"Affordable" has no meaning
 

Neither does "reasonable" or "not too expensive".

Please - anyone who is looking for a budget or superbudget property - provide 2 pieces of information:

Actual amount of money per night and what currency you are talking about

What type of accommodation you expect (Will you consider a dorm room in a hostel, convent or room in university housing? What are you willing to give up to get this great price - private bath? elevator? central location? breakfast included?)

People travel at all different levels, and people who have not been to europe before may not be familiar with price points (versus what they are used to at home - which may be a brand new motel out by the interstate with 2 queen size beds, AC and full free breakfast for $59 per night)

Please, do allow us to help you by providing at least a clue as to what you can pay and what you expect for it.

But is it worth it?

Affordable cannot always be defined by exact numbers.

I really think this is vital.

I see lots of requests on here for "budget" accomdations with responses in the several hundred $$ a night. To me that's not budget, but if you normally spend one thousand dollars a night, $500 maybe "slumming"

A specfic budget is KEY to getting useful responses. (And even then some posters will respond with thier "stock" hotels regardless :) )

I like to compare locations and recommendations of hotels, then look at their rates as one of the deciding factors. That's why I could never post an "affordable" monetary rate because I like to be flexible.

schuler - so you're price-insensitive - so just say so up front.

nytraveler & CarolA - so agree - last year people kept writing about great deals on New York hotels - but even at half price they were still out of my price range! (I stayed at the Jane for $99/night with a shared bathroom...)

No, that's your assessment. I just like to compare and pick the hotel that best suits my needs and feels like good quality for the price and location.

schuler - that works because you have some knowledge of your destinations or European travel in general. But so often someone will ask for a 'reasonable' hotel, we ask for clarification, they come back w/ "<i>not too expensive -maybe mid-priced</i>", :-! , so we ask again "what is your budget??" and they come back "<i>a triple w/ bath for $75-$100</i>, :-@

Yes, give us the info up front . . .

After all, $500 per night is affordable for someone . . .

right on!

"Inexpensive" doesn't mean much, either.

I do not usually state the prices as affordable or inexpensive, I just give them in whatever currency I happen to know them in. Sometimes it's euros, sometimes dollars, or in Norway and Sweden it was in their local currency. Let the reader decide if it's cheap, affordable or whatever.

My personal peeve is the claim that a car lease is worthwhile when no dollar amount is given. For example, a Renault Twingo will cost $959 for a 17 day lease. I got a VW 4-door Polo for 30 days for $726. That differential makes it worthwhile for me to carry the price of potential repairs until reimbursed by my credit card company.

I would add that asking for recommendations for hotel recommendations by star rating is also meaningless. Not only do the number of stars not equate to degrees of luxury, the ratings are not equivalent between countries or even necessarily between regions in the same country. In some places, taxes are levied based on the number of stars, so hotels there do everything to limit the number of stars. In some places, very small hotels (say, 5-6 rooms) receive no stars no matter how luxurious, well-appointed, overly staffed they may be.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...-star-bummer/1

http://goeurope.about.com/cs/hotels/a/hotel_stars.htm

I think the post makes an excellent point. People can make their own comparisons and evaluate the details later, but a price (or price range) in the local currency with any 'must haves' makes helpful recommendations possible.

NYTraveler: Amen.

I will third that. It is essential to know the price range the OP is looking for.

On the other side of this coin, I have seen posters ask for a very specific price range, and a few answers will always come back that are cost far beyond the named figure.

Q: "Please recommend a nice, clean Paris hotel for up to $200 USD per night."

A: "We loved the Hotel de Aubusson."

Yeah, well I would love it too, especially if you can tell me how to get it for less than 200 bucks.

Brava nytraveler! Now, while we're at it, could we get them to at least tell us what they like to do when they ask, what should I do?

I've got ideas about what they should do but it could get me suspended from the site. :)

But LSky, would it be worth it?

Just barely. :D

LOL, LSky, quite some years ago a poster started a thread about going somewhere in Europe for their honeymoon, I don't remember where, and asked "what activities do you think we would enjoy while on our honeymoon?" or something along that line. I think more than one Fodorite probably dribbled coffee or wine on their keyboard!