Will you spend on hotels?

[flyingaway]

Stayed three nights in Houston due to winter storm and flight cancelations, we are very satisfied with two Holiday Inn Express hotels. Large rooms, free parking, free breakfast, 24 hour coffees, for around $100 per night. For private travels, I don't care if a hotel has a big lobby with a piano or a large conference room. I just want things that I actually need.

 

[flyingaway]

Yeah. I've never considered checking for a private bathroom, but it would certainly be at the top of my list.

Many budget hotels in Europe do not have private bathrooms. Adding private bathrooms or air-conditioning is about $50 each.

 

[bluelight]

My go-to site is Booking.com.
Oddly enough, prices are sometimes lower on my phone than on my laptop.
I spend most of my time hunting for great deals. My must-haves are free parking, breakfast, a private shower and toilet, and AC. I strongly prefer smaller hotels and B&Bs with a personal touch, and the rating has to be high, ideally 8.5–9 or above.
Bottom line: I want everything at the lowest possible price.

My daughter had her VPN on her phone set to Netherlands and when we were looking at hotels in Haarlem her phone came up with a lower price.

 

[audreyh1]

My daughter had her VPN on her phone set to Netherlands and when we were looking at hotels in Haarlem her phone came up with a lower price.

I always book my European hotels in Euros. I assume you were comparing that?

 

[reneeh63]

Good hotel rates obviously allow your travel budget to stretch further but depending on the type of trip I'm taking, the ambience of the room and a great view are definitely bonuses I'll consider. When I come back to the room after a long day I don't want it to be dingy and dark - I want real comfort and I want it to be a treat to look out the window with a great view of either the city or of nature.

That way I'm not rushing to get out of my room because it's a view of another building, parking lot, or back alley. And it can be nice to relax in the hotel bar or lobby between outings too. If you don't consider those to be amenities then use your money on whatever else you enjoy, of course.

 

[bluelight]

I always book my European hotels in Euros. I assume you were comparing that?

I don't know. We ended up booking the hotel through AARP. The total price was less on her phone with VPN than looking at the AARP site on my computer. We also did the pay now option which lowered it further.

 

[anothercog]

This thread, plus the business class flight thread is really testing whether I feel ready to pull the plug or should I work for few more years so I can enjoy more upgraded travel. Lots of trade offs.

 

[FD1000]

I don't want it to be dingy and dark.

You look at the extreme. There is a huge gap between dingy and good. Booking.com allowed me to find great, less expensive hotels.

I'm not rushing to get out of my room because it's a view of another building, parking lot, or back alley

First, I never rush. I plan everything.
Second, when we go on vacation, we do a lot. That’s how we enjoy ourselves.
Third, we love discovering small, underrated restaurants and cafés, places run by proud locals that are far cheaper and better than the famous, crowded spots. This is where Google really shines.

A true story from years ago:
I was sitting in a jacuzzi with just one other guy. We started talking, and he told me he was a chef. Naturally, I asked about the food he makes. We spent about 30 minutes discussing complex, high-end dishes.
Then I asked him what he actually loves to eat.
He said, "Fresh bread from a bakery with some cheese on it."
I laughed and said, “I love that too, so what’s all that BS about being a chef?”
Sometimes the simplest food really is the best.

 

[SecondAttempt]

Hotels are one area of travel where I splurge...sort of. I personally have found that you get a lot of extra perks when you are premium level, or buy into it. I'm lifelime platinum with Marriott and that gets us premium rooms plus lounge access which is often a good substitute for a dinner. I ger IHG platinum status which gets us upgrades. But I will often pay for upgrades at independent hotels.

For me personally, several days of comfort are better than a few hours of first class. But that's a personal opinion.

I almost never pay for first class air travel and usually only pay for economy plus unless it's getting reimburse by credit card or airline status.

 

[explanade]

Most I've spent is about $300-400 a night all-in. It was for a room with a view in Singapore and fancy breakfast buffet included.

One surprise was I got some Accor points and I used that to save on another trip.

Hotels or accommodations will affect where I choose to go. For instance, I haven't been back to Hawaii because lodging prices have gotten out of hand with all the fees and the taxes on top of ridiculous rates.

When you look at some of these properties, they're nothing special, very dated hotel to condo conversions looking at least 30-40 years old and they want $400-500 a night or more for them.

A couple of years ago, there were problems with rental cars after the pandemic, with rates around $200 a day.

I spent more to fly elsewhere, probably ended up spending about the same as I would have spent in Hawaii but don't want to give them business.

Only other place where I had a similar reaction to rates was Banff, again quoting well over $300-400 for what looked like motels.

 

[CO-guy]

I find it interesting when people's "must haves" include free parking and free breakfast. To me, these are just amenities that are either wrapped up into the price of the room, or broken out separately.

