What is most important to you when searching for a hotel room? How much effort do you put into it? How much stock do you put into reviews?
OT: What’s your hotel booking strategy?
- Thread starter Thebulldogcountry1
- Start date
I’ll read the reviews. You have to sift through the Karen’s who gripe about the towels being crooked and make sure there’s no major red flags.
I try to pick the hotel with best access to the bowl we are playing in.
Do NOT book from the Travel aggregator sites. Use them to compare, then book directly from the hotel's website or app. It's been different collections of nightmares with folks I've known that have had to make changes with Expedia, Travelocity, and all that nonsense.
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Learned this lesson the hard way many years ago. Never ever ever book on Expedia etc. book directly.
for hotels, find a chain that is consistently good & convenient for you & stay with it as often as you can for the points. Choose convenience & quality over price.
I book early and often. Will have 2-3 options booked early for a trip then check back periodically for lower rates and finalize which one a week or so out. I use TripAdvisor to scope things out as far as reviews but I find if you are a member of the loyalty rewards program for each brand the rates direct are as cheap or cheaper than the TripAdvisor/travelocity etc sites
This this this. Always book with the actual hotel.
I came to the realization recently that the more prestigious brands get, the harsher the reviews get. So, a 4.1 Hilton would still be much better than a 4.6 Comfort Inn, regardless of price. The Karens at Hilton gripe about the crooked towels. The Kristys at Comfort Inn gripe about blood stains.
I’ll never forget being in Omaha two years ago and seeing several different MSU families turned away at our hotel because the hotel didn’t honor their reservation on Expedia or one of those sites. And at that point you’re a dozen hours away from home. Thank gosh we booked directly with the hotel.
Location. I don't do any other research until I know it's in a good area.
This is the way. I personally roll with Marriott Bonvoy; I'm sure Hilton is more or less the same. it's not always perfect, but it's never any kinda hassle or place I just don't want to stay.
I’m Hilton, with Marriott as my #2 choice. They’re about the same, Marriott maybe slightly better. But some of the towns I stay in most have Hampton Inns but no Marriott hotel.
One of my coworkers that often spent 100+ nights / year in hotels always said to book a newer hotel. Brand didn’t matter so much as age. If it was nice when you stayed there 5+ years ago, it probably won’t be now so look for something newer. And most “recently renovated” hotels are more like lipstick on a pig - some are legit but most are cosmetic
The exception being downtown areas in large cities - most of those are going to be older regardless.
The exception being downtown areas in large cities - most of those are going to be older regardless.
I can't remember the last time we've stayed at an actual hotel (10+ years?).
We always stay at AirBnBs. Typically, we book with AirBnBs that include the entire house/apartment.
In my opinion, these are much better than the typical hotel room. Much more room to stretch out, a full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, every AirBnB is different and interesting, we don't have to deal with any other people (like we would at a hotel), etc.
We always stay at AirBnBs. Typically, we book with AirBnBs that include the entire house/apartment.
In my opinion, these are much better than the typical hotel room. Much more room to stretch out, a full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, every AirBnB is different and interesting, we don't have to deal with any other people (like we would at a hotel), etc.
It depends on the situation.
If I have multiple options, I tend to go with Priceline or AAA and choose what looks the best for me.
If my options are more limited, then I’ll either book on a hotel website or go with an AirBnB.
If I have multiple options, I tend to go with Priceline or AAA and choose what looks the best for me.
If my options are more limited, then I’ll either book on a hotel website or go with an AirBnB.
Just like on Amazon, pay attention to the 2 and 3 star reviews, those are the real reviews.
I get on Google maps and take a look at the other establishments in the general vicinity.
Whole Foods, Chicken Salad Chick, high end national steakhouse chains like Ruths or Del Frisco, along with some expensive coffee and smoothie joints will be scattered around the new and modern lodging options. If you see Payday Loans, Cash to Gold, and a closed Waffle House you will probably have several hourly rate motels to chose to from.
I go for the hourly rate ones myself.
I traveled for many years doing construction and sales and spent little to no time looking and booking other than going to the the Hilton Honors website and booking the closest Hilton/Hampton/Double Tree/ Homewood Suites property to wherever I was going. They seldom if ever let me down and on the rare occasion there was an issue they always made it right. Get a Hilton Honors credit card to use and rack up the rewards for free nights
I stick with Hilton properties and build up points. Then use those points for future personal trips with family. I have gone on 10-day road trips and never paid for a room. Lucky my company lets me keep my points. Stick with the same people. All Hilton properties are nice and most of the time reasonably priced. Many of them are starting to let you bring pets.
Yep Marriott is pretty consistent. Hilton Home 2 Suites are pretty good as you get a full size fridge.
Same. Marriott bc of the points and then the nearest Marriott to where I need to be. I dont give a **** about ocean view vs parking lot views because I’ll either be at work, or out and about with the family and not looking out the window of the hotel.
Marriott Bonvoy app is my first choice and book the newest, highest rated hotel first. I have the IHG and Hilton apps for a backup in case I’m in a location with no Marriott properties. I was in west Texas recently and hotels were few and far between and I had to stay at a Best Western. It was new clean and I was impressed.
