elaine

Hi
Just musing a bit on the above sort of disclaimer, when people inquire about inexpensive hotel rooms. First let me say that often the price of a hotel room IS of great importance to me and I may choose to try to spend less on the room in order to stay on the trip longer. That said,I have not stayed in levels below a 2-star, and I realize 2-stars are too expensive for some travelers some of the time.

IF we can get it for a given price, don't we all still prefer pleasant surroundings?
'Clean' is considered to be a given, but what about attractive, pleasant, comfortable, well-ventilated, non-smoky, no views limited to air shafts--don't those count as well? What are they worth to you?

I don't see that any of us travel to Europe in order to spend all day in the room
(perhaps honeymoons excepted )
but when I come back at the end of a hard day of sightseeing, I want an elevator if I can get it, but more important than that, a bathroom with hot water and decent towels,a room whose furniture may be only Ikea, but that is at least not all scuffed, peeling, or mismatched, bedding that looks fresh, a comfortable mattress, no smell of cigarette smoke, and, with hope, a tv that has an English-language station. What I don't want is to spend any time in a room that is depressing, shabby, uncomfortable, smelly, or dark.

When my hotel research is successful, I find what I'm looking for as described above. Sometimes I have to spend just a little more to get it, or I can get the nicer room but the hotel doesn't have an elevator.

I'm wondering now, for those Fodorites who say they are just looking for a place to shower and sleep, what are you willing to do without, or how do you rank order your wish list?

Chele60

Interesting. I have 5 basics I will not compromise on:

1. Bed
2. Electricity
3. Toilet (preferably indoors and flushable)
4. Shower (though bath will do)
5. Some form of heating

That is all I absolutely need. Is it all I want? Heck no. Cleanliness, attractiveness, TV, phone, attentive service, etc are also things I consider. But it's gravy.

I learned a valuable lesson when I went to Hawaii when I was 21. I insisted that the hotel we stayed in on Waikiki have a balcony and view of the ocean. I would not compromise on this! And how often did I use that balcony I was so insistant on? Exactly twice: when I first arrived to take pictures, and again to place some wet clothes on the furniture to dry. (My roomie brought the clothes in later) We paid extra for that "view" and never needed it. From then on, I skip those types of things.

Yes, I've been in rooms that were very nice and enjoyed them very much. But I refuse to pay extra for it. I guess I'm one of those people who don't mind opening the window to stare at a brick building next door.

OpusX

Clean, clean, clean.

Relatively quiet.

Working sink and toilet

Regardless I always stay at the best hotels I can afford. Depending on location I want a view and will pay extra in the right city/area for a heavenly view.

Also like you said, after a full day of touring and sightseeing, there is nothing like taking a nice shower and having big fluffy towels and a very comfotable bed to sleep on. Air conditioner in season is a must.

I am willing to forgo view and service for comfort, but if I can swing it I want all of the above.

Example of my future trip hotel choices for July:
Rome- Albergo del Senato (comfort and a private balcony overlooking the Pantheon) To me it's worth every penny

Florence- Hotel Casci (forgoing view for convenience and a little money saving but comfort is intact!)

Positano- Hotel Villa Franca(View, view, view. Comfort comfort comfort)

Capri -Hotel Punta Tragara (I don't even have to explain this one. Just look at their web page. Totally unbelieveable view with all amenities)

suze

good question elaine- I never agreed with that saying, because for me I really USE my hotel room like home. I am not a person who hits the pavement sight seeing for 10 hours every day. I like a nice neighborhood to get to know and a nice room I feel comfortable to relax in. Read a book, take a nap, have a glass of wine. This doesn't mean fancy but safe and comfortable. If I couldn't afford 2/3-star hotels, I'd wait and save more money before taking a trip.

My only 'must have' is a private bathroom, I tried sharing just one time thinking it would be OK but for me it wasn't.

