Nice Hotels as we get older?

[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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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....

Nice to meet a fellow TSer!

[JustKickItForward]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euro 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euro 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by euro 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 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]

Quote:

Originally Posted by foxfirev5 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.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by athena53 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.

Having read often about the problems with third party reservations, I’ve gone to directly contacting the hotel. I’ll use something like trivago to get some leads and read reviews, but then I call the hotel directly. They usually offer the same or a better rate.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by explanade 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.

The hotels we stay in have the air conditioning setup on the outside wall, exchanging air directly from the outside.

We have been staying mostly at hotels that have full kitchens with large fridge, dishes, dishwasher, etc. These are usually suites with dining area. I’m talking about 1 night stays when traveling on the road. At the destination we use cabins or condos or houses.

[steady saver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

Thank you Audrey and TripleLindy...it sounds lovely. I'm going to look into that!

[MRG]

DW and I frequently look back when we are staying at a nice place. Our honeymoon was in a tiny cabin on the shore of Seneca lake with a $3 frozen pizza and a 6 pack of Genesee. A couple years later we went on vacation and the way home we had $13 between the two of us and had to spend a night. We found a place for $3. It wasn't very nice.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by steady saver Thank you Audrey and TripleLindy...it sounds lovely. I'm going to look into that!

Staying there makes you feel like a tycoon from New England circa 1900 come out to explore the Wild West in luxury.