One of the tricks when travelling is finding a nice hotel – a nice hotel that is on (or under) budget. There are a couple of things I always look at when figuring out which hotel to stay at – what are the “expert” star ratings and what are the “customer” review ratings. Some travel sites, like Hotwire.com, use a combination of other travel sites’ star ratings and customer feedback ratings to determine their own star rating. Other sites, like Travelocity, use their own research to determine star ratings. When I arrive at a hotel, I have my own “ratings” system to determine whether or not I’m in a nice hotel.
1. The towels are plush.
The nicer the hotel, the nicer the towels. Some hotels have towels that are so thin and non-absorbent that they’d hardly qualify as rags, let alone bath towels. If you can see through the towel, you’re likely staying in a 1 star hotel. If drying your hands feels like you’re using a super absorbent piece of silk, you’re probably in a 5 star hotel.
2. The grout is clean.
There are few things ickier than using a shower that has dirty, moldy grout. The better the hotel, the cleaner the grout. Grout can sometimes be hard to clean, especially in the corners, but it is also a dead give away for how good the hotel cleaning staff is. Proper and regular cleaning of the shower should prevent any mold build-up, meaning the grout should be clean and the caulk should be white.
3. The iron works.
If you’ve ever tried using one of the hotel irons only to have it leak water everywhere, you’re not in a nice hotel. Whether it’s how good the in-room coffee brewer brews, or whether the iron heats up to a temperature that actually can get wrinkles out, these smaller “appliances” are often left unnoticed except by those hotels that pay attention to the details.
4. You can wear white socks.
If you’ve ever walked around a hotel room in white socks only to have the bottoms of them turn brown, you now understand I bring slippers with me whenever I travel. I know I could keep my shoes on, but who wants to keep their shoes on when they’re trying to relax? You probably want to kick off your shoes and chill with the ability to walk to the bathroom without contaminating your feet, right? Or at least, I do. Unfortunately, I’ve found that few hotels care about keeping their floors clean. Perhaps I’m not staying in a nice enough hotel, but if I can pick-up a steam carpet cleaner for my home, I think the hotels should be able to steam their carpets at least once a week, right?
5. There are ample, easily accessible electrical outlets.
This is a good test of whether or not a hotel is “up-to-date.” There are some hotels that have extra electrical outlets on everything from the lamps to the desks. I was just in a Hyatt that had extra outlets galore so we could charge our laptops and phones without having to do some sort of outlet relay. Other hotels use one of those electrical outlet converters that converts one plug to 6 plugs and then hides it behind a nightstand or a desk so you have to unplug the alarm clock in order to charge your phone.
6. Two-ply toilet paper.
You may laugh, but I always appreciate when a hotel forks over an extra few cents to upgrade to two-ply toilet paper. Some of the more thrifty hotels use toilet paper that feels a bit like sandpaper. Not luxurious at all.
While reviews about amenities and in-room dining are great, I think it’d be even more beneficial if hotel reviewers shared more about the little things that can affect a hotel stay.
What are some of the things you look for in a nice hotel?
Christine Mayfield says
February 13, 2013 at 12:46 pmThe service! If they are super nice and accomadating you know they love their job and that you are going to be staying at a nice hotel. We have traveled all over and our favorite for short stays is Drury Inn but for long stays we LOVE Marriott Towne Place Suites.
Miriam says
February 17, 2013 at 12:43 amI don’t know that I’ve stayed in Marriott Towne Place Suites before, but I’ll definitely keep them in mind since they come recommended! 🙂
Jennifer Dysart says
February 13, 2013 at 1:12 pmFor me, smell is a big thing. A lot of hotels I hate smell kind of moldy and damp and like stale cigarettes even though it’s a non-smoking hotel
Jo-Ann Brightman says
February 13, 2013 at 3:40 pmI look for a clean smell, smiling service and thick towels
jill says
February 14, 2013 at 12:11 amIf the remote is secured to the nightstand, you are in a 1 star. If you can hear the guest sneeze 2 rooms away, you are in a 1 star. If you scour the internet to find the mattress and linen to redo your room at home, you are in a 5 star.
Miriam says
February 17, 2013 at 12:39 amLOL! Agreed. 🙂 Another good one – is the remote control clean? Too often I’ve seen remotes that I want to disinfect before touching.
elizabeth ricket says
February 14, 2013 at 1:13 amThank you for sharing the wisdom you have gained r/t hotels.
Renata S says
February 14, 2013 at 3:11 amPerfect. Booking on the internet can be tricky sometimes, and we just discover the real property by checking details.
The towels are halfway the truth.
Sandie W says
February 14, 2013 at 7:28 amYou brought up some good points to look for to know if you are in a good hotel/motel. My ex and I once we to check out a motel room we thinking about renting for a week while he was working out of town. Oh my gosh the stories the owner told us! Needless to say we didn’t stay there and decided that it was worth a bit more money to stay in a reputable motel!!!
Mary Elaine Lagmay says
February 14, 2013 at 8:18 amI hope I can check in a diamond star hotel! In time 🙂
Miriam says
February 17, 2013 at 12:42 amThat would be awesome! I bet it’d be super luxurious.
Jessica Fortner says
February 14, 2013 at 11:52 amI have booked on the discount sites at big hotels like Hilton and got a really crappy room, even though at a normally nice hotel that was half-empty. Stinks 🙁
Sita Madu - Wynn says
February 14, 2013 at 12:04 pmthis is so true ! my mum and i have toured city by city and from 5 star to crappy 1 star hotels, we’ve seen them all.
