Worktowander

BTW, we returned from an Italy trip last month. The view from our one-star room in Venice overlooked the intersection of two beautiful little canals filled with gondolas. Our better-starred hotels in Rome and Siena had no views whatsoever.

Can I ask a serious question - no judgement intended? How many travelers do you think are turned off by the idea of one- and two-star hotels without having tried some of them?

I ask only because, in our experience, the overally quality of each star rating appears to vary quite a lot. We no longer depend much on star ratings to predict quality - only whether certain amenities (restaurants, English TV, great toiletries) are present. What do you folks think?

suze

While I certainly don't consider having a TV a "given" or a "must have" it is fun to watch local shows and foreign language movies. I absolutely never watch English-language TV when traveling.

elaine

Worktowander
I'd really like to know about the one-stars that were nicer that some three-stars, that sounds like you found great bargains! I'll add them to my lists.

Edward2005

I stay in 1-star hotels all the time. I only require that the place be clean, safe, reasonably comfortable, and in a central location. I never trade away those things for the sake of saving money.

I have no problem doing without a mini-bar, tv, swimming pool, room service, etc. Drab is okay - it's just a reason not to linger in the room. Of course, other things equal if I can get a 2-star for the price of a 1-star then I obviously jump on it. I also investigate the pension and B&B options in any town because very often you will get more from them for a lower price than at any 1- or 2-star hotel. And some towns (Rome and Venice) have really special options such as convents that are not as crazy as they might sound.

Occasionally I treat myself, though. In giant chaotic cities like Rome, I gladly pay extra for a quiet refuge.

elaine

I'm wondering if we should start a thread, or continue posting here, on
One-Star Wonders for our favorite cities ? Details would be helpful (for example, no elevator, but great beds and good breakfast)

Worktowander

Hi Elaine - Here's one example:

The Hotel Riva in Venice is the one-star I mention. It's not the Ritz. But the room quality was slightly better and the location, service and view were vastly better than the 3-star we had in Paris in '02, the Moderne-St. Germain.

And the Malin Hotel in Malin, Ireland (way up north on the Inishowen Peninsula) is a two-star. But the bathroom was the size of a normal hotel room, the room itself was the size of a suite, it had a pedestal bathtub that made me feel like Marilyn Monroe, a separate shower, was immaculate and truly beautifully decorated, had spa services, a restaurant that made my foodie husband rave about the fois gras, and - in my estimation - is the best hotel I've ever stayed in. It's a 4-star, at least, in any sane world.

Seriously, you should try to stay there. I still can't figure out why it has the star-rating it does.

SeaUrchin

I always thought that stars represent
amenities too and not quality per se.

I think the Lorelei in Sorrento is a good rep. of this practice, no TV's or phones but unsurpassed views.

aggiemom

Well, I've gotten a little spoiled over the last few years (ever since the company that "courted" my husband put us up in a 5-star in a large suite with two bathrooms!). I do prefer 4-5 star hotels. Do I always get them? No. I try to get as close as possible, though.

I don't care about a spa, restaurants. The first requirement is it must be QUIET - no outside noise, no room to room noise. Room service is almost a must. I must have a comfortable bed and clean, modern bathroom with plenty of towels. View is not really important (though very nice), nor is size of the room. Location of the hotel is important but I would trade a well located 3-star for a further out 5-star.

I recently stayed in some 3-stars in Germany and the rooms themselves were very easily 4-star quality. They were just smaller properties, no room service and such. So I guess I'm saying the actual room has to be very comfortable no matter how large the hotel.

Overall, I'm spoiled and I don't care. I did enough budget travel when younger and poorer and now we're movin' on. I only wish we could fly better than coach. That is the next thing to conquer! My husband gets upgraded all the time as a frequent business traveler, but alas, not me.

Worktowander

Exactly! While I know some folks have more money and/or a desire for more luxury on vacations than I do and make those choices very consciously (and more power to them), I wonder how many inexperienced travelers assume one-star or two-star means "dive."

