I always stay in 2-star motels/hotels, not because I am choosing that many stars on purpose, but because that is my price range for motels/hotels. However, recently there was a localized dip in motel/hotel prices that brought a 3-star motel/hotel (I don’t know when to use “motel” and when to use “hotel”) into the same range as the 2-star ones, and so I went ahead and booked one. Here are the things I noted (though keep in mind that this is one single 3-star motel/hotel against MANY 2-star motels/hotels):
1) On-site restaurant instead of complimentary breakfast. Not a fan of this. I would rather have complimentary bagels and coffee (and some 2-star hotels have much more: waffle-makers, yogurt fridges, eggs/sausages, fruit, juice/coffee/cocoa) than a sit-down restaurant with waiters. I can see how someone else might want it the other way around, though.
2) Better towels. The 2-star motels/hotels generally have small, cheap towels. The 3-star motel/hotel had towels like the ones I have at home.
3) Larger shampoo/conditioner/bodywash, and better quality and nicer-smelling. The 2-star motels/hotels have teensy sample sizes you can barely get a single serving out of, and they generally smell like coconut air-freshener. The 3-star had much larger portions (like, enough for 2-3 uses), and they smelled nice.
4) Larger bathroom. This one was a draw. The 2-star places usually have a toilet/shower in one room, and the sink out in the main room, which is nice in its own way; the 3-star place had a more typical toilet/shower/sink bathroom, which was nice in its own way.
5) GLASS glasses, with paper lids that turned into coasters. I could see that this was supposed to be an upgrade over plastic disposable cups wrapped in plastic, while not actually wanting it. (I get nervous that I will drop/break glass glasses, and I don’t like the way glass feels if it taps against my teeth.)
6) Bottled water in the room. We were too nervous to use it, because of sneaky mini-bar charges for things in motel/hotel rooms and not knowing if these were in that category.
7) Metal ice bucket instead of plastic. We did not care about this, but we noted it.
8) Working ice machine. We very much did care/appreciate. Except we had the room right across from the ice machine AND the elevator, which was…non-ideal.
9) Prettier/fancier hall carpeting. Does not matter, but felt worth noting. It really was very pretty/fancy.
10) Big intimidating fancy lobby / check-in area. Did not like. Felt out of place.
11) Ballroom / conference rooms. Did not use, but felt important to atmosphere. Subjectively negative, because it made me feel like maybe we shouldn’t be there.
12) Better pillows. Both 2-star and 3-star motels/hotels have about four pillows per bed, but the 3-star ones were fatter/plusher/better. Not a LOT better, but somewhat better.
13) More TV channels, and more ways to spend money on movies. But I do not want, so. And the TV kept cutting out / digitally reloading every few seconds, just like in the 2-star places.
14) Big startling mirror in the elevator. Seemed deluxe. Startled us. Draw.
15) Noisy heat/fan. Same as 2-star, but felt more irritating because we were in a 3-star. Nice for blocking out sounds of ice machine and elevator.
16) Same room carpeting that feels like maybe you shouldn’t step on it with bare feet.
Motels have their rooms outside. Hotels have the doors to the rooms inside. :)
Oh, I’d be interested in what hotel chains you are talking about—Best western/holiday inn type vs full service Marriott or Hilton?
I travel fairly frequently for work and have turned into a hotel snob. I agree with the differences you noted. I tend to like the big lobbies and full service restaurants, not for breakfast but I like room service one night a week on work trips.
In the last couple of years I’ve spent nights at really fancy hotels—the Peabody in Memphis which was kind of an event all in itself, the ducks, the lobby, the gift shop, the lobby bar, etc. after 5 nights (and $2100—it was a crazy splurge paid mostly as a Christmas gift from my parents), I pretty much never wanted to leave. And this summer I spent one night at the balmoral in Scotland. It was fun. So basically sometime the hotel is the vacation for me.
My experience is if they leave water bottles in the room you can drink that without getting charged. Maybe not 100%, but at Marriott and Hyatt I have stayed at that was the case.
Usually they will have a little tag on them if they cost money!
My experience is that you can drink the water that’s left out. The mini bar is generally inside a fridge or cabinet of some sort.
The glassware would be a negative for me. I bring my own plastic cups and never use glass ones because the glass ones aren’t necessarily washed in the way you would desire them to be. It has been known, for example, that the room cleaners use the same cloth to swipe out/around the rim of the glassware that they use to wipe down counters, etc.
