help me understand luxury hotels

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have stayed in luxury hotels and the Holiday Inn Express. I stay in both in my life on an ongoing basis for various trips/needs.

A true luxury hotel is MUCH DIFFERENT. The room and space is a lot nicer. In warm places, there is often nice outdoor space. The bed is much more comfortable. The bedding is higher quality. The bathroom is much nicer. The service is excellent. Usually you'll have a butler or concierge assigned to you who can assist with all sorts of things...activities, reservations. The amenities are amazing. Pool, spa, grounds, food available (some complimentary as part of the stay), programming for kids, and on and on.

The Holiday Inn Express is a clean room and a breakfast buffet included with some food that is edible. That's it. Gets the job done. But different.

So it's a destination itself?

Yes, exactly. I wouldn't bother to stay in one if I was going to be off at a conference all day. But say at a beach/restful vacation, it is a great experience. Usually the pool and beach service at these places is also amazing.

Interesting. Seems very "contrived" to me (not a great word, but you get my drift, hopefully), but I prefer to just disappear into the local community. Thanks for the explanation!

Sure I get it. Different preferences for different people.

[Anonymous]

I've always wondered why La Quinta gives free continental breakfast, free coffee, and free internet. But Ritz Carlton charges for all of that, plus makes you pay a $15-20 resort fee. Why?! You're already paying 4x more for the room, why isn't internet free?

[Anonymous]

As with EVERYTHING - there's those that are worth it and those that aren't. Some luxury hotels are in fact luxurious. I stay there. I have also stayed in your normal boutique hotel before too and loved the experience.

Typically speaking, staying at Rosewood and Amara hotels are indeed luxurious because not only is the room just beautiful, it is also clean. The hotel itself will be a sight to behold.

If you are truly not impressed with Viceroy's Sugar Beach St. Lucia or Rosewoord Little Dix Bay, I am not sure what to tell you. I've stayed in both and OMG - it's awesome. My definition of luxurious is typically boutique places where you can't get x amount of points for staying cause they don't need to give you them! T

here's also something called value. I don't think people really understand value - for a price difference of $300, you get the same value but for $500-600/difference you may not get the same value. So, while I wouldn't shell out for a $700/night place, I would shell out for $1000/night place. But in general, you are correct - there's not a whole lot of difference between places that are $200 rooms at the same level of hotel brand. Unless you are staying in Motel 8 which may have bedbugs, your typical room is going to be fine. I've stayed in places that are considered "luxury" but really aren't so again, note my first sentence. Not every $1000/night place will be luxury so your blanket sentence is wrong.

Personally, I don't stay at hotels when I can choose Airbnb/VRBO because I have a family.

But you know, these luxurious places are going to be $1300-1600/night and at these prices, there is a difference baby!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why La Quinta gives free continental breakfast, free coffee, and free internet. But Ritz Carlton charges for all of that, plus makes you pay a $15-20 resort fee. Why?! You're already paying 4x more for the room, why isn't internet free?

Do you think I care about free breakfast when I can shell out $1000/night for a room?? If I'm Ritz, I'm not catering to you. I'm catering to me. ROFL.

Now I am with you on resort fees but there's a bunch of regular hotels that also tack on stupid resort fees too, that is totally arbitrary and not just at fancy places.

Typically, even at the top tier places however, you can get online for free. You just don't get the free breakfast and all from your Homewood. But you get other stuff like if you go to Seasons and have kids, they really cater to them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always wondered why La Quinta gives free continental breakfast, free coffee, and free internet. But Ritz Carlton charges for all of that, plus makes you pay a $15-20 resort fee. Why?! You're already paying 4x more for the room, why isn't internet free?

The all inclusive mentality and viewing that as a selling point is typically seen as more low end although some more luxury all inclusive options are popping up in resort areas.

[Anonymous]

For us, its more about location where we are sightseeing, hotels in prime locations tend to be expensive and often luxurious. We stayed at London Marriott county hall, and with two kids needed a family room (~1K a night) but so easy to get to a lot of attractions, overlooking river Thames and since husband was an elite member, waived off breakfast fees for us and kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with the Ritz Amelia Island? I have to go there for work in a few weeks. Is it that bad?

