B&Bs are not something we like at all. I tried in Ireland and Germany. Starrs, they are often like that. I want to come and go without explaining.

My sister used to plan the trips when we traveled together. We stayed in some pretty strange places. I tend to stay in nicer places, but I'm very careful about the bathing/showering setup. I really want a walk-in shower, as the tub-with-shower combination tends to spook me. The sides of the tub are often high, and I'm afraid I'll fall.

If I'm in to saving money, I just need to take a shorter trip or just bite the bullet and take longer to pay off my visa.

Our preference is for a really good boutique hotel in large cities (e.g. the Mansart in Paris, the Hôtel Suisse in Nice, the Elysée in New York) and charming inns in the countryside in the U.S. (e.g. Glendeven in coastal northern California and Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Massachusetts) and sometimes Relais et Ch teaux hotels in France for splurge. And the Halekulani in Honolulu: sigh.

That's what was reported in all the news stories and was one of the things that tipped the hotel employee off that there was an issue. It was definitely not something I had thought about before I read the articles a few weeks ago.

Here's an article about other hotels getting rid of the signs for other safety issues: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michael.../#1da5087333fc

I loved the ones in Ireland. Especially the farm & breakfast we stayed in the first night after flying into Shannon.

Now I want to stay in a cottage on the grounds of Balmoral.

Budget and location are my primary considerations. I do like character and charm if we can afford it. I don't really care about elevators or amenities but I'm always happy if there's a kettle in the room.

When we were young, we just wanted clean and cheap; my parents often traveled with us and were pretty good sports as long as the bed had firm support.

Now I'm with the "want a nice place for an afternoon drink" crowd, good location, lovely room, etc. My surroundings tend to color my impression of a place in general. Definitely need a/c in summer. We have to sleep cold.

Not just a place to sleep. I like boutique hotels, don't need a gym (work out enough at home, not doing it on holidays), but I like a comfortable bed, some ambiance, value for money- I don't mind spending a bit but I do not like being nickelled and dimed to death with resort fees and wi-fi fees etc. Why I love travelling in Italy-great breakfast and wifi always included wherever we have stayed and some very nice places were surprisingly well priced.

On most of our Hawaii trips however we had condos which made sense for 2 plus weeks especially in the kid years, where there was often a friend along for our son and other friends staying in the resort so BBQing back and forth etc.

I really love looking at hotel websites and choosing the hotel....one of my little pleasures.

Not just a place to sleep. Well, except last October. We had been on a roadtrip to the midwest to celebrate my retirement. The Atlanta area was where we would stay overnight on our way back to South Florida. We stopped at several hotels, all were booked solid. I finally asked why; it seems that the Hurricane Michael refugees were staying in the area. We parked and I called hotels in several cities: Macon, Tifton, Valdosta. No luck. It was either sleep in the car or keep on driving. It was nearing 10pm, cold and rainy, and we were tired. We would take turns driving, and stock up on the coffee. U-turned back to the freeway, and saw a Travel Lodge with a vacancy sign. It was in a parking lot with controlled access. We touched as little as possible, but did shower and get a few hours sleep. Felt lucky to have found that $75 bargain.

Case in point taking a lot of our energy these past few days:

We will be arriving in Salerno on the ferry towards the end of the trip, so we want a hotel that is within really easy walking distance from the port. If storms cancel the ferry, then we'll be busing it--same same requirement per bus station. We'll be leaving on a train to Rome a couple of days later, so proximity to the stazione is crucial--wanna be able to stumble over there with coffee cups in our hands as the sun rises that morn. Don't wanna drag suitcases and camera bags in the rain for 17 blocks to the stazione.
The Old Town beckons just west of the port/bus station/train station, so we will place ourselves at some hotel strategically equidistant.

But, we are trying to do all of the above using our 'points' (screw the airlines), so its all a big D-Day invasion plan-in-the-works just now. Many factors to consider.

I am done. The 'otel.

RNCheryl----'we touched as little as possible' LOL!

I am done. The end.

rncheryl, that sounds like a nightmare.
I remember the first time I traveled for business and forgot it was Masters time. There were no hotels to be found within a 2 hour radius of Augusta GA. I'll never make that mistake again! I did stay at a LQ when the power was out at my house and the hotel was full of Katrina refugees. It was the nicest group of people at breakfast in the morning. They had gotten to know each other very well. Reminded me a bit of Come From Away.

Location is important, and it must be clean. A hotel room is much more than just a room to us. We have happy hour every evening in the room before dinner so it has to be nice and hopefully with a view. If it has a balcony, even better. When we go to Punta Cana for our yearly slug week, we stay in a huge swim up suite and spend a good amount of time either in the suite or in the private outdoor space. In Europe and other parts of the world, the room doesn't need to be very big, but it must be nice and well maintained, with a good bathroom. I've stayed in my share of dumps in the past and as far as I'm concerned, those days are over. I didn't suffer through law school and practice to stay in cheap hotels when on vacation.

>>I really love looking at hotel websites and choosing the hotel....one of my little pleasures.<<

Me too. I typically look at a couple of hundred hotels when planning a trip. I'm going to Paris next Wednesday and looked at about 300 hotels and had 4 or 5 booked at one point. I finally narrowed it down and now have just the one I decided to stay at. Since I will be by myself (DH is sitting this one out) location was paramount as I want to feel safe. The room looks very nice though so hopefully I will feel comfortable there as well.

We did stay in some very nice B&Bs in Scotland but that was many many years ago when we really had to count every dollar. Plus they were in such small towns that there really were few options for hotels.

From where?

What about Montana? You may want to check out the Izaak Walton Inn near Glacier NP.
https://izaakwaltoninn.com/lodging/?...SABEgIIN_D_BwE
Side note - I saw more hummingbirds there one June than I've seen at any one place before in my life.

