Yes, I knew the hotel. I search by hotel deals on the map, so I can stay close to where I want to be. I don’t do the surprise hotel thing on Priceline, I’ve only done that for rental cars.
I don’t understand hotel pricing at all, let alone when an aggregator like Priceline is involved. But, I have found some really good deals on Priceline. And I always go to the hotel app to check their price before I book the Priceline deal…the hotel app price is usually more expensive IME.
Ok thanks. I think my S will likely be moving to NYC in about a year, so I see some visits in my future and I’ll keep Priceline in mind.
For many reasons, I avoid VRBO and AirBNB like the plague. Therefore, I’m a hotel person. 
Rarely willing to spend $1000/night. Out of my price range unless it’s for a very very special occasion. I prefer Hiltons. If a Drury Inn & Suites is available nearby, I’ll stay there over a Hilton because the outside lighting is great, includes free hot breakfast & the rooms are always spotless. On the lower end, I’ll stay in Best Westerns but only after I’ve scoured the reviews online of the specific location.
I’ve stayed in an Airbnb exactly twice. One of my kids likes to stay in them so they can bring their dog. I can look at VRBO also
Looking for another in December in PA. I’d rather stay in a nice hotel but my option was an Omni, the other kid vetoed that as wildly expensive. So a house rental it is. We have a specific location in mind halfway between where my kids live.
The Airbnb we stayed in last December we will rent directly from them if we stay there again. It was walking distance to one of the kids and perfect for us.
It’s mostly happenstance that IHG hotels have been the most convenient for the location we’ve needed lately. With one exception, we’ve been very pleased. One property was kinda run down and loud. Moved to another one of their other properties for the next night.
I’ve been at a VRBO and AirBnB on occasion. Once was a staycation in connection with nephew’s wedding. It was at a location a fair distance from our home and we thought it would be fun. We got a 2 bedroom place and gave S & fDIL (now DIL) the other bedroom and D slept in our bedroom with us.
We also did a timeshare that my brother’s neighbor offer at cost in Waikiki. We had a nice time and it was just the 4 of us. We shared a bedroom and the kids shared the other bedroom. We invited nieces and nephews to come and visit us while we were in Waikiki and some did stop by.
We did a VRBO or AirBnB in Kona as well (my friend rented it—2 bedroom place on golf course). It was convenient and fine and a better price than we we tried booking hotels. We stayed about a week.
When D was convalescing from surgery, I rented a place for her near the surgeon so she could more easily go for follow up visits. S stayed with her and they liked the place well enough.
The rest of the time, we generally stick with hotels. With all the fees (like resort fees and parking), I can see why people find alternatives to hotels attractive.
I like to stay at nice hotels. I have no brand loyalty. It’s all about the room and the location. I travel with one tour group annually to various places in Europe. They usually book 4 star hotels and sometimes it’s a hit or miss. The tour guide knows me well enough by now that he usually gives me one of the nicer rooms.
I do spend time in my room when I am on vacation - quiet time in the room or a nap. I get irritated when the room or the bathroom is not nice. I feel like I might as well just stay home.
We have a fall wedding near Amherst, Ma. Every hotel I looked at wanted around $400 a night. We will have three groups (us and our two daughters and their families) and would need two nights. I found an airbnb for $750 total. That was a no brainer.
Unfortunately the quality of the stay can be highly dependent on your neighbors.
Ive stayed at nice hotels but if someone smokes it can go into my my room through their ventilation system.
Ive had people have loud discussions late at night, tv, music, etc.
I try to ask for a room where the rooms around me arent occupied or use the app which will show the rooms available. That’s actually one of the reasons I like Hyatts because they’re just not as popular, especially among business people who prefer Marriotts first and Hilton second.
Also, there are some hotels that seem to draw large group events. I stay away from those because teams tend to be louder than individuals.
I don’t travel a whole lot but I’ve joined most of the hotel points programs over the years. My son, who only stays at Marriott properties, tries to convince me that it’s better to stick to one chain. We have this argument often. But I like a hotel challenge. I look for the best intersection of location (if it matters), price (can I redeem points - my goal is lowest cost that night so I will use points as soon as I can, not accumulate) cleanliness (based on reviews) and safety (based on reviews or location). I rarely need amenities, even “free breakfast.” I do a lot of research and it takes me forever to make a decision sometimes. But I enjoy the challenge! Also, we rarely stay at hotels to be at the hotel. Almost always passing through or gone most of the day visiting or sightseeing.