Mini bars also usually have some sort of signage, somewhere, that you will be charged. The fanciest hotel I ever stayed in was the Sheraton Grand Chicago (for work). It has a ballroom. I took a picture of the mini bar like a hick because I’d never encountered one before. There were snacks on the top in a little tray (macadamia nuts, half a can of pringles, fancy pistachioes) and a stocked mini bar in the fridge below (beer, energy drinks – red bull, monster – juice, water, nips – maker’s mark, grey goose – and some soda).
The sign indicated that, for my convenience, if I removed anything from the tray or fridge it would be automatically charged to my room. I tried not to breathe over near the mini bar because a) my job would never spot me $7 for a half a can of pringles and b) I remembered reading Augusten Burrough’s memoir Dry, specifically the part where he was having a breakdown being sober in a hotel on a work trip. To cope with his breakdown, he took every bottle out of the minibar and fondled them lovingly, then put them back in the morning. The hotel still charged him for the whole fridge worth of bottles even though he didn’t partake.
Motel is short for Motor-Hotel, I believe. Hotel room doors lead to a hallway. Motel rooms lead outside.
I just learned this and thought I’d pass it on!
We generally only stay at Hilton properties, because my husband travels a lot for work, and that’s where he has status. Which lead to us booking a room on New Year’s Eve, in town, because he needed one more night to stay at Gold or whatever the Hilton equivalent is. I’m not super picky about a lot of the amenities, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Hilton Home2. Breakfast was great- I love a good make your own hotel waffle- lots of options. There was a pool and gym (of which I looked at but did not use). Best of all, each room had a mini kitchen. We were only there for a night, but if we were going on a longer trip, that’s what I want in a hotel.
I have a Hilton credit card so I can always stay at nice hotels for free :)
I agree so much on the free breakfast because I dislike having to go find somewhere to get something quick in the morning and I don’t like waiting in a seated restaurant for breakfast. I’ll pick a Hampton over a fancier hotel since Hampton has free breakfast and usually a mini fridge in the room!
I am honestly not sure what their star ratings are, but the hotels I generally pay for myself (inexpensive) have free wifi (which may or may not work reliably, but more often than not it does), whereas those I stay in for work events (someone else pays, much more $$$) generally do not. In this day and age paying for wifi incenses me, so I will always choose the free wifi hotels over the pricier ones, if I can. I am with you on the free buffet breakfast over the restaurant, also.
Now that we aren’t trying to fit all six of us into one hotel room (we once stacked chairs to make room on the floor for sleeping bags, and always had to scoot out the end of the bed because there was a floor kid on each side) I pretty much insist on three stars. I’m not fancy, but the bottom range of the two-stars can be really bottom, IMHO. I don’t want to waste a hotel night on one that feels dirty, which is not always the same as actually being dirty but I’m the Queen Who Says So.
If there’s a charge for the water bottles, there will be a sign that says
“In order to ensure your stay is as fabulous as possible, we have provided you with this water and will charge you $8 if you use it.”
either hanging around the neck of each bottle or tucked underneath like a tray.
Also, in my experience, free water is typically a small crinkly bottle of a familiar supermarket brand like Arrowhead, but the ones with a charge are often in fancier/larger bottles.
Just wanted to share:
I usually book 3-4 star type hotels. We typically arrive as a family of 4 with young children, stumbling out of the car and into the lobby still covered in animal cracker crumbs. We bring a small mountain of battered suitcases/overflowing backpacks/tote bags/paper bags full of snack food/grubby sandals/inflatable pool toys/etc for a 2 night stay. The kids run around the lobby giggling and occasionally shouting while my husband sorts out the car and I try to check us in. I used to feel super self-conscious and out of place in the fancy lobbies, but somehow over the years I’ve found the attitude that I’m an adult, I’m paying for a room, and I belong here just like all the other guests.
Anyway, next time you feel out of place in a fancy lobby, maybe think about how 15 min earlier they were dealing with a family like mine, and how relieved they must be to see you.
I’m laughing with you on #14. And yes, self service breakfast is the best. Story time: I went on a group trip to Europe in high school, and in Vienna we stayed in a 5 star hotel. We were all duly impressed, but I don’t remember it being noticeably fancier than your standard Hampton Inn. It was more that there were fancy amenities AVAILABLE- like a spa, and a concierge, and some restaurants, and a pool on the top floor with a glass roof. But the rooms were pretty standard.