They are great. Great location too. On Highway 2 between East and West Glacier, the road you drive if the Going to the Sun road is not open.

The Chattanooga Choo Choo has train car bedrooms too, but it's been a very long time since I've stayed there. If interested, check recent reviews.

I normallyy look at Trip Advisor ratings for best affordable hotel, or something like that. Normally there are one or two that are high in the rankings. I also won't book anything without free wi-fi, and normally go with free breakfast also. This tends to limit our choice to 2.5 and sometimes 3 star hotels. Sometimes they need to have free shuttle to airport also.

If we are staying longer than three days in one place I will look at VRBO or AirBNB.

Every now and then, it's been about atmosphere.

Never luxury. I think maybe I'm too working class to ever feel comfy with guilded lobbies and subservience. I enjoyed the functionality* of our apartment hotel in Bangkok but the white-gloved ladies who'd run to press the elevator button and the doorman who would deeply bow honestly just made me feel so uncomfortably colonial.

But a well located little inn sort of thing with character minus the preciousness can be kind of cool if moderately priced.

Beyond that, I'm with Paul. Location and price. And I might tack on functionality for a longer stay. Gosh how I feel pent up with the four walls and a bed thing after a few days... no matter how plush. I know I'm meant to be out there enjoying but you know, sometimes my feet are tired and I wouldn't mind some couch time before bed and maybe something to drink. That's where a little kitchenette, a sitting area...and to be able to slob out and not wait for room service is perfect. That sort of homey functionality is appreciated much more than service,.

Nice place. I'm a slow traveller, and I want to be comfortable during my long-ish stay. Views are a priority, so that means location is important.

Location.

Budget is relative. I'd rather pay more for a place with a good location then save money on the hotel and pay cab or bus fare.

Outside of that I can live with almost anything. Internet is a plus. 24 hour front desk even more important at times.

If I wanted to just stay in the room I'd stay home. The room itself doesn't need to be that fancy.

Yes, I also feel this way. I live alone, and I dislike it when hosts act like they want to be my new BFF. I like to have a professional relationship with the hosts or staff. I was in a large BnB in Ireland once, and I felt the hosts were intrusive.

s

There's obviously a reason that AirBnB's, B&B's, and hotels are still in business and at least we still have a choice between types of lodgings.

We look for lodging that is clean and safe (essential),in a good location, offers good value for money, and has a room that is quiet. My husband is very sensitive to noise.
Mostly we stay in moderately priced hotels, motels, b and bs or for longer stays in apartments or houses. We've found most B and B hosts to be friendly and helpful but not intrusive.
If we can find lodging in an older house or inn with historic interest that is a big added plus. In the past few years we've particularly enjoyed staying at a tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, a B and B in the old Delano family home in Fairhaven, MA, the Shaker Inn in Pleasant Hill, KY, a simple B and B with a great bistro in QC, a 1700's farmhouse in PA and a ("rustic") lock keeper's house on the C and O canal.

I wonder if the difference might be that I am a single woman, travelling alone?? Many folks may see that as a lonely situation and may be trying to take care of me. Which is of course irritating and insulting . . .

I could see many hosts treating a couple or family differently than a solo traveller, especially a solo woman ("poor dearie...." lol).

s

There are some very friendly hotels. A large hotel might be easier to disappear into the background but even then I think it's more about the actual people staffing the hotel or B&B

Assuming cleanliness and safety first, I go for location primarily. It is literally some place I will shower and sleep. I'm not looking for cocktails, entertainment or food, as I've usually found places I'd rather do that. I don't go for luxury ordinarily but if it so happens to work out that the location is right and I can end up there, so much the better (finding the W Hotel and Four Seasons in Mexico City for $220 a night absolutely dictated that I was going to stay there!)

I've only twice let other people plan my hotels for vacations without my input. Once my sister put us into an Econo-Lodge in Pittsfield, MA, and I swore that we'd be dead in the morning due to drug-related gang activity. The other time a friend booked us into Quality Inn in San Diego. The location was fabulous and the price was ridiculously low but it left a lot to be desired in the cleanliness department. #neveragain

I thin a lot of this might just have to do with how you present yourself, or perhaps not since IO have no idea how you DO present yourself. And don't automatically assume someone is thinking "poor dearie"

The "presentation" part reminds me of the people who talk about having been turned away from some hotel by a doorman supposedly because of how they "looked" (were dressed, etc.) A doorman is just that and a guest needs to act like a guest

Well I am small (5'3") and thin-ish and introverted, so not outgoing or gregarious. Many folks do react to me as if I were weak and retiring. I'm not. I simply like to be quiet and watch people. But I do think that could be why folks might see me as a poor dearie.

s

B&B (and hosted AirBNBs) are a mixed bag for me. The Vintage Airstream host this summer apologized that she didn't interact with us more---no complaint, we weren't looking for that type of experience. But sometimes I love a friendly staff and host. Boutique hotels tend to hit the mark for this. We don't totally disappear (e.g. staff remembers that I prefer tea to coffee with breakfast) but we don't feel like we are inconveniencing someone if we stay out late or need to ask for towels.

There's a really good Key and Peele sketch about the overly-helpful Airbnb host but I think it's been taken out of rotation so i can't link it.

Thanks for the Caboose and Cave links. It seems cave stays are common in that area of France. There are some on AirBNB, too. The "cave" I have in my back pocket is this one near Grand Escalante National Monumnet (which is unreasonably priced but I'd still do it).

I ended up googling top unique stays because of this thread and got some good lists, mouse. I want to take nephews/nieces to the pirate ship:
https://www.pcmag.com/feature/334935...hould-book-now

This one has a mix of "cool" and "meh" --the adobe dome house in TX looks cool:
https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifes...irbnb-rentals/