Find your chain and stick with it. Mine is Marriott. I will ALEAYS book with Marriott when I can.
Sadly, Starkville’s Courtyard books WAY in advance for busy weekends, so my next two trips up I have to stay at the Comfort Suites.
Sadly, Starkville’s Courtyard books WAY in advance for busy weekends, so my next two trips up I have to stay at the Comfort Suites.
Best Western has the most variation in quality of any chain in my experience. Some are great. Some are ….. not.
Location, then chain.
I let my wife book our hotel once and it was very sketchy. I’ve handled it since. I’m not a baller, so I usually book Holiday Inn Express or Hampton. Those are pretty safe bets.
I prefer Hilton when possible. They typically have great breakfasts that saves me $40+ a morning when I have the whole family in tow. I will say that Hilton points have among the lowest value compared to other chains. I’m not so concerned with points if they have bacon and biscuits.
Hyatt has nice hotels and great points value, but options can be very limited.
Check out area on google maps. Search for Hilton and Marriott properties. Look at stuff around them food, bars, stores, make sure no slums or anything annoying loud either. Then check out reviews on hotel site and others sites like google. Compare rates and amenities of the ones left on the list. Book online with hotel or call if I have any issues. Marriott or Hilton not available or those are terrible consider different area or consider IHG hotel. If I travel with pets, I might go air bnb instead. Which involves filters for high rating and rules about pets.
I DGA17 about brand. Being a brand person for a hotel chain has never been something I strive for and if that ever happens, my wife knows to kick me in the nuts to shock me back to reality.
I care about location first and foremost since that means the hotel is close to what I want and in a price I can afford. In the location, I look at hotel specifics within the pricing that works.
Related to this thread- we stay at one of two hotels in the west Chicago burbs about 4x/year and I like neither, but dislike neither enough to change. They are both renovated hotels and the renovations werr 17ing terribly done. But they are new enough that there aren't major issues...yet.
We just select the one that happens to be cheapest for any given trip.
I care about location first and foremost since that means the hotel is close to what I want and in a price I can afford. In the location, I look at hotel specifics within the pricing that works.
Related to this thread- we stay at one of two hotels in the west Chicago burbs about 4x/year and I like neither, but dislike neither enough to change. They are both renovated hotels and the renovations werr 17ing terribly done. But they are new enough that there aren't major issues...yet.
We just select the one that happens to be cheapest for any given trip.
Location is most important followed by the general rating score. Never read individual reviews. The perfect location is worth more than the perfect room less conveniently located. Once I find a spot that’s the right mix of location, value, & comfort I stick with it for the long haul. Why risk the unknown?
Those are the absolute mentals. The psychology is as follows. We had fun and are easygoing = 4 & 5 star. We had an awful experience potentially because we’re insane = 1 star. Both of those reviewer profiles make sense because it’s an emotional reaction. There is no crazier sob on earth than those who write 5 paragraphs for a 3-star review. Absolute batshit crazy sociopaths. Their that lukewarm on a review but felt the need to write a dissertation so attention or even worse a “badge” on trip advisor.
Oh, you’re a local tour guide? Kma nerd
Many 5 star reviews are fake, don't even look at them. 1 star reviews can be legit or crazy Karen upset cause the delivery man stepped on her grass.Those are the absolute mentals. The psychology is as follows. We had fun and are easygoing = 4 & 5 star. We had an awful experience potentially because we’re insane = 1 star. Both of those reviewer profiles make sense because it’s an emotional reaction. There is no crazier sob on earth than those who write 5 paragraphs for a 3-star review. Absolute batshit crazy sociopaths. Their that lukewarm on a review but felt the need to write a dissertation so attention or even worse a “badge” on trip advisor.
Oh, you’re a local tour guide? Kma nerd
I carry Marriott, Hilton, and IHG memberships. Was burned years back through a booking site for an MSU game. Stayed at red roof off old 82 and they charged me for 4 nights when I stayed for 2. Never again. Book through my member sites or directly with the hotel. Nothing more, nothing less.
I look for location and read reviews on noise levels after a recent experience in New Orleans. Location is primary importance because I want to be able to walk to whatever event or area I’ll be spending most of my time at. Lots of cities have little to no parking that I visit and parking usually costs an insane amount and I just like to walk when I can on vacations. We booked a boutique hotel in NOLA close to everything we wanted to visit and heard sirens, construction trucks and beeping of trash trucks all night. It was an old building and looked great on pictures but man was that a miserable night of sleep. I don’t trust pics anymore.
I think you are grossly miscategorizing what it means to be a “brand” person for hotels. Most people aren’t all “Coke vs. Pepsi” when comparing Hilton vs. Marriott vs. Holiday Inn, etc.
Being brand loyal to only 1 or 2 particular groups simply gets you farther with free stays, which allows one to simply enjoy traveling more often. It behooves you to choose brands that have properties in good locations in places that you like to go…..doesn’t make you some yuppie simp like you are implying here.
Sure, someone that travels frequently enough will really benefit from belonging to a hotel brand's rewards program.
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