What is important to you in a hotel room?

[Anonymous]

*I swear I am otherwise a normal person, but I have a PHOBIA of hotel beds. As a child, I saw a horrifying investigation on TV in which a team went through hotel rooms (even in 5 star hotels) with a UV black light, and then identified the specific bodily fluids.

Nevertheless, I travel internationally dozens of times a year, so I have to find a way to sleep in hotel rooms.

This is what I look for:

1. Must be 4 or 5 stars and have top reviews on booking.com, which I have found more reliable than reviews on TribAdvisory.

2. No carpeting! Hardwood floors only.

3. I will actively seek a room with new looking furniture and a sofa long enough for me to stretch out on (not a 2-person sofa). If I can find this, I will bring my own plastic sheet, top sheet, and blanket, and sleep on that.

4. If no couch, I'm not happy, but will spread out my own plastic sheet, cover sheet, and blanket on top of the made bed and try to sleep that way.

5. There are a few places where I feel really comfortable and can sleep well. For example, there is one hotel in Dubai where I've stayed for several trips of about a month each. It's four stars only, but it was the top rated hoel on booking.com, and the five star hotel I originally booked into when I first went to Dubai was disgusting. So I go back to this hotel whenever I have to be in Dubai. I have one hotel I use in London as well, and one in Vienna.

6. I have been known to go to a local mall and buy a thick yoga mat I can use to just sleep on the floor in a hotel room where the bed and sofa are gross.

[Anonymous]

In order of importance:

1. A window or door that opens to the outside for air ventilation
2. Bathroom
3. Free WiFi
3. Desk or table
4. Quiet

[Anonymous]

Depends if it is work or vacation. For work I want clean, safe, and a desk in the room. Also a place for breakfast that isn't room service. I also prefer new or at least modernized hotels without carpeting and without bedspreads because those are never clean.

For vacation I want most of the above with a good location, storage space, and a comfortable place to sit. For ski vacations (which is a lot of the vacations where I am staying in a hotel) I really want hooks for coats, helmets, etc and enough space to unpack. A ski locker is a major plus. I also like tubs for a post ski soak but those are few and far between now.

For international travel I prefer smaller boutique hotels, breakfast included, and quiet locations off the main tourist areas.

[Anonymous]

Coffeemaker
Mini fridge for coffee milk, other stuff we get
Good view
Club level if a Hyatt

[Anonymous]

A real closing bathroom door. No sliding door.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*I swear I am otherwise a normal person, but I have a PHOBIA of hotel beds. As a child, I saw a horrifying investigation on TV in which a team went through hotel rooms (even in 5 star hotels) with a UV black light, and then identified the specific bodily fluids.

Nevertheless, I travel internationally dozens of times a year, so I have to find a way to sleep in hotel rooms.

This is what I look for:

1. Must be 4 or 5 stars and have top reviews on booking.com, which I have found more reliable than reviews on TribAdvisory.

2. No carpeting! Hardwood floors only.

3. I will actively seek a room with new looking furniture and a sofa long enough for me to stretch out on (not a 2-person sofa). If I can find this, I will bring my own plastic sheet, top sheet, and blanket, and sleep on that.

4. If no couch, I'm not happy, but will spread out my own plastic sheet, cover sheet, and blanket on top of the made bed and try to sleep that way.

5. There are a few places where I feel really comfortable and can sleep well. For example, there is one hotel in Dubai where I've stayed for several trips of about a month each. It's four stars only, but it was the top rated hoel on booking.com, and the five star hotel I originally booked into when I first went to Dubai was disgusting. So I go back to this hotel whenever I have to be in Dubai. I have one hotel I use in London as well, and one in Vienna.

6. I have been known to go to a local mall and buy a thick yoga mat I can use to just sleep on the floor in a hotel room where the bed and sofa are gross.

This all sounds healthy.

[Anonymous]

Location, modern bathroom with shower (not bath with shower, or not only bath), no shower curtain, some seating in the room like sofa so can relax without sitting on the bed, prefer wooden floor as feels cleaner than carpet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*I swear I am otherwise a normal person, but I have a PHOBIA of hotel beds. As a child, I saw a horrifying investigation on TV in which a team went through hotel rooms (even in 5 star hotels) with a UV black light, and then identified the specific bodily fluids.

Nevertheless, I travel internationally dozens of times a year, so I have to find a way to sleep in hotel rooms.

This is what I look for:

1. Must be 4 or 5 stars and have top reviews on booking.com, which I have found more reliable than reviews on TribAdvisory.

2. No carpeting! Hardwood floors only.

3. I will actively seek a room with new looking furniture and a sofa long enough for me to stretch out on (not a 2-person sofa). If I can find this, I will bring my own plastic sheet, top sheet, and blanket, and sleep on that.

4. If no couch, I'm not happy, but will spread out my own plastic sheet, cover sheet, and blanket on top of the made bed and try to sleep that way.

5. There are a few places where I feel really comfortable and can sleep well. For example, there is one hotel in Dubai where I've stayed for several trips of about a month each. It's four stars only, but it was the top rated hoel on booking.com, and the five star hotel I originally booked into when I first went to Dubai was disgusting. So I go back to this hotel whenever I have to be in Dubai. I have one hotel I use in London as well, and one in Vienna.

6. I have been known to go to a local mall and buy a thick yoga mat I can use to just sleep on the floor in a hotel room where the bed and sofa are gross.

This is insane

[Anonymous]

Clean
Nothing broken
Real curtains (not the see-through sheer things)
Prefer carpeted floor
Free, good breakfast

[Anonymous]

Really clean with crisp sheets and nothing outdated, good air flow, some space. View does not always matter depending on location. Quiet with no annoying loud people next door. Free parking and WiFi. Really good free buffet breakfast.

[Anonymous]

Clean inside
I look for ratings on booking.com but they don't really paint a good picture. The last time we travelled, the pictures were all fine, the inside of the hotel room was fine but there were dumpsters in front of the hotel both days we stayed and the smell in the lobby was disgusting. For $350 a night for a an ordinary hotel I expected a bit more. I think it was a Holiday Inn. Two days later we sayed at another hotel on our way back home and it was night and day and cost half as much but it was the country side not city.

[Anonymous]

This is so interesting because I don’t care about the view at all. I’m only in the hotel room to sleep and shower anyway.

[Anonymous]

I don't get the view responses. If you budget $400 a night, you'd rather stay in a dumpier hotel with a better view than a nicer hotel where you can only get a parking lot view? I'm only in my hotel in the AM and night when I can't see a view.

[Anonymous]

I see some of you mention coffee maker.

How many of you use the in room coffee machine?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't get the view responses. If you budget $400 a night, you'd rather stay in a dumpier hotel with a better view than a nicer hotel where you can only get a parking lot view? I'm only in my hotel in the AM and night when I can't see a view.

Actually, yes assuming I am there more than 2 nights. I just have this thing about views and windows even if I am not there a lot. Just like I have to have a window seat on the plane. - OP