wife and I. The exchange cost us only $200+ for an entire week, and when we look at the Penthouse room rate, it says $2000-$3000 per night (so that's like $14,000-$21,000 for a week stay). We're able to exchange usually in the off-season, and these are high rates at the peak season, so it's just shocking to see these ridiculous high rates. Many timeshares are located in oceanfront areas.

In areas where there are no timeshares (in the mountains), we use VBRO, Homeway, etc .. to rent a cabin or cottage. You can get a discount if you book near the date, or they have a cancellation. However, Colorado and Utah has many timeshare exchange with great views of the mountains.

 

[TripleLindy]

Jenny Lake Lodge definitely counts as luxury. Really nice cabins, lovely location and the dinners are to die for! Also convenient to the ferry that takes you to the best hiking trails across the lake.

I’ve been wanting to go back.

This is our first trip back since 2019. We had decided then that it would be an annual destination, but COVID got in the way. We absolutely love Jenny Lake Lodge!

 

[JustKickItForward]

Continuing with timeshare/condos

I got tired of the nice hotels really quick with business travels early on.

Before we got married, we did our fair share of cheap camp grounds and Motel 6s. We then discovered timeshares and have been staying in them for a majority of our travels for quite a while from before we got married, then with the kids, and now preparing for being empty nesters. Simply put, we love having the extra space with included amenities (pools, gyms, spas, etc) and kitchen and outdoor grills where I can enjoy home cooked meals. We just purchased additional time as we get close to finishing the final stages of our FIRE transition because we anticipate more travels in the near horizon. We own time in two large systems so the network is extensive, and quality is pretty decent. We do the occasional hotel stays but that's far in between.

 

[JustKickItForward]

We own a 3-bedroom timeshare for more than 20 years, so we are able to exchange it for up to 4 weeks a year (6-7 night stays each) in other timeshares around the US and the world, and we have stayed at 2-3 bedroom suites like a 5-star Marriot resort....

Nice to meet a fellow TSer!

 

[JustKickItForward]

Well, of course, not taking the trip is always an option but that is not always feasible. IT isn't really a black and white issue anymore. Rather, it is about managing risk and risk tolerance. We do accept some risk (we stay at a hotel), but in general, we try to minimize it. Restaurant meals, to us, do not justify the risk, but I understand that it is a personal decision. We do tend to stay on the "better safe than sorry" side of things. We still ALWAYS wear masks in indoor public spaces, grocery stores, etc. We are well aware that the majority of people do not.

Better safe than dead. Travel safe!

 

[audreyh1]

Well, of course, not taking the trip is always an option but that is not always feasible. IT isn't really a black and white issue anymore. Rather, it is about managing risk and risk tolerance. We do accept some risk (we stay at a hotel), but in general, we try to minimize it. Restaurant meals, to us, do not justify the risk, but I understand that it is a personal decision. We do tend to stay on the "better safe than sorry" side of things. We still ALWAYS wear masks in indoor public spaces, grocery stores, etc. We are well aware that the majority of people do not.

Yep - here too. Don’t eat indoors in public. Mask in indoor public spaces.

Hotels don’t concern us. We use contactless check-in whenever we can and give the room a good airing out with fan/ac before removing masks. And we’ve been using standalone housing at destinations - cabins, etc.

We’re fine with road tripping this way so far, carrying our own food.

 

[athena53]

It isn't really a black and white issue anymore. Rather, it is about managing risk and risk tolerance. We do accept some risk (we stay at a hotel), but in general, we try to minimize it. Restaurant meals, to us, do not justify the risk, but I understand that it is a personal decision. We do tend to stay on the "better safe than sorry" side of things. We still ALWAYS wear masks in indoor public spaces, grocery stores, etc. We are well aware that the majority of people do not.

Sometime in 2020, Hilton offered me Diamond status if I stayed 10 nights that year. (I already had lifetime Gold status.) I made it- between trips to SC to visit family (overnight each way) and road trips with a friend. I did a lot of takeout and grocery-store meals on the solo trips, masked everywhere indoors, refused to make purchases at convenience stores that posted mask mandates but ignored them (and told them why). We've walked out of restaurants that were way too crowded. Thanks to vaccinations, precautions and luck (and/or the grace of God), nether of us had COVID as far as we know.

I agree that at this point it's a matter of risk management depending partly on your own health vulnerabilities. Hotels seem OK although my granddaughters and I avoided the dining area of the Hilton Des Moines last year when they hosted a large business gathering- eating, drinking, no masks.