Paula V says
February 14, 2013 at 12:39 pmAs I read your list, I shook my head, yeah, yeah. All very true. Nothing like a good hotel, nothing worse than a bad one. Yikes!
Gloria Walshver says
February 14, 2013 at 1:15 pmI don’t go to hotels often but when I did I like a comfortable bed and a clean room.
Gloria Walshver says
February 14, 2013 at 1:15 pmI don’t go to hotels often but when I did I like a comfortable bed and a clean room.
Casey M says
February 14, 2013 at 3:47 pmI agree with all of this! It gives me the heebie jeebies to go to a nasty hotel!
Darlene Jones-Nelson says
February 14, 2013 at 3:52 pmUgh we found a hotel that was a chain and we went to s few others when we traveled to Delaware from Wisconsin so we decided to stick with the same chain not even thinking that many don’t have the same values.
Miriam says
February 17, 2013 at 12:41 amI’m wondering if it’s because some of these chains actually have “owners”? That might account for the differences between one and another.
Rich Hicks says
February 14, 2013 at 6:07 pmGood things to watch for. I once went to a hotel and we found ants crawling around and it was one of the larger chains!
Jennifer Johansen says
February 14, 2013 at 6:14 pmI always check out the bedside clock radio first. The not-so-good hotels are all clock, and no radio!
Ari says
February 14, 2013 at 8:34 pmThe beds and the bedding. If it doesn’t feel, look, smell clean, I just don’t feel comfortable.
Stephanie says
February 14, 2013 at 9:35 pmGreat points! I always look for a clean smell and nice bedding.
RANDY FULGHAM says
February 14, 2013 at 9:41 pmI WILL BE STAYING AT A MOTEL 6 IN MAY FOR MY GRAND-DAUGHTERS WEDDING ,SO I WILL USE THESE TIPS –THANKS
saminder gumer says
February 14, 2013 at 11:57 pmi will have to run down this list next time i go to a hotel. i usually pick ones that are nice.
Janet says
February 15, 2013 at 4:57 amLoved your list. As to the last one, I’ve gotten very used to one-ply toilet paper. Every time I’m somewhere that offers two-ply, I feel like it’s such a waste. Believe me, I never, ever thought I’d say that, LOL! I guess I’ve become very thrifty over the past couple of years. My mother would be proud. 🙂
Darlene Ysaguirre says
February 15, 2013 at 2:57 pmhahaha i love this i totally agree with the towels and the toilet paper it says a lot about a place the quality of those two things
Chelsea r says
February 15, 2013 at 6:20 pmI agree with the good service. On a recent vacation our power went out in our room the maintenance man came and checked everything, it was their breaker. I always check all drawers and under the bed and the mattress for yuck-o bugs.
Dandi D says
February 16, 2013 at 10:06 pmThese are great to keep in mind. It’s so hard to find a really good hotel any more for a reasonable price!
Sherry J says
February 16, 2013 at 10:08 pmThanks for the list.
Renata S says
February 17, 2013 at 3:26 amA really nice hotel has no problem with an early check in (without extra charge) when the room is available…
Karen Tecklenburg says
February 17, 2013 at 12:33 pmThanks for all of the really great information. I really learned some things I did not know.
Emilee says
February 17, 2013 at 3:32 pmGreat list! I definitely look for a friendly staff and cleanliness. Sometimes, though, we have our pets with us, and not many allow our 125lb dog, so sometimes we have to sacrifice “nice” due to pet restrictions!
Charlene says
February 17, 2013 at 6:58 pmI’m not a great judge of hotels because I usually stay at a Marriott property because we collect the points. In all my years sleeping in hotels, I only had 1 or 2 bad experiences on a Marriott property.
Celina K says
February 17, 2013 at 8:33 pmIn-room coffee pot, and the quality of the coffee provided is important to me. Not that it really reflects the quality of the hotel! How clean the bathroom and shower is kept is very important to me as well, and of course the toilet paper!
Celina K says
February 17, 2013 at 8:33 pmIn-room coffee pot, and the quality of the coffee provided is important to me. Not that it really reflects the quality of the hotel! How clean the bathroom and shower is kept is very important to me as well, and of course the toilet paper!
Ruth Hill says
February 17, 2013 at 9:21 pmI just got back from the Stratosphere in Las Vegas and looking at this list they get halp credit. Room for improvement.
Natalie Erickson says
February 17, 2013 at 10:39 pmFOR THE GIRLZ
Janet says
February 18, 2013 at 2:22 amI don’t touch the in-room coffee pot. I’ve seen the TV news report where they show how some of the housekeepers clean those things. Yikes!
Kate F. says
February 18, 2013 at 2:28 amThis is a good list. I look for good service, clean bathrooms, thick towels, and air conditioning/heating that works well.
Tammi Bivans says
February 18, 2013 at 1:07 pmThank you for the information on hotels. I am an avid traveler and will keep this in mind.
MD Kennedy says
February 19, 2013 at 7:06 amI agree with others – smell is a huge thing for me. And no matter what, I want FREE Wi-Fi!!
Donna George says
February 22, 2013 at 9:59 pmThe bed is the most important part to me. It HAS to be comfortable!