Deal!

while I always want a pool I don’t want the pool view, and certainly not one that opens into it.

Doesn’t the hotel know when they are overbooking regardless of how you book?

it has to be extremely hot and humid for me to prefer AC to open windows, especially if there’s a fan.

The Western Europeans have a certain pride in having no AC and thinking they don’t need it. That probably used to be true. I worked in an office with no AC and afternoon sun and then rode a hot train home from work. I don’t like freezing places but heat just knocks me out.

(Jubi - much as I love where you moved, I could never take the heat there year round... I know it’s “dry heat” which I prefer to humidity but heat just makes me lazy. )

Location, cleanliness, and
general ambience of the place In the UK we stick to B&Bs. primary reason is to interact with cultures other than our own which often happens at breakfast. And, I like hosts that interact with guests. I have learned useful information from these hosts. Also the service is personalized .When making a reservation I always ask if they can accommodate a gluten free diet and she has always had her dietary needs met.

We we also like smaller boutique hotels, a favorite in Paris is the Hotel Danube other than the standard rooms. In Haarlem it has to be Stempels.
Places with historical interest such as Best Western’s Tigra in Vienna which encompasses Mozart’s boyhood digs and the above mentioned Stempels, both worth A stay even without the history.
We we have at times rented APT’s which were good and Air B&Bs for a specific purpose. Occasionally we would stay In upscale places such as l’Ulivo in Bellagio, place that had everything.

Atthe other end of a he spectrum, my earliest solo travel featured overnight buses between cities.

As as we get older en suite accommodations have become a must

Yet another reason to avoid hotels.