That's what my question is about. Do you think the star system is widely misinterpreted?

Worktowander

Sorry - quick-fingered Aggiemom slipped in between my last reply and the post from SeaUrchin that I intended to springboard off of.

Not that I disagree with you, Aggiemom.

dsm22

1. CLEAN
2. In a good area.
3. Affordable
4. private bath and shower.


I made the mistake of picking a cheap hotel the first time I ever traveled by myself at about 19. I was in a really seedy area in the Bahamas and it was like a flop house. Disgusting, very scary.

I spent a long time trying to find another room on Paradise Isle instead in a really nice hotel. At the time in 1986, it was over 200 dollars a night. I did not care I just wanted out. Everything was booked and we had to stay there.

I will never make that mistake again, I hope.

I can do with out a veiw. It is nice, and I do use it when I have happened to get one. Most of the time I don't have one. We did get a gorgeous veiw once on our honeymoon. They upgraded us when we stayed at Disney's Contemporary. We had a balcony and sat out there every night. We watched the parade in the water and the fireworks from there. It was lovely.

Especially since I usually have a veiw of a brick wall or parking garage. It has become tradition to take a picture of my 'view' when I travel. A bit of a joke because it is usually horrible.

Quiet is okay, but I normally sleep with earplugs anyway. I can't sleep if I hear someone snoring....and that includes myself!

Travelnut

I have a theory that lower-starred hotels are more likely to have the 'thin walls' symptom.

I also am beginning to draw some conclusions about Paris hotels. Many times, a hotel will have loads of praise, post after post, and then I glean a comment where someone mentions 'tiny room', 'scuffed door', 'noisy', or 'cracked tile' ..This is in regard to more 'expensive' hotels, ie. above 130€.

I've decided it isn't worth paying 50-75% more for a room that is <i>still</i> going to have these 'quirks'. So I'll stick with my 'value' hotel that is down in the 14th, needs 'updating' in the decor department, but is under 100&euro;, 1/2 block from metro and 2 bus lines. I've been to Paris 9 times, don't need to sleep under the Eiffel Tower anymore.

Robespierre

Well said! &gt;&lt;

I've probably spent more nights in the XIV than any other, and I would stay there again in a heartbeat. For the same price as downtown, you can get an additional star quite easily.

Indygirl2

Good question. When I travel with friends for a long &quot;girls&quot; weekend, I tend to go upscale. It helps that I get a government discount and that we split the cost. When traveling abroad I'm often on my own, so I tend to look primarly for a hotel that's in a safe and central location. I want to be in the thick of things and I like staying in places that have a fair amount of foot traffic and nearby public transport. (In Paris, I stay in the 6th in the Odeon area for about $100/night). I also prefer to have a shower and an elevator, but could live without both. I have shared a WC before and that worked out just fine too. It's a bonus if the room is relatively quiet, but I'm willing to use ear plugs. AC in the summer is a must, however.

In London, my hotel room cost 48 pounds/night (this was 2002) and consisted of a twin bed and mismatched furniture. The WC was down the hall and the shower and sink were smack dab in the middle of my room. But the hotel was in Bloomsbury, just a couple blocks from a tube station. Anybody else would have found it inadequate, but I was happy as a clam.

I'd love always stay in really nice hotels when traveling, but if I'm on my own I just can't really afford it. I could pay extra for a nice room, but then I wouldn't be able to take a major trip each year. I do, however, invest a great deal in time in finding well-located and well-reviewed bargains. Also, I tend to be less critical of my room when I'm on my own. Unless there's a serious problem, there's really nobody to complain to, so I just roll with it.

Kate

Nikki

It all depends. City or country? Alone or with my husband? Or one of my daughters? Or one or two friends? Different kinds of trips require different kinds of rooms. Mostly, however, I am looking for good value, which depends on the area and the circumstances.

That said, I am almost never in the hotel only to shower and sleep. I read, watch TV, relax. I have become a great fan of renting apartments, especially when traveling with my husband and staying in one spot for more than a couple of nights. Much nicer to be able to read or watch TV in a different room than the one where someone is sleeping. Much nicer to be able to sit on chairs and sofas than to be restricted to the bed.