Particularly at the low end of the price range, these "freebies" are often used to entice people to stay somewhere that's otherwise a bit more run down or out of the way compared to comparably priced hotels, IMO. Further, since folks aren't expecting much at that low-end, the reviews can appear quite favorable in spite of excessive road or hallway noise, worn out mattresses, noisy HVACs, or poor water pressure, just to give a few examples. So my experiences may not be consistent with the high review scores.

Further, that free breakfast might not be worth much compared to enjoying a proper breakfast meal. For example, we're generally brand loyal to Hyatt and I will often opt to stay at a Regency rather than a House/Place where breakfast is included if prices are similar. Regency properties have nicer beds and linens, better sound proofing and overall better service. Plus, as a Globalist I can sit down at the hotel restaurant and order a proper breakfast off the menu rather than tripping over children trying to find something to eat at some skimpy "free" buffet. YMMV

 

[audreyh1]

^^^Agreed.

Certain US chains consistently offer free breakfast at their hotels, and we never count that as appealing because to us the breakfasts offered are usually marginal quality and very carb heavy. In fact we prefer to stay at hotels where breakfast is extra because you can usually at least get a decent made to order omelette. In Europe the breakfasts (usually extra but you can include when you reserve your lodging) are usually a very high quality and extensive buffet spread including hot eggs to order. For us that’s perfect because we often get by with the large breakfast and only one other main meal, similar to our pattern back home. And the last thing we want to do during a busy travel day is to go out for breakfast.

So for my Europe hotel I look for reviews that say the breakfasts buffet is great.

 

[athena53]

I'm lifetime platinum with Marriott and that gets us premium rooms plus lounge access which is often a good substitute for a dinner.

I LOVE good hotel lounges. I use mostly Hilton, only Gold status from the credit card, and sadly Hilton lounges are a joke or nonexistent in the US. I remember a "joke" version years ago- maybe Seattle? It was clearly a regular room that had had the furniture replaced to make it a sitting area and the offerings were coffee, soft drinks and chips. Pitiful.

I WILL pay extra for a room with lounge access in Europe. The one in Malta was spectacular- balconies on the Aegean and good food and drink. For me it was a breakfast AND dinner substitute.

 

[RetiredHappy]

We almost always stay at Marriott's and Westin's 4 star and upwards hotels. I get free buffet or sitdown breakfast with my status. The buffets are not like the low end ones you get from Residence Inn. The Westins are always sit down full breakfasts that you order off the menu. Gritti Palace in Venice had a very nice buffet spread with full table service, right by the canal. In Asia, the free breakfasts at Marriott family of hotels are simply amazing, not to mention the included lounge where you essentially get food and drinks all day.

 

[audreyh1]

I think the worst “included” breakfast offerings I’ve ever seen have been at a Residence Inn, very few offerings and the “hot” food was cold. Fortunately on those stays we were able to make our own in the kitchen. One time in Colorado we got the brilliant idea to include our leftover Indian food as part of our breakfast.

 

[disneysteve]

I find it interesting when people's "must haves" include free parking and free breakfast. To me, these are just amenities that are either wrapped up into the price of the room, or broken out separately.

I would disagree. I've always found it baffling that the less costly hotels include breakfast and parking while the more expensive ones charge extra for those things. The same for WiFi.

I'll take a Fairfield Inn with parking and breakfast included for $100/night over a Marriott where parking is $40/day and breakfast costs $50 for the 2 of us and it's $250/night.

 

[disneysteve]

I think the worst “included” breakfast offerings I’ve ever seen have been at a Residence Inn, very few offerings and the “hot” food was cold.

We stay at Residence Inn often and have never encountered that. I would have brought it to the staff's attention if the hot food was cold.

 

[audreyh1]

We stay at Residence Inn often and have never encountered that. I would have brought it to the staff's attention if the hot food was cold.

This happened at two different locations so I thought it was typical.

 

[CO-guy]

I would disagree. I've always found it baffling that the less costly hotels include breakfast and parking while the more expensive ones charge extra for those things. The same for WiFi.

I'll take a Fairfield Inn with parking and breakfast included for $100/night over a Marriott where parking is $40/day and breakfast costs $50 for the 2 of us and it's $250/night.

At those price points, I would go with the Fairfield as well. I was more referring to people limiting their searches by these two criteria. Why not look at all options and decide for yourself whether those "free" amenities are worth the price?

I think the worst “included” breakfast offerings I’ve ever seen have been at a Residence Inn, very few offerings and the “hot” food was cold. Fortunately on those stays we were able to make our own in the kitchen. One time in Colorado we got the brilliant idea to include our leftover Indian food as part of our breakfast.

