Sheryl

My husband and I will be in Rome and Venice this spring and are deciding on where to stay. We're looking for a clean room between $100-$200 per night and will most likely stay in an americanized chain - mostly because we are leery of smaller hotels that we know nothing about, it is our first major trip out of the country, and my husband has hotel card points. Can anyone tell me about the Comfort Inn/Sheraton/Crowne Plaza/Holiday Inn/etc.? Are these hotels in safe areas? How convenient are they to the tourist sites? Any help would be appreciated - thanks in advance!

curt

Well Sheryl, you really should not be afraid of the small hotels, especially if you follow suggestions you find on these message boards. By staying in the smaller hotels you get a better taste of the local culture. Granted, the smaller hotels are NOT your typical chain and the rooms may be small and the bathrooms not plush, but that is part of the adventure. Often when you stay in the American chains you can not tell you have ever left the USA. All in what you want of course. I suggest that you visit the web sites of the chains and see what they have in each city. They usually have a map on the site that will give you an idea where the hotel is located. You will find that sometimes the chains tend to be located out of the city center but not always. You might also consider looking at Marriott which has hotels all over the world. Good luck.

elaine

Sheryl<BR>Some small and quaint hotels in Europe are members of chains like Comfort Inn, Best Western, etc. They are individually owned and operated, so there are no assumptions you can necessarily make about either their charm, the size of their rooms, or their amenities. It's the gov't ratings, web sites, and information on places like this message board that can give you pros and cons on each.<BR>Some hotels in the chains will be, as mentioned, in out-of-the-way locations near airports or train stations, but by no means will they all be. YOu can't make any generalizations; you need to look at specific locations.<BR>As Curt said, do some research on hotels that interest you, and look up the locations on a map, on line or otherwise. Just be sure that you realize that just because a hotel has "Rialto" in its name, for example, doesn't necessarily mean that it's convenient to the Rialto bridge.<BR>I have files on Rome and Venice; if you'd like to see them, email me.<BR>

Sheryl

I neglected to write in the original message that we've already looked at the hotel websites and have checked this board for specific info. I'd like to get personal opinions/experiences about these hotels. We'd like to book soon, so help is appreciated - thanks.

Patrick

I'm not one to stay in those Americanized hotels in Europe either, and not too familiar with many of them. I do know that most of them tend not to be very central, usually in a more business district away from where most tourists would want to be. I have friends who stayed at the Hilton Cav...(?) in Rome and hated it because it was so inconvenient. The one exception I can think of is the Crown Plaza I believe it is, in the center of Rome. Quite a nice hotel, in a great location. But unless you use points or have some deal it will be about double the high end of your budget (about $400 US, I believe). The other "chain" idea is Best Western -- which are individually owned hotels often with a lot of local charm but meeting the criteria and joining in a Best Western program. They tend to be a lot better than the Best Westerns I've stayed at in the US. And they tend to be more of a 3 or 4 star variety with reasonable rates, more in your budget. Best Western can send you their European catalog which has pictures and is pretty good. Some, but I think not all, of their hotels are also on the Best Western website.

elaine

Sheryl<BR>Maybe if you could mention the specific hotels (by name and location, rather than by chain name) you are considering, people could make more specific comments.<BR>As Patric mentions, the Crowne-Plaza Minerva in an outstanding location near the Pantheon (area where I recently stayed) has always been considered one of the best hotels in Rome, although I believe the hotel has left the Crowne Plaza chain and is now just the Minerva.<BR>I'm pretty sure that their standard rates are above the budget you mentioned, unless there are special deals right now.<BR>I recall that there is at least one Best Western hotel in Venice that has been mentioned on this board, but I can't recall its name. If you can mention it, others can comment, or you can also do a search here for prior comments.<BR>

Surlok

BW Cavaletto&Doge Orseolo in Venice is a nice 4 stars hotel, and the location is great, close to San Marco.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>S

Natalie

Hi Sheryl,<BR>If you would like to e-mail me I can send you a list of hotels in Rome that I can recommend, but as was previously mentioned, the smaller hotels tend to give a real feel for staying in another country and I believe the service you receive is as good as the larger hotels. If you are looking for tours whilst on your holiday, I can recommend an excellent tour company called Odyssey Tours. Their website address is www.odyssey-tours.com

run

My only experience in Venice was at Locanda Vivaldi last November(12-18). It was very very good. I got a (I think) a good price ($ 105 per person in dbl) by catherina at [email protected]<BR>It was not high season but I'm sure has been it was not too bad.

Christina

I can't advise you on those particular brands in Italy but can tell you that a hotel belonging to Best Western won't fulfill any of the reasons you have for wanting an American chain hotel (besides, you didn't even want one). Many or small and you won't known anything about them, either, any more than any other hotel in that area. I've stayed at 4-6 of them in Europe and several I liked a lot but 1-2 were not so nice, so that name means nothing in itself. Ditto Holiday Inn and Comfort Inn, I believe those are simply franchises in Europe and the name means nothing. I see this idea a lot on here from Americans who thing those names in Europe mean the hotels are owned by the US and will be built by the chain in the style of that typical type in the US (ie, Holiday Inns). They aren't. Some of the upper end chain names are more reliable, such as Marriott, and I think Marriott does have a lot to do with running them and renovating them in Europe (all those I know were renovations of older buildings). Also, there are many HOliday Inns and COmfort Inns in central city areas. If I were you, I'd thus stick to Sheraton or Crown Plaza given your reasons.

Maurice

If I remember correctly, the hotel beside ST. Mark's square with the gondola parking lot was a Best Western.<BR>Why would I stay in the local hotels? In Naples, the Holiday Inn was 395,000 (but they gave it to us for 295,000).<BR>The most I paid for small hotels was 200,000 in Venice, for a room the size of a postage stamp and a bathroom/shower even smaller. I bet the chain hotels in Venice are 500,000/night. (Who wants to be a millionaire!?)<BR>But, the H.I. had a tub and clean floors; while the cleanliness of the beds was impeccable, some places didn't understand the concept of "sweep" or "dust" - almost like they expected people to wear shoes in their room.

Mary

Sometimes you just don't feel like fighting the cultural battle all the time and some place comfortable is the answer. Don't knock it. <BR><BR>When my husband had an infected tooth and I had a horrible cold, we checked into the Holiday Inn in Rome. Good choice. They sent him in a car to the pharmacist who gave him antibiotics and pain killers. He was soon okay. I suffered, just lying in bed watching CNN 24 hours a day.

Surlok

Most hotels, I mean, their concierges ( if they have one) or receptionists would do this for a guest who is sick, or suffering in pain, so no big deal. Just make sure that there's someone at the reception desk who is English speaking, and they will help you. It doesn't have to be a hotel belonging to an American chain.<BR><BR>But better than this is having travel insurance, so, instead of getting a pharmacist prescribing you a pain killer ( in Italy and France they are good at it, though, and their medicines and drugs are fantastically efficient), you can have a doctor seeing you at your hotel room, if you need one.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>S<BR><BR>PS: BTW, in Europe, there are HIs and HIs, as there are BWs and BWs, so, don't rely on the fact that by being a HI or a BW, the hotel will be up to the American standards, regarding service, size of rooms, or comfortable beds. Some do, and some don't, so, beware, but some already said this, as Curt and Elaine. However, Sheraton Luxury Collection, Crown, and Marriot Hotels are of another league. These ones, along with Westin, will provide their guests a high level of comfort.