In Europe, do you always try to stay in a small, locally owned hotel/guesthouse/pension/B&B? Does this really enhance your trip? Is there anyone here willing to admit a preference for a chain hotel?

I like whatever is a good value. I've had friendly, helpful staff at all sorts of accommodations. I like chain hotels too, particularly if I've gotten a very nice hotel for a cheap price.

So far, all my accommodation on my 16-day summer trip will be chain hotels, because in this case, these provide the best value for what I require.

If we are going to be in a city/town for several days, then the accommodations seem more important. We aren't big spenders, but the ambience of the hotel itself and it's location can really add to the total experience. If on the other hand, we are doing a one night stand, location may still be important but the accommodation's amenities aren't.
We've enjoyed the B&B's of Ireland. Mostly the innkeepers there speak English, making it really easy to enjoy their company. So, there is no hard-core rule about European accommodations. You need to know where you want to visit, then ask for advice for that specific place if you need to.

We prefer b & b's and private rentals in part because they are generally less expensive than hotels. We also like having access to a kitchen and being able to eat in. I tend to think these provide a bit more "local flavor," as when we've rented an apartment and farmhouse in Italy, as opposed to hotel. One major drawback is that finding and researching these options thoroughly is very time consuming, unless you are willing to take your chances and not be too particular. We use www.vrbo.com often and have never had a bad experience.

For us, the choice of lodging makes a big difference and enhances the trip. As one poster said, it depends on the location and duration of the stay - if we needed to be near the airport, we'd stay in a hotel for one night. But I'll admit to finding an amazing chateau or villa and tweaking the trip to stay there. I make sure to cross-reference posts or guidebooks about the place (I didn't once and, while it was fine and the hosts were very nice, the room was located off the kitchen and not very private). I often use Karen Brown's guides and have not been disappointed.

I do have a friend, however, who prefers hotels. She doesn't feel as comfortable chatting with other visitors. So I guess it depends on each person's preference.

We like to stay in smaller family-run hotels/B&B's. It makes for a more intimate and richer experience. We always take breakfast at the hotel - just another way to interact with the proprietors.

We have chosen large hotel chains for overnight stays at airports but generally found these to be impersonal.

We stay in B&Bs, pensions or smaller family-run guesthouses. It makes for a richer, homelier, more personal, experience. You share the breakfast table with other guests instead of having a separate table for each group as in a bigger hotel, and thus get talking and exchange travel tips. You get to know your hosts, pick up local sightseeing tips from them, and occasionally even befriend them. We still get correspondence from American guests we had from when we had a B&B of our own back in 1992-94, and after a stay in Zandvoort (near Amsterdam) our B&B hostess came and stayed with us a few years later. And finally you get to know real local people and families rather than hotel service staff.

We have stayed in chain hotels on rare occasions when we couldn't find a B&B and it was getting late at night (some entertaining stories there!) and have no complaints about them, but they are all of a sameness - you could just as well be staying at the same hotel chain in your own home town. While that might be fine if that's what you want, it hardly adds to the "travel" experience.

I'm with you, Twoflower! Often (not always) a hotel is a hotel is a hotel. We always, always stay in B&B's. We try to stay in those with three rooms or less. Have stayed in luxurious hotels and find B&B's to be so much more personal, charming and quaint (not to mention inexpensive). They are often in the countryside, too, which is a bonus for us. Often there is fruit to pick, walks to go on, fish to catch, etc.

B&B searching is my favourite part of trip planning - I am very picky about it and would go to nearly any lengths to find that perfect hidden gem.