I've seen quite the pitiful buffets at roadside hotels and motels offering "free breakfast." A few loaves of generic bread, generic donuts, generic jelly, powdered creamer and a gallon of "orange-drink" along with a drip coffee maker. Technically, a breakfast.

So for my Europe hotel I look for reviews that say the breakfasts buffet is great.

We spent a month in Italy last summer and stayed at a mix of places. Most included some sort of breakfast. At some B&Bs you'd just let the host know what time you wanted breakfast and they would prepare a lavish spread full of locally sourced products. At other places, you'd be directed to a nearby cafe for the included breakfast.

A few were more "self-catering" without a breakfast option, and so we would simply go to a nearby cafe for breakfast. In those cases, the location, aesthetics, price or other factors mattered more than the $4-5/pp to get breakfast in a cafe. Same with parking. Some B&Bs in small medieval towns didn't offer "free parking" but nearby public parking was $2-3/day at most and many times it was free. Filtering a search for only places with free parking would have missed some of those amazing hotels in historic town cores.

 

[disneysteve]

This happened at two different locations so I thought it was typical.

It definitely isn’t typical. That’s a shame.

 

[reneeh63]

You look at the extreme. There is a huge gap between dingy and good. Booking.com allowed me to find great, less expensive hotels.

First, I never rush. I plan everything.
Second, when we go on vacation, we do a lot. That’s how we enjoy ourselves.
Third, we love discovering small, underrated restaurants and cafés, places run by proud locals that are far cheaper and better than the famous, crowded spots. This is where Google really shines.

A true story from years ago:
I was sitting in a jacuzzi with just one other guy. We started talking, and he told me he was a chef. Naturally, I asked about the food he makes. We spent about 30 minutes discussing complex, high-end dishes.
Then I asked him what he actually loves to eat.
He said, "Fresh bread from a bakery with some cheese on it."
I laughed and said, “I love that too, so what’s all that BS about being a chef?”
Sometimes the simplest food really is the best.

Sorry - you're taking me too literally but of course you don't know me. Maybe I should say that I look for value and I find nice surroundings to be valuable. We don't cram every minute with activity, neither do we hole up in our hotel room. But when we're there, I want to feel a bit pampered and have a nice view. Don't worry, I'm not overlooking those 'underrated jewels' - neither am I short-changing a relaxing experience in nice surroundings. Let's just say I'm a well-rounded traveler and don't feel I have to scimp on one thing to justify spending on another. We all value different things and I'm not willing to overly sacrifice on a room.

On the other hand, finding good food is much harder - too many people with poor taste ooh-ing and aah-ing over truly mediocre food in their reviews. But we're talking about hotel rooms, so I digress.

 

[FD1000]

Everyone has their own preferences. Money never bought me happiness, only comfort and a sense of safety. The more I have, the more I spend, but I never overdo it.
My portfolio is up close to $100K YTD. I could easily double what I spend on hotels, but I won’t.
Here’s a simple example. We’re staying in a small town in Greece. I found a solid hotel for $156 with an 8.5 rating on Booking.com. Just a 10-minute walk away, I found a fully equipped apartment for $75. It’s four times the size and has a 9.2 rating. No lobby, no bar, and I couldn’t care less. I know the owner will be there when I show up. I will get great advice and a personal touch, and that's exactly what I'm looking for.
If I really want a bar, I can walk 10 minutes to the hotel, but I’m confident the local restaurants will have better food at a much lower price.
That’s what I’m looking for: value. There’s plenty of supply, and with a little effort, you can find much better deals.
The internet made most things easier and accessible with just a click.

 

[mcdave]

Just to show that not everyone on here is rich I will include my lodging. I haven't been on any trips the last couple years to keep my expenses down but when I did travel or if I do in the near future my level of hotel would be the under $100/night category if at all possible. I'm fine with Motel 6 but try to stay at Wyndham brand since I have their rewards card. That would be places like Super 8, Days inn and Ramada. A Holiday Inn would be a treat and very rare. I'm almost always a solo traveler. I have stayed at extended stay hotels for under $500/wk. That worked out well

I agree about the 100 per night! That has long been our threshold too. Recently our "special" place Canal Park on the shore of Lake superior in Duluth MN. has seen our lakeside rooms off peak climb to 130 which we are happy to get because peak rates these rooms easily go for 200-250. one of the benefits of being retired!

 

[meleana]

I hate hotel rooms. If we are staying somewhere more than one or two nights I get a condo preferably at a resort.

 

[disneysteve]

We spent a few days in Philadelphia this week. I booked a standard king room (~200 sq ft) for about $220/nt. As a Platinum Elite member at Marriott I got a free upgrade to the Marquis suite (~700 sq ft) which would run $700-800/nt. It was very nice to have the extra space and definitely made our stay more comfortable. But would I book that suite again if I had to pay for it? Nope.