In a city hotel, I want to be very close to public transportation, and an elevator is very important if I am above the first floor. A TV is fairly important as I love to watch the local shows and try to follow the language. Have to have private bath. Views, decor, all that is gravy.

In the countryside, I am more interested in charm.

When spending a weekend with friends, we like a nicer hotel than I would pick on my own. It becomes part of the experience, and besides, we're splitting the price.

Kavey

Elaine,

I think I see this pretty similarly to you.

I'll compromise on what I'd ideally like in order to meet my budget and have a longer trip but I won't compromise on a shortlist of what I consider absolutely necessary.

That's probably the same for most people, the only difference being what is in our respective shortlists.

We do spend time in our room when on a city break holiday as we often go out reasonably early, tour during the morning and a little after lunch and then return to the hotel to allow me to rest my hip and relax. We'll read, take a bath, write a journal or even nap for an hour or two before going back out for some more touring, then dinner.

What we look for varies a lot depending on type of trip too – safari, city break, self-drive cross-country tour and also depending on whether we're talking about a hotel or a guest house, both of which we really enjoy.


<b>I try my best to find hotels that offer the following:</b>

* Central location (as I have hip problems I want to be where the sights are and also really close to a great selection of good restaurants and, as Elaine said, close to transport links too)

* Clean room/ bathroom (As a teen I once stayed in a room with peeling wallpaper, fleas in the mattress, grungy bathroom and even worse public areas. Never again)

* Quiet rooms (I am a light sleeper so this is important to me)

* Decent size double bed (husband is 6 foot 6 so short beds and beds with footboards are out)

* Decent private bathroom (has to be ensuite)

* Duvet rather than sheets and blankets (this is really strong preference of mine though I have booked hotels where I've not known or where they have not been able to provide this)

* A room that doesn't smell bad, whether of smoke, food or anything else


<b>Things I nearly always manage to include, particularly for short breaks within the UK, but that aren't <i>quite</i> as important as the ones above:</b>

* Bathtub in bathroom as well as shower

* High ceilings and large windows letting in lots of light

* In hot countries, AC and in cold ones, decent heating

* Good, friendly and personal service that is responsive to requests such as extra towels and quick to resolve any problems that do crop up

* Lift (unless hotel or guest house is only on one or two levels)

* Space, including seating other than the bed itself

* Rooms that appeal to me visually and offer good design, luxury, comfort, facilities – I prefer a more modern design than chintzy but either is OK if done well

* Smaller hotels prefered but would rather a larger one that offers more of the list than a smaller one that doesn't

* Well designed storage space (if we're to be there more than a night or two)

* On safari, the provision of fast and inexpensive laundry service as weight limits for luggage are low

* TV is nice to have although we don't watch it much, being able to listen to the local language as a background noise can be nice as can occasionally being able to listen to english language stations

* Although we don't use it to call out a phone is useful to contact the hotel staff themselves without having to get dressed if one isn't already. We usually have our mobiles for use to make calls and for family to use to contact us in emergencies too.

* In a hot country, a fridge into which we can put a couple of our own items is great. So too is a minibar which charges what we consider to be fair prices. Sometimes it's nice to be able to just grab something from it without worrying about it.


<b>Things I take into consideration but that aren't vital include:</b>

* Breakfast provisions (much prefer breakfast rooms to in-room service)
* Views from the room (I love to have one, of course, but it's not as important to me as it is to others)
* Pool, gardens etc (only relevant for a few destinations such as Madeira)
* Inexpensive or free email


<b>Things I don't care about:</b>

Brand of toiletries even though some hotels make such a big deal of which ones they provide and how wonderful they are

Gym facilities/ spa

Business facilities (conference rooms, fax machines and all that)

I'm sure I'll think of stuff that I've missed out as soon as I've posted!