Overall I agree with you - I stay in a lot of high end hotels and don't mind a nice Hampton Inn with the free breakfast on occasion. They aren't that different. The only hotels that are worth it are ones that provide something in addition to the room. I stay in ski resort hotels that have breakfast buffets, car service to town or skiing, ski storage or ski valets, cookies and hot chocolate at the end of the day, etc. That is worth paying extra for.

Random, what do you do for work?

[Anonymous]

I haven’t stayed at Ritz-level luxury, but I did stay in a hotel that was about twice what I would usually pay in a big city (600 instead of 300) and it definitely was not worth it at all. The only difference was the personal attention (concierge/clerks knowing your name, etc) but that’s not worth $300! Location was also a bit better, but not $300 better. Room was not better at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love luxury hotels but do feel like hotel prices lately are not consistent with their quality. I could totally understand paying 180 for the Hampton inn vs 350 for a JWMarriott or something but now the JW is like 800 and the really unique non-chain high end hotel is 1300. It’s hard for me to find any room no matter how fabulous to be worth 800 plus a night.

Where are you finding JWs for that low price $350?? Unheard of these days. Double that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As with EVERYTHING - there's those that are worth it and those that aren't. Some luxury hotels are in fact luxurious. I stay there. I have also stayed in your normal boutique hotel before too and loved the experience.

Typically speaking, staying at Rosewood and Amara hotels are indeed luxurious because not only is the room just beautiful, it is also clean. The hotel itself will be a sight to behold.

If you are truly not impressed with Viceroy's Sugar Beach St. Lucia or Rosewoord Little Dix Bay, I am not sure what to tell you. I've stayed in both and OMG - it's awesome. My definition of luxurious is typically boutique places where you can't get x amount of points for staying cause they don't need to give you them! T

here's also something called value. I don't think people really understand value - for a price difference of $300, you get the same value but for $500-600/difference you may not get the same value. So, while I wouldn't shell out for a $700/night place, I would shell out for $1000/night place. But in general, you are correct - there's not a whole lot of difference between places that are $200 rooms at the same level of hotel brand. Unless you are staying in Motel 8 which may have bedbugs, your typical room is going to be fine. I've stayed in places that are considered "luxury" but really aren't so again, note my first sentence. Not every $1000/night place will be luxury so your blanket sentence is wrong.

Personally, I don't stay at hotels when I can choose Airbnb/VRBO because I have a family.

But you know, these luxurious places are going to be $1300-1600/night and at these prices, there is a difference baby!

I mean, it’s not hard to grasp what luxury resort hotels have to offer. But DC, NYC and Boston all have 4 Seasons that will run you $1300/night. What’s the point of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid, I guess they kind of made sense. But these days, with limited housekeeping, spas still closed, limited room service, etc. - I don't understand. You're paying, say $800 for a room with a bed at the Ritz Amelia Island when you could paying $180 up the road at the Residence Inn. What am I missing?

Why do you care?? FTR, Residence Inn-Amelia Island doesn’t have a beach and has a teensy little pool and hot tub area. No restaurant onsite, and it’s located quite a distance from the main drag. Perfectly fine place to stay (stayed there must once!), but not comparable at all to the Ritz or Omni on AI.

[Anonymous]

*must = myself

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pre-covid, I guess they kind of made sense. But these days, with limited housekeeping, spas still closed, limited room service, etc. - I don't understand. You're paying, say $800 for a room with a bed at the Ritz Amelia Island when you could paying $180 up the road at the Residence Inn. What am I missing?

Why do you care?? FTR, Residence Inn-Amelia Island doesn’t have a beach and has a teensy little pool and hot tub area. No restaurant onsite, and it’s located quite a distance from the main drag. Perfectly fine place to stay (stayed there must once!), but not comparable at all to the Ritz or Omni on AI.

Just curious about other perspectives. Full disclosure, we own a house there - and have no issues going out for dinner or to a public beach. I guess I didn't realize people see hotels as a destination in and of themselves. Seems...restrictive. That's all!

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand the focus on room service. Before doordash and the like, sure, but now you have far better choices available to you faster and cheaper than whatever the hotel would serve you.

[Anonymous]

Ummm, cleaning happens daily, room service menus are back to being fully populated, spas and pools are open. The entire premise of the post is false.