Admittedly I don’t track this closely. The hotels do add my loyalty program number so I can use the app for a digital key, to check out, etc. It could be possible I’m not getting loyalty points for these stays, maybe just points/status for using certain credit cards and the like? I’ll have to pay closer attention next time I book thru Priceline.
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This is entirely possible. I booked a stay through my work and we have several options and I happened to pick the one that didnt allow points but they still entered my status info. They gave me all the status benefits but not the points - (which was fine because my work was generous as my real intent of going was admitted students day for D26 and the work was just an add on).
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On our first trip together my husband to be picked out a hotel that was “fine” ….a Days Inn, I believe. Bed was lumpy, bathroom was not dirty exactly but had old stained grout, rusty plumbing. I explained that I had no desire to ever be away from home unless where I was staying was at least as nice as my home. If we couldn’t afford that, we could not afford to travel.
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I think we should change the thread title to Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn.
I’m seeing a lot of “motels” or limited service, etc.
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Bathrooms are important to me also - particularly the lighting, now that I am getting on in age.
Or, if you’re in a state where MJ is legal, there’s that skunky stench coming through the vents - ask me how I know.
I try to book direct as well, for the same reason. Many properties guarantee that they have the lowest price by booking direct but I’ve never challenged it. I do book through Expedia occasionally and have never had an issue - but I always wonder if the 3rd party online bookings get the best/newest rooms.
I’ve noticed that a lot of hotels are now dinging me for parking, even if they have a large outdoor lot with plenty of parking that’s not in a downtown city location. They make you scan a QR code posted on signs in the lot. A ridiculous money grab but they know they have you captive at that point.
This is me too.
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My business traveller husband accumulated Choice Hotel status, and a ton of points. There are lots of different Choice Hotels, and we used up all those points.
When I travelled with a friend, we looked for local B and B places, or local hotel chains. Some were very nice.
When we travelled abroad, it was important for us to have a five star hotel with a great restaurant for the days we spent in a hotel. And that’s what we got (and we really liked our hotel…and the restaurant was excellent).
We also go for convenience, and are willing to pay more for that.
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If it’s like Auburn, it’s football weekend and it’s $500/night minimum of 2 nights.
Yes for USoCal, it was a minimum # of nights for graduation and jacked up rates. The convenience made it worth it to us, but it was definitely a ripoff!
Nothing comes close to jacked up hotel prices in San Francisco during the JP Morgan conference and the like. $1000 a night for a Hampton inn type of a room - if you are lucky to find one. I avoid traveling there during such events.
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I don’t stay in hotels that often anymore. When we travel we will often pick a VRBO or Airbnb over a hotel. It’s not really a matter of cost so much as comfort. I like being able to spread out and have a place to relax and socialize at the end of the day and that isn’t usually possible with a hotel. We still eat most of our meals out, but I’ll stock some snacks/drinks/coffee in the kitchen. We’re going to Scotland this summer and will be staying in various VRBO’s except for one night in a hotel at the end. When we do stay in hotels, it is typically a mid range place. A lot of the time we’ll go Hilton because my husband has a lot of Hilton points. Occasionally we’ll splurge - if we are going on a tropical vacation, for example, and want a nice spot right on the beach. When I was working in Corporate America many moons ago, the company I worked for had unbelievable deals with the Ritz and Four Seasons (cheaper than a Hilton/Sheraton) so that is where I always stayed when I traveled for work. Often I’d get upgrades because they knew me. It was very nice, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on $1,000 hotel rooms if I’m paying myself.
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We’ve done airbnb for years. Recently we found having to do dishes, making beds and do general cleaning just a bit much with little kids. The worst part of it is on the day of departure, which is usually very early, we would need to empty out the fridge, throw all the garbage, and strip the beds. The plus side is there is more room for people to socialize.
D1 found a hotel in Portugal with condo set up - 3 bedrooms & baths, kitchen, washer/dryer, and we get daily maid service. The hotel also has dining and bar services. We are going back again for the third time this summer.
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For us, the hotel/AirBNB factors are…
Number of people going - the more in the group (i.e., more than H/me), the more likely we will do an AirBNB. It’s nice to have the space and be able to hang out together in 1 room without tripping over suitcases
Length of stay. I generally won’t do an AirBNB for 1 night because it is sort of a pain to figure out all the rules, check-in procedures, keys, parking, etc. Hotels can be easier.
AirBNBs are good for fun, quirky trips, if that’s what you’re after. We stayed in a caboose last month for 1 night. It was only 1:45 from our house. We’ve also stayed in a Hobbit hole and a castle. I tried to get my parents to stay in a missile silo in Roswell. It comes with a tour of the museum part of the silo about the history of ICBMs. That was one of my Dad’s specialties in the 70s. But it was $800/night, so they passed.
We live next to an AirBNB now, and it’s so wonderful compared to what used to be there. It’s empty most of the time. The owner gutted the house and now it’s $500/night with a 3 night minimum. But for 5 bedrooms, 4000 SF (3-4 bathrooms) it is a steal considering hotels are in the $200s for cheap ones. And AirBNB has a no party rule now, which helps. The owner also doesn’t seem to rent it in the winter. I assume it’s to control the heating costs.
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Hotels always jack up prices when big events are going on. But a family member of mine and their spouse found their AirBNB reservation canceled when the owner found out about an event and rented the place to someone else for more money. There was no recourse and AirBNB was completely unhelpful.
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For our DDs college graduation, we actually rented a whole Bread and Breakfast. There were six bedrooms and we had a lot of family members joining us. The owner and I had communicated, but she didn’t take reservations until one year out…I was on my computer at midnight to make that reservation. She was actually very happy to have the group as opposed to 6 different families. Even asked us what we preferred for breakfast, and had happy hour snacks too.
So for graduations…check…you might find something similar.
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This happened to a family member three times! It’s the main reason we stick to hotels.
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The property management company we rent from in Hawaii used to require that we take out all garbage, load the dishwasher, and toss all leftover food. Still have to throw out the trash, but the other rules are no longer applicable. I suspect the cleaners “adopt” some of the veggies etc. because food is so expensive. I toss all leftovers but leave anything that can be used by someone else like a head of cabbage, untouched stick of butter, etc. in a grocery bag inside the fridge.
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We do the same when we stay in an Airbnb. We were in Charlotte a couple of weeks ago and had leftover beer and sparkling water that we left in the refrigerator.
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If we’re only someplace for a night or two, then we pick a motel/hotel that is safe, comfortable, and preferably has free parking and free breakfast. But we very rarely go someplace for just a night or two.
Whenever we travel with a group of people (which is most of the time, 4-9 people) we find that an AirBNB/VRBO is best because we have common areas to hang out in while having our bedrooms to retreat to. And kitchens don’t need to be used for cooking…ice cream anyone? (Or yogurt or grapes or healthier items, if you prefer.) At first the AirBNB/VRBO recs were a little over the top then they got super over the top but now they’re starting to normalize again, so they’re not a whole bunch of work (like strip all the beds, start a load of laundry, etc).
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We stayed in quite a few hotels and Airbnbs in Nashville when my son was in college, and we generally liked the Airbnbs better. When going to the beach or the mountains we like having more room and being able to make lunch/breakfast where we’re staying. For other travel, since I don’t have hotel points, I’d rather use my capital one points for flights or to reimburse the cost of Airbnbs. We have had good luck staying in Airbnbs in Barcelona, Paris, Morocco and a few cities in Italy. No cancelations so far, and it’s kind of fun doing a little grocery shopping in other countries.
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in lisboa or porto