Scarlett

I cannot stand staying in a spic and span clean room that is dark and dreary.
It has to be light and even if the view is of the courtyard, I need to be able to see something other than an airshaft or wall.
I worry about things being clean when they are mismatched, thread bare and lint covered. As I tend to worry about the origins of the variety of stains on an old rug/carpet.
I have this theory if the hotel puts so little care and thought into the rooms being bright and welcoming, then their care of their guests will be lacking also.
OF course, there are exceptions but that is just my way of thinking.
I tend to get ready fast in the mornings and dash out .. but in the late afternoons, we return to rest, read the papers, make plans and recoup. That is done much more pleasantly in an attractive comfortable room with a chair or sofa in addition to a bed.
I arrived in Paris for the first time years ago and promptly got a whopping migraine.
I went to bed for the rest of the day & night ( tragic, I must tell you)
Thank goodness the room was pleasant!
You never know when one of you might come down with something that will neccesitate your staying in that room for more than sleep and a shower..

Ann1

I don't mind if the room is tiny and I don't care if the room has a view of other buildings...that can be beautiful, also. But I must have a clean private bathroom. I also don't want it too far away from the area I want to visit.

tcreath

Interesting question! While I don't like to spend too much money on hotels (we really aren't in them too much on vacation), I do like to find the nicest room within our budget. I prefer smaller, family run places that are furnished in the typical style of the area, and I will pay more money for a centrally located hotel. I do like a nice, comfortable bed, a decent bathroom, and a TV (a must for DH). I also prefer a hotel with an elevator. I never thought much about this one until we arrived at our hotel in Rome last year with our luggage to find that our hotel was on the 4th floor of a non-elevator building.

I agree with you, Elaine. While we don't spend a lot of time in the room, its nice to come back to a decent room after a long, hard day of sightseeing.

Tracy

Desert_Sue

I can give up size for luxury. The best room I ever had was in London at the Dorset Square Hotel in Marylebone. The room was so tiny but it was beautifully decorated and had every amenity crammed into the most unusual spaces. I actually didn't want to leave it. It's the only hotel room that I ever took a picture of - and that's including the bathroom - to remember.

I too stay in the best place I can afford. I won't go below 3 stars.

PalQ

and don't let the bed bugs bite - your original saying is one that i apply to myself - i'll only be sleeping in the room - getting off the train in Nice i went to the tourist office next door and asked for the cheapest room around - when they say 20 euros at the "hotel Modern" it sounded great - shower in the room! shared WC - it was a dingy room in a dingy hotel and at night little black bugs popped out! You get what you pay for often rings true.

uhoh_busted

Since we've started taking longer trips, if we are going to be someplace for 3 or more nights, we're more likely to look for something a tad nicer. Hey, we're gettin' older so there IS a likelihood that someone's going to end up with a bad stomach or headache at least once each trip...and staying in a comfy place makes a difference. The only time we've ever stayed at a clean, basic place was for one night outside of Rome "on the fly" in Frascati. There was a awesome view of Rome, but the rooms (my sister had one too) were pretty plain...tho spotless. I'd do it again as it fit into our plans perfectly.

Leely

What Ann1 and tcreath said.

Except I don't need a tv or an elevator. The more stairs I have to climb, the more food and wine I can consume.

Actually, I think I've been pretty lucky even with my more idiosyncratic choices. At the hotel Pont Vieux in Carcassonne, which has a number of negative reviews on tripadvisor, I had such an incredible view that I didn't mind the cracked tiles in the bathroom. As long as there are some positives I'm okay.

SeaUrchin

If I am staying somewhere that warrants a view - I want it! There are times when you are in your room and you might as well enjoy the views from there as from a public place. If you choose a restaurant to have drinks because of the view, how about your own room? In your lounging clothes?

In Venice I had a room on the grand canal, how nice to sit at my own window in the middle of the night watching the moonlight on the water.

When I come back to a hotel room to change for dinner, it is so nice to have a view for a aperitif and at breakfast in the morning with coffee.

I also have to have clean, no mildew, or smells. No lumps in the bed and no sagging mattresses. I don't mind stairs. We all have our little peccadillos!

Byrd

Location
Elevator
Air conditioning

(In addition to the givens: cleanliness, bathroom, TV)

We travel a lot with friends and the hotels are an important of the trips.

Our rule: The couple with the largest room has to "host" cocktails before we go out to dinner.

Intrepid1

"Just to shower and sleep" easily represents 8-10 hours or at least a full third of anyone's "day."