I hate that they can just tack on a “resort fee”. Especially when I’m not doing anything remotely “resort”. Its not like you can opt out and it shouldn’t be allowed.
I always book directly through the hotel so that if something goes wrong I can deal with the hotel directly. Have you ever had any issues with Priceline?
Re: loud noises in hotels:
You can eliminate those by using a white noise app on your phone.
Re: stupidly high ‘resort fees’ that some hotels charge:
This is 1 of a few reasons why I don’t vacation in Las Vegas.
Plus if you dig around on the hotel’s website, you can find info about resort fees & parking fees ahead of time.
I used to like to stay at bed & breakfasts. Unfortunately, between AirBnB and VRBO & Covid, the places I used to stay have gone out of business. I typically stay at AirBnB’s now … pretty much my only “vacation” is the every other month trip to visit MIL, which is always 4 nights & it’s just easier to be in something larger than a hotel room. S doesn’t sleep well, and having a separate room with another bed or a living room with a couch is very important for us. Plus, I want to eat healthy for breakfast & lunch at least, and it just makes it easier.
If I were to stay somewhere for just a night, I would stay in a hotel. I’m fine with Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn Express, but I comb through online reviews very carefully. I always book directly through the hotel, because I have found it to be the best price.
I love a nice hotel. If I wasn’t practical I’d book several days at a wine country hotel with a spa. Im obsessed with the photos of Stanley Ranch near Napa. My husband doesn’t like a place where they carry your bags to your room and you have to valet the car.
When we travel by car I usually pick a newer chain hotel. It seems like every off-ramp going up the state has built new motels. They are all basically the same. I’ll look at reviews and choose by price.
For an out of the US trip I read reviews, ask for recommendations and end up going with something in the 4 star range.
We never traveled for work so had no accumulation of points. I do belong to most loyalty programs as that used to be a requirement for free wifi. My son and my son-in-law’s all travel for work. One goes to nice places and stays in great hotels. The other two travel to places that aren’t as exciting.
One of my kids worked for 10 years in the hospitality industry. We used to get some great deals. She always recommended booking direct with the hotel.
I find ArBNB don’t pay for themselves unless you’re staying a week.
For AirBnB, it depends on the location. Our four day stays are the same price as the cheapest motel in the area - we’ve stayed at that motel & didn’t think it was worth staying in again. When we used to stay in AirBnB’s in Augusta, we could get one-night stays for less than a hotel (except during Masters week, of course).
We are currently traveling. Our friends have Marriott timeshare property (or some new
Points system IDK) so in the big cities they insisted on Marriott’s. We are in one now. It’s an autograph collection and charming
but our room is tiny. They get some benefits we don’t but it’s fine. I wanted to stay in a few unique places so we are doing that with 2 of the hotels (though it turns out one happens to be a Hilton property).
My DH is going to a huge Conference when we get back. We checked our 3 standard chains (Marriott , Hilton and Hyatt) and got him a very cheap, very basic room. It will serve its purpose.
Same! It’s hard to avoid in NYC. At some hotels, if you get food at their cafe or mini mart it offsets the resort charge, so that makes things more tenable. NYC Hilton Millennium UN is like that.
I have not had any issues at all. Knock wood. One thing I always have to do after I book thru Priceline though is call the hotel and have them enter my loyalty program number into the reservation. It doesn’t seem Priceline can handle that…at least I haven’t figured it out yet.
Do you get your points? Usually the 3rd parties selling discount rates, you don’t.
Always. I’ve never had a hotel tell me no points. Even though I use Priceline a lot, I end up staying mostly at various brands of Marriotts or Hiltons.
You must be getting a regular rate, not a discounted priceline or expedia rate. I see those people all the time griping - because they don’t get their status or rewards - and they always tell them, you booked a discounted rate, etc. But those guys also sell the regular rates too, like a travel agent.
I agree. If you book through a discounted third party, it seems odd you’d get points.