What do you look for in a suitable hotel/motel room?

[Joshua_me]

Nice choices! This is the Ritz-Carlton my hubby and I spend a couple nights at when we got married.

Wow !

Where was that ?

 

[wastingmymind]

Cold white sheets. WiFi. Breakfast. No dirt. No bugs.

 

[bankside]

Saudis can take it up their fucking ass with their oil. We have better grades.

No, Canadians did it to ourselves. Canadian managers in Calgary bought a reasonably-well-known American chain called Fairmont, and then chose to give up their iconic history and call themselves Fairmont. CP Hotels were legendary. Fairmont hotels were okay.

Then they lost interest in running hotels and sold to the Saudis.

 

[braex27]

A clean room, with a good bed, large shower/bath, and some quiet.

I've been to a few decent ones which won't break the bank - the Westin Grand in Berlin, the Barbizon in Amsterdam and the Radisson in Prague are all wonderful.

 

[Ronin84]

service from a young hot guy.

 

[RyanZZZZ]

Good looking staff. I always bring my own pillows and cleaning supplies and "clean" the room as soon as I get there. A zip lock plastic bag to put the remote in is a good idea...who knows what the last person was doing with that remote. Never use the ice bucket or glasses and cups they provide.

 

[Thad1527]

THey did this one in Edmonton too, which was then bought by Canadian Pacific:
http://www.fairmont.com/macdonald/

On my last trip to Edmonton, my friend Freddy (an Edmonton native) and I went exploring the upper stories of the Hotel Macdonald.

It's fascinating and beautiful. I'm so timid I would never have gone prowling around on my own. Fortunately, I have great friends. And a great memory!

 

[Adrock-JD]

While traveling just a no smoking room with a bed will suffice.

While staying more than one night,
no smoking-
rooms accessed by indoor hallway only
in room coffee maker/mini fridge-
onsite restaurant-
pool-
lots of elevators-
view/balcony/low noise (something above the tenth floor to dampen car/truck noise)

 

[rareboy]

Hot and cold running boys.

Seriously...I've stayed in rooms for $1200 per night and for $35 per night. I'm not sure I got more or less from one or the other.

Sometimes I just want pampering. With amazing beds and 4 thick down pillows and 600 thread count sheets. In a hotel where they can anticipate everything you might want as a traveller.

Other times, I'm just delighted to have a horizontal surface about 18 inches above the floor to lay down on. As long as the sheets are clean and I've had a bottle of good wine with dinner, my sleep will be just fine, thank you.

 

[Triple G]

Should have an updated room - nothing bog standard for me. Oversized flat screen, good decor, double basins, shower separate from the bath thank you, microwave, fridge (fully stocked of course), mini-bar, coffee/tea-making facilities a must, lots of fluffy pillows (not the "spring-back" cheapie syntheticky rubbish you get in some rooms), top floor next to end if possible or well insulated/soundproofed, good work-area for the lappie and ample plugs, good local guides showing where the local attraction are as well as where the basic stuff is like banks, shopping, restaurants etc.
Two queen beds is always a boon since I have masses of stuff and the extra bed is a convenient depot...

Well suffice to say these are a few of the bare minimums meeting my requirements....not demanding mind you just looking for the basics.

You forgot a rack to hold your sword and helmit. Plus super size slippers for those BIG feet

 

[LatinTop75]

Wow !

Where was that ?

That's the Ritz located in Half Moon Bay, California. I would highly recommend staying there for a special ocassion.

 

[The_Reaper]

Cleanliness is the top priority.

I don't care too much about the hallways or the outside of the building, but if the room is in chaos then I am not a happy camper.

After that, television service comes a close second. Thankfully, most of the hotels I've been in always have a good cable package, with at least one or two movie channels to keep me occupied...Or at least the Discovery Channel.

After that, internet access is always a plus, though I am always wary of surfing sites like JUB and such on free wireless provided internet.

Then comes the bed. It better be soft, but not too soft, and it better not have any springs that poke me between the ribs while I'm trying to sleep.

If those four requirements are met, I'm more or less pleased.

Though a good shower, and perhaps a pool, are added bonuses.

 

[frankfrank]

Usually just a reasonably comfortable bed, good temperature control, and window drapes which keep the room dark enough to sleep after sunrise.

If I'm using the room for more time than just going there to sleep, and if I'm traveling with my laptop, I also want WiFi access.

Sometimes there are considerations about wanting to stay in a certain geographic area as well - such as wanting to be close to a JUB meet or close to something I want to do the next day.

 

[Dobson73]

A property who's name starts either with Ritz Carlton ...... or Aman.......

Failing that, a member of the SPG group with beds which have 400 thread count sheets will work.

Or, as we experienced in Bali last month, just a private villa with private plunge pool and breakfast for 2.

I don't see it as too much to ask for really, do you?

 

[blackbeltninja]

It all depends. Comfort is a must if I'm spending time in it.

But if it's just a place to change and sleep because I'm out and about during the day and most of the night, then I just need a door which can lock and a clean bed.

-d-

 

[MercuryJones]

Depends on where I'm staying, but I care less about the size of the room than I do that it is clean and comfortable.

Location is a major factor, as I prefer to get around primarily on foot. AC is a big deal in the summer months. Free wifi is good too, though sometimes paying for wifi at a less expensive room is a better deal.

I usually favor a "boutique hotel".

Kimpton hotels have been pretty uniformly nice in my experience.

I always do an exhaustive analysis of customer reviews on Trip Advisor to see what I'm getting into.

 

[MercuryJones]

Yup. Though Trip Advisor reviews need some scrutiny too. I remember the negative reviews of the lovely Italian hotel because the bathroom was small (like almost all such hotels!) or the other because there was no elevator to the 2nd floor (oh no, walking one flight of stairs!).

It can be confounding to find "best hotel ever" reviews followed by "worst hotel ever", but a little reading into them, and a look at the total ratings, usually does the trick.