I think sometimes this "disclaimer" is more of a rationalization than anything else.

What seems sad is that anyone would feel they really have to resort to this in the first place. There really shouldn't be any pressure, or need, for someone to explain, rationalize, or justify their choice of hotel accommodations to anyone. But sometimes, I suppose it is something we do for ourselves if not for anyone else.

francophile03

I would rather pay a bit more for a comfortable room. Oftentimes I see people report that their hotel rooms were awfully cramped, not clean, etc., but they end by saying '...but we'll only be in the room to shower and sleep.' I personally do not feel a hotel room is just a place to shower and sleep. I stayed in a really clean, nicely decorated but cell-like room for two nights and felt very confined, and I don't wish to repeat that in the future. If I had known better I would have paid a bit more for a larger room.

Kayb95

I don't need luxury accomodations and I try to keep hotel/apartment costs down, but I like to be in a room I feel comfortable in. In the US, a 2+ or 3 star room is usually fine. In Europe I look for a 4-star in a good location (love Priceline!!!)

I just don't like to stay in a room or hotel that's "icky."

elaine

I should have added to my own requirements that I also want great (perfect, actually) locations, and for me that means central and close to a stop for public transportation. On my first trip to Paris we were in a large modern, chain hotel in the outer area of the 14th, and it was (or at least seemed like) a 15-20 minute walk to the nearest metro stop. The ride to central Paris (say, Chatelet, just for an example, though I don't think of Chatelet as a desirable destination) was also 20+ minutes. Too far out on all counts, despite the clean, modern, elevatored,comfortable, light-filled, tv-and a/c-equipped, and completely charmless room. White plastic furniture, however clean and new, didn't go with a first trip to Paris, as we immediately discovered.

I must have a/c; if budget and other considerations were to make that impossible I'd rather wait and travel in winter.

I've had some cell-like small rooms, I am, IF necesary, willing to trade square footage, for location, aesthetics, and comfort. I am miserable if the place even hints of being smelly or shabby or depressing. An elevator is a convenience I prefer and usually have; shabbiness or
discomfort put a serious damper on my trip experience. I too love the hours after sightseeing and before dinner when I can shower, relax, perhaps nap, watch CNN or the Beeb, and snack or drink. THAT's a vacation!

Scarlett

One year in the D'Angleterre, we had a very big room with a fireplace.
I so enjoyed buying flowers and having them on the mantle, feeling like we were coming "home" at the end of the sightseeing day.
The Yankee would sit on the sofa and watch tv and I would dawdle in the tub, it really was a great way to restore our energies before going back out.
elaine,
you are making me want to be back in Paris..sigh.

Worktowander

For us, it's true. We're only there to shower and sleep.

If we stayed consistently in 3-stars and better, we'd travel in Europe much less often. We simply couldn't afford to enjoy our time outside the hotel as much if we're spending that much more on a room.

That said, our musts are "clean" (a given), DH must have a bathroom en suite, and if some sort of breakfast is available on-site, it's a bonus.

After that, it's all just fluff to us. Elevators are nice, but we're only lugging baggage in and out of hotels a few times each trip. English-language TV is not necessary (but we're both in the news business, so we try to avoid CNN while on vacation).

And after all that, I'll say we've stayed in some one-stars than are nicer than some of the 3-stars we've booked. Really.

Location is the one thing we WILL NOT compromise on. Our hotel must be near the reasons we chose the destination in the first place or it's useless to us.

Disclaimer: We've scored a couple of 4-star rooms on the cheap because we travel during the off season. They were great experiences. Just not something I'd spring for normally.

To each their own.

Robespierre

In this order:

1. Value (which encompasses area, clean/sanitary, and newness/upkeep). I try to find a 4* at a 3* price. I use stairs for exercise no matter how much I am paying (Leely is right on my wavelength).

The best values are away from the city center. I've actually stayed as far out as Antony and loved it. Yes, it's 17 minutes from St-Michel. So what? Tour Eiffel is 11.

2. Proximity to transportation. If I have to walk more than five minutes to get on a bus or Métro, I'm not getting my money's worth. There are so many hotels, you can pick and choose one that's on several bus routes and/or Métro lines.