I never assume the bottle of water is free (even if it doesn’t have a charge on it) unless there’s a sign around it saying FREE. That said, I usually end up paying for water anyway because I forget that I should bring some because I’m picky about water – we have fantastic tap water here and never buy bottled unless we’re away. I like the feel of glass glasses but I’m wary of how clean they are – I usually rewash them. I feel like the best fancy hotels make everyone feel like they belong there.
We have been lucky enough to stay in some very nice hotels over the years but my kids still love the economy hotel with the free breakfast and waffle maker (so fancy!) the best.
Other differences I tend to notice in economy vs. mid-range hotels:
Mattress/bedding quality: usually the nicer hotels have a soft mattress with white bedding and a fluffy comforter vs a thin bed spread. (Even though I’ve noticed in recent years even some economy hotels are moving to the white comforter motif)
In room coffee quality: If they give me a packet of Starbucks coffee to make in my room I get so excited.
Bathroom lighting: I’ve found the bathroom lighting is almost always better in the economy hotels. Fancy hotels seem to be obsessed with pinlights/spotlights so it is impossible to do your makeup without standing in a shadow. It makes me ragey as it is clearly designed by a man.
In-room refrigerator: always better in economy hotels.
I’ve found that for longer stays I usually prefer the economy hotel especially when I have kids with me. But when I’m by myself there is no greater luxury than ordering room service and eating it all by myself in front of the tv while wearing the hotel bathrobe. Heaven.
I commented earlier only about the water because I was in a rush. I’m not a rich person but if there is any way possible, I will stay at a decent hotel – one in the Marriott families usually. Often if I stay at a cheaper one I wake up with a migraine because of lingering scent of mildew or mold – which tends to take the fun off a holiday, so we cut corners in other ways in order to stay in a place that smells good with great mattresses.
Someone said it above – but mid-range is much better than upper range (to me). You get free wifi and breakfast and a snack machine or snacks to be purchased near check-in counter. Upper range is pay for crappy wifi, no snack machines and pay for breakfast. That sucks – one of the fun things about staying in a hotel is getting junk food and eating in bed watching TV. And my kids were not enchanted with the weird breakfast options we had to pay big bucks for – they love the make-your-own-waffles option.
I recently stayed at a Hyatt in Seattle (work trip) and there wasn’t a soft drink in the entire building. They had a “convenience” store on one of the floors and I went there thinking to stock up and when I asked about cokes the cashier said (in kind of a snotty tone), “there is a 7-Eleven down the street for that” – does no one in Seattle drink Coke?
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Free breakfast and cleanliness are my top two considerations when picking hotels, and I have stayed at some crazy nice hotels over the years (through work or personal travel where we found good deals). Our favorite as a family is Embassy Suites…the suite gives us a little more room, it includes the BEST hotel breakfast ever, and there is a nightly (free) reception with snacks and drinks.
P.s.—laughing at all the hotel minibar comments. We want stayed at a hotel with one of the electronica ones that automatically charged you. My husband did not realize this and decided to (who knows??!) rearrange the bottles, take the snacks out and examine them, etc. Anyhow, he was too embarrassed to deal with it himself and I wound up having to call the front desk to get all the charges for everything removed. Good times!!!
//10) Big intimidating fancy lobby / check-in area. Did not like. Felt out of place.//
I do have thoughts on this. I’ve heard other friends talk about how they wouldn’t want to go somewhere because they wouldn’t feel comfortable in certain surroundings. My feeling has always been, if I can pay for it, then I am in exactly the right place. What I have found in my wanderings, is that the nicer the place, the nicer the people who work there are. We are Disney Vacation Club members, and we stay in deluxe resorts-and I can honestly say that every single employee we have dealt with have been nothing but helpful and kind. I love nice hotels, I love fancy settings-and I am the furthest from being fancy. It is just a fun thing for me-and I’ve never felt out of place. The same goes for restaurants, if we can pay the bill, we should be there! How many times have we yukked it up with our servers, having a wonderful meal at a great place. I guess what I am hoping to get across-we all deserve the best of the best if we are willing to pay for it. Or even if you want to treat yourself to something special, and pay later-the nicer places have the best customer service!
PS-I NEVER touch a minibar! I may like nice things, but I will not pay $10 for a bag of M&M’s!
I am also #teamfancy. :)