RufusTFirefly

Location, location, location--I like an interesting neighborhood to walk around in when Mrs. Fly is taking the required time to make herself presentable (she looks fine to me without taking that time, but...).

Clean, dry, not smelly, or too noisy. A view is good, but it doesn't have to be &quot;THE&quot; view for a location; e.g., in Venice it doesn't have to be the Grand Canal--a side canal or interesting campo view will do fine. I get up earlier than Mrs. Fly does and enjoy watching some activity for a bit in the morning.

WillTravel

I tend to go as cheaply as possible, but always choose a good neighborhood and a place with good reviews.

I find now that I don't really want to bother with 1* hotels with marginal reviews. Either I'll choose a hostel with excellent reviews, or I'll choose a higher-starred, well-located hotel at the cheapest price I can find it.

But the most important factors in whether I will like a place seem to be its convenient location and a good breakfast, either included or at a reasonable price. But I'm assuming a baseline level of quality in saying this.

So far I've escaped the horror of staying at a hotel with lumpy beds with springs sticking out of them, with shared facilities used by recent vomiters, in the midst of a hotel which is hosting a drunken stag party. This description seems to be fairly typical of some Amsterdam budget hotels, and makes me very leery of looking for a bargain in Amsterdam.

my2cents

I used to be part of the &quot;We'll only be in the room to shower and sleep...&quot; group until I injured my foot early on one of our vacations. I ended up spending the next 2 days in bed with my foot propped up on pillows until I could hobble around on crutches w/o too much pain. I really came to regret our choosing the drab, viewless &quot;value&quot; lodging that was on the outskirts of town but only a 5 minute walk to the bus and subway stations (5 minutes walk when you're not on crutches, that is!). Nowadays my criteria are:

1. Comfortable bed, king size, 2 singles pushed together or two separate beds period -- DH is a very restless sleeper and I'm a very light sleeper; we're used to a king size bed at home and feel very cramped in anything smaller.

2. Decent lighting to read by.

3. If we don't have a car then it has to be conveniently located in the town we're there to visit or at least have good cab service if needed.

4. Clean room with no icky smells or gross stains.

5. Reasonably safe neighborhood (i.e. no drug deals or gunfire going on outside...been there done that!)

6. Bathroom can be down the hall so long as we're only sharing with one other room (when ya gotta go, ya gotta go!).

7. Nice proprietors -- We stay in b&amp;b's most of the time and I always call and book over the phone or at least via personal emails vs just a website form. That way I can see how well our personalities mesh etc. After all if we're going to be spending several nights in their home it's good if we all feel comfortable with each other. Plus if they're unresponsive during the registration and pre-registration Q&amp;A process then chances are they'd be unresponsive if any concerns came up during our stay.

8. If we can get a nice view, all the better. But it at least needs to feel cheerful and have some natural light coming in during the day.

jules4je7

I like to stay in the $100/night range for hotel rooms, although the nicest place I ever stayed in Europe was The Hotel Aksan in Izmir Turkey, where I paid $40/night for a king sized room in a 4-star hotel. So I was willing to bend my &quot;rules&quot; a little and take more room for less money.

What I can get for $100 a night varies. In London, it gets me a cramped but cheery clean space near Victoria Station where I can at least put my suitcase down, know it'll be there when I get back, and a shower and comfortable bed to sleep on. That's about it.

But generally speaking, a &quot;must have&quot; list would include:

1) Location. Location. Location. I do not like to stay anywhere where I have to get on a subway or bus to look at what I came to see. I'd rather see it outside my window, or at least when I step out of my hotel.
2) Private bathroom (although I had to give that up and have one down the hall in Rome given our location next to the Trevi Fountain to stay under $100/night).
3) Relatively quiet (I travel with earplugs to get over the occasional street noise, but it can't block out jackhammers).
4) Safe neighborhood. Because we tend to stay in centrally located hotels, we generally don't run into a problem, but if I were choosing between a better hotel in an iffy location, and a iffy hotel in a better neighborhood, I pick the best location first and not worry too much about the creature comforts.