Hotels are one of those things that should be easy to pick. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say “Oh hotels! Where I stay doesn’t matter, it’s just a place to sleep after all.” Then they come back with some tale of woe about how awful the hotel was.

Hotels abroad are a very different animal than what most of us here in the states are used to. We have chains we rely on, or a brand that we are loyal to that is our go to for business or personal travel. It should be easy. But hotels abroad are a different animal in many ways.

Charming vs. Comfortable

A woman I used to work with once pleaded with me to book her into a Hilton in London. I was a bit perplexed to say the least, so I asked what the deal was.

Come to find out she had been relying on the UK office to book her hotels and they always put her someplace “charming.” The places were, indeed charming, but they also lacked a few things we tend to take for granted. Like air conditioning and window screens.

As this was one of the hottest summers in UK history, this was a problem. Add to that the place they booked her into was near the office in a suburb of London, located on a lake that had a lot of midges on hot summer evenings. No window screens meant the room was fair game to said midges, not to mention that the midges thought she was mighty tasty.

Soulless vs Charming

So the Hilton it was. She was willing to trade the charming hotel – that she really, really liked – for a hotel that could have been a hotel pretty much anywhere. Let’s face it, Hiltons or Hyatts or Marriotts are always going to be pretty much like every other in the chain. You get comfort, but you don’t get much in the way of local flavor.

When it comes to hotels, do you always have to make the trade-off between soulless and charming? Not really, at least not any more. You can find compromises between the big chain hotels and the small charming hotels that give you the best of both worlds.

All it takes is getting good at reading the websites and maybe doing a little research.

Groundwork

I like to start off by about what I absolutely need. For instance, do I really care about ‘boutique skin and hair care’ in the bathroom? No, I don’t. I travel with my own stuff and rarely use what the hotels tend to lay on. A friend, however, refuses to take shampoo or conditioner because it takes up room so she is going to care.

I hate traveling with a blow dryer, so I want a hotel that provides one. Likewise, I have done my time in the trenches with hotels that don’t have temperature control. The list goes on from there – will you eat breakfast at the hotel? If not, paying extra for a room with breakfast included doesn’t make sense.

Let me recap – my must-haves for a hotel are in room temperature controls, a blow dryer, wi-fi and location. One of my travel friends has a list that includes good hair products, breakfast, and airport transfers. We have never agreed on hotels. Not a single time!

It’s All About the Compromise

When I first started traveling, I was all about the hotels with local color. I didn’t think about the amenities for more than about a minute. The result was that I had some interesting but ultimately uncomfortable stays.

Now when I travel I am more interested in the value for my money than I am in the local color. Local color is great, and I love it when I can find it – but it isn’t my priority anymore.

I want hotels that give me some bang for my buck. Hotels that are gentle on the pocket book while delivering a safe and comfortable place to sleep are more important to me than one that is quaint and charming.

Hotels as Metaphor

I know how easy it is to get caught up in the atmosphere of your dream trip. You want everything to be perfect; you really want that trip to look exactly like that lovely rom-com where the couple has the meet-cute in the darling little inn in the darling little town in that beautiful country.

No one is as guilty of that sort of trip planning as I am. My first two trips were this sort of thing exactly. What I got out of it was a series of overly warm, sleepless nights and a grumpier me. These hotels were places that looked lovely and were full of local color, they just weren’t comfortable.

Hotels are much more to your trip than just a place to sleep, but they aren’t the heart and soul of your trip either. Oddly enough, the wrong hotel will have more impact on your trip than the right hotel, or even the okay hotel. Like everything else in life, the devil really is in the details.

Read the Fine Print

The good news is that more and more hotels are moving towards the creature comforts. It is easier than ever to find a charming hotel that is also comfortable, well-appointed and budget friendly.

Know what you must have, what you would like to have and what you can live without and then read the fine print. Most hotels will tell you exactly what you are getting in the cost, what is extra and what isn’t on the menu. Match this up with your list and then make your choice.

Like a book, hotels are much more about what is beneath the surface than what the outside will tell you about it. Most importantly, don’t let a bad hotel ruin your trip. At the end of the day, don’t be afraid to complain or even walk away from hotels that are sub-par.

What are your tricks, tips or recommendations for finding the best hotels?