The right choice in hotels can make or break a good vacation. There are many things you should consider when narrowing in on that ideal spot to spend your money on and your time in.
What kind of traveler are you?
How much time are you going to spend there?
What is your budget?
Perfect hotel experiences can be hard to come by. Here are some of my tips on things to consider before you book:
Location, Location, Location
This is the first and most important item to consider when choosing a hotel. When you are on vacation, you want to be convenient to restaurants, shops, sights, and transportation. You don’t want to spend any more time than you have to getting back-and-forth to the places you actually traveled to see. When you are staying in a city, consider which neighborhoods have the most to offer. In the countryside or small towns, you will want to be convenient to services that you will need.
Is your European boutique hotel located on a quaint and/or hard-to-find pedestrian street in a quiet neighborhood? That can be all well and good until you need to find a taxi to dinner or to the airport at 5am!
Alternatively, is the hotel on a particularly busy main street or public square? Is the most popular nightclub in town next door? What may be good for convenience could be bad for getting a good night’s sleep.
Any hotel that is on a road heading in the general direction of an airport seems to be able to designate itself at an “airport hotel”. When looking at your options, is a property actually 5-miles to the airport with limited shuttle service or is it a hotel where you can get up and walk directly to the terminal in the morning?
Before you book, check out the address on Google Maps and see where the hotel is in relation to the things you want to see and do. Zoom in to “street view” to see what the neighborhood is really like. Look at what things are in the immediate area and check the estimates on time it takes to get to/from the airport or train station. Technology is a modern traveler’s best friend.
Price
Cheap is not a word I like to use when it comes to travel. I always prefer to look for the “best value”. You generally get what you pay for, so decide what is important to you. Everything comes into play – location, security, amenities, square footage, service, design, etc. If you are going to be spending a lot of time at a property and fully using its facilities (think beach resort), consider spending more to be in the right place. A honeymoon or anniversary trip is always worth the additional cost of an upgraded room. And if price is never an object to you, I say spend it. And take me!
Function Over Design
This is one of my personal pet peeves. I love good hotel design probably more than most people. But rooms, particularly bathrooms and bedrooms, have a specific function to perform and many interior designers seem to lose sight of that fact. Give me a bathroom that I can actually get ready in over an Instagram-worthy space any day. You can still make it stylish.
I will never forget staying in a “design hotel” that had a stunning glass pedestal sink but offered not one inch of counter space and nary a shelf in sight. It was beautiful, but I had to line up all my toiletries on the thin edge of the bathtub to have them handy when I needed to use them. It was that or spread everything out on the floor.
Pay close attention to room photos on a hotel’s website. If they don’t show any shots of the bathrooms, there is probably a reason why.
Room Size
In most big cities, space is expensive. We all know it. It is often true when you hear New Yorkers or Londoners claim that an average hotel room is “bigger than my apartment”. If you want or need space, you are more than likely going to have to pay for it. And again, keep in mind how much time you will realistically spend in your hotel room other than sleeping and getting dressed. That is one reason cruise ship cabins are so small – there are too many other places to spend your day other than your room.
High design boutique properties are notorious for small spaces with fabulous furnishings. I remember a friend of mine once called me from NYC to inform me that when he stood on the twin bed in his “single occupancy room” and held out his arms he could touch both walls. But it sure was pretty!
A Bar
This is more important to me than an onsite restaurant. There are normally many good options for dining outside of a hotel, but there is no substitution for a good hotel bar. It is a meeting place to gather with your friends and a great spot to relax at the end a long day. As an added bonus, I have found that hotel bartenders are some of the most interesting people around and can usually come up with some pretty entertaining stories.
Amenities & Facilities
Consider what is important to you and what you will actually use. I would like to think that I will be in the onsite fitness center every morning, but let’s be realistic – I’m on vacation!
A pool is important at a resort, but I don’t believe I’ve ever been in one in an urban location. Many large properties now offer adult-only options, which can be very nice if you’re not traveling with kids.
The quality and availability of an onsite restaurant is more important in a resort location than a city hotel. Room service, however, is good to have at either.
If you’re going to need it, onsite and/or valet parking can be a big deal. Some hotels only offer valet (no self-park) which can really add up, particularly if you’ll be in-and-out more than once a day. In Europe, most small properties have little to no parking but may have an agreement with a nearby lot. Check things out in advance with the hotel so there are no surprises or added frustrations when you arrive.
Keep in mind that “limited-service hotels” are just that – limited service. Don’t expect much more than a room and a smile. And that’s OK if that’s all you need.
So how do you ultimately find that perfect place? Do your research. When I’m picking hotels, I look at the hotel’s website, read magazine and news companies’ travel sections, comb through hotel collection sites, skim user reviews (with a grain of salt), and access various association’s ratings. It takes some work, but I am a true believer that it is time well spent.