 

[FlaMariner]

Was a road warrior for a few years and climbed the Marriott points ladder so we stick with them and their different brands based on the travel situation.

We do find that a hotel room or hotel lobby is not the interesting part of any of our travels so even if we are at a "destination", a clean hotel room at a decent price (which means usually the lower Marriott properties....Fairfield, Spring Hill, etc.) will do fine because we are touring and experiencing where we are...and the hotel room needs to be a quiet, clean place to sleep and the Marriott folks do know how to clean a room, etc.

 

[explanade]

Hotels don’t concern us. We use contactless check-in whenever we can and give the room a good airing out with fan/ac before removing masks. And we’ve been using standalone housing at destinations - cabins, etc.

Wonder about hotels because if ventilation systems are shared, it could be circulating air from other rooms.

You wouldn't think so because you'd smell odors in that case.

You can't always open windows either.

That is why I wonder if there wouldn't be an advantage with Airbnbs, which even in a high-rise building would be individual apartments with individual AC for instance, though you prefer amenities like housekeeping, breakfast -- though breakfast would be in a shared indoor space.


To avoid indoor dining, you can take out but hotel rooms are not as good for takeout whereas a vacation apt. would likely have a big fridge, some utensils and plates, cups and a table on which to eat meals.

 

[foxfirev5]

Sometime in 2020, Hilton offered me Diamond status if I stayed 10 nights that year. (I already had lifetime Gold status.) I made it- between trips to SC to visit family (overnight each way) and road trips with a friend. I did a lot of takeout and grocery-store meals on the solo trips, masked everywhere indoors, refused to make purchases at convenience stores that posted mask mandates but ignored them (and told them why). We've walked out of restaurants that were way too crowded. Thanks to vaccinations, precautions and luck (and/or the grace of God), nether of us had COVID as far as we know.

I agree that at this point it's a matter of risk management depending partly on your own health vulnerabilities. Hotels seem OK although my granddaughters and I avoided the dining area of the Hilton Des Moines last year when they hosted a large business gathering- eating, drinking, no masks.

Nice. It is a good deal for you at Hilton. Personally I seen my long term relationship with the chain degrade to nearly nothing. 3000+ nights and lifetime Diamond are meaningless since Covid. The old vacation stays on points have been inflated to unattainable levels. Furthermore the chains prices are no longer competitive for cash stays.

We've gone local and are staying at much higher level accommodations for better prices. I'll keep an open mind but DW does this daily and the trend supports active shopping and brand loyalty is costly.

BTW, we never use a booking site and only contact the property or chain directly.

 

[lajolla]

It really depends on the kind of vacation you are doing which hotels you choose. If the highlight of the vacation is the hotel and the amenities they offer then I would definitely want to best I could afford.

We do a couple of big ski road trips around the west every winter. We look for clean hotels that are close to areas we plan to ski in and that have restaurants and bars or breweries within walking distance. We don't need 5 star accommodations when we are just sleeping in a room for the night. Last winter we stayed a few nights at the Best Western in Dillion, Colorado while we skied at Copper Mountain. The hotel was a ten minute drive to the ski slopes and had everything we needed. The beds were very comfy, they had lockers for our skis and a complimentary breakfast each morning. We could walk to several restaurants and a great brewery after skiing all day.

 

[athena53]

Nice. It is a good deal for you at Hilton. Personally I've seen my long term relationship with the chain degrade to nearly nothing. 3000+ nights and lifetime Diamond are meaningless since Covid. The old vacation stays on points have been inflated to unattainable levels. Furthermore the chain's prices are no longer competitive for cash stays.

BTW, we never use a booking site and only contact the property or chain directly.

Yes, redemption rates for some of the prime properties in Europe are unconscionable. They allow hotels to offer only "junior suites" (whatever that means) for awards and then ask 300,000 points per night in Paris. Nope. I did well on my recent nights at a Hilton Garden Inn very convenient to Heathrow (50,000 points for a room that's GBP 215 on a weeknight a month from now) but I'm careful about where I use them for that reason.

The imbedded cost of loyalty programs becomes visible when you book through a discounter or you're part of a tour group. No points awarded. I asked at the Sheraton Zagreb where the tour group stayed. Nope.

I agree with you, though- every time I've run into an issue with a hotel reservation it was because I went through a third party, even one of the more reputable ones.