Hotel Chain Hierarchy

[Anonymous]

Waldorf? Ritz? You have no 5 star hotels n your list.

Also, I assume this is domestic only...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also look for newer properties. Age is much more important than brand.

This!
I came here to write exactly this.

Lowest tier to middle tier, you’re safest bet is the NEWEST one you can find. Better carpet, tile, working bathrooms. Surfaces haven’t been as worn and/or have used more modern, practical materials.

Not as big of an issue with 4-5 star and up, but it can be an important factor too.

I’m talking a new Ramada may in fact be better than a pricey older Hyatt Place.

OP here. I agree but very hard to identify that.

You do not travel much do you? There are literally three apps on my phone that do just that.

[Anonymous]

The caveat to the new/class/etc is if the hotel allows pets. Stay away from all pet friendly hotels!!
Also this list is missing Kimpton

[Anonymous]

Nothing of this means nothing comes to the ranking.
A good hotel is a clean hotel and a dirty hotel is a bad hotel no matter the chain and stars.

I learned to book new clean hotels or just renovated ones. I just put my price range for the area, and call each hotel on the list and ask when the were renovated. If it is more then 5 years, off the list. The closer to now, the higher on the list.
I expect clean carpets, stain free walls and nice clean feel. Hotels are heavily used facilities and they can look run down pretty quickly.

I prefer higher end hotels so I would cut all the lower ones because not only the are not as nice but they are usually in iffy neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The caveat to the new/class/etc is if the hotel allows pets. Stay away from all pet friendly hotels!!
Also this list is missing Kimpton

Yes, that is true, any time we booked pet friendly we ended up with a room that has been heavily disinfected and sprayed and smelled horribly.

[Anonymous]

Seems odd you ranked lowest to highest yet you are missing all the best hotel brands - ritz, four seasons, Aman, mandarin oriental, st Regis, peninsula, rosewood, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also look for newer properties. Age is much more important than brand.

This!
I came here to write exactly this.

Lowest tier to middle tier, you’re safest bet is the NEWEST one you can find. Better carpet, tile, working bathrooms. Surfaces haven’t been as worn and/or have used more modern, practical materials.

Not as big of an issue with 4-5 star and up, but it can be an important factor too.

I’m talking a new Ramada may in fact be better than a pricey older Hyatt Place.

OP here. I agree but very hard to identify that.

You do not travel much do you? There are literally three apps on my phone that do just that.

Dp here. Can you share your apps?

I travel a lot and often do choose the newer hotel but I have to read through descriptions for age or when it was newly renovated. I use TripAdvisor, oyster, family vacation critic and conde west for ideas.

[Anonymous]

We always start with Holiday Inn Express, because they're almost always recently renovated and easy to find on a cross-country trip.

But I echo PPs who say to check TripAdvisor reviews. They'll tell you exactly when the hotel was last updated as well as any peculiarities about the property -- a big thing is any construction or other weirdness nearby that will disrupt your stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Waldorf? Ritz? You have no 5 star hotels n your list.

Also, I assume this is domestic only...

Fairmont?

Loews?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seems odd you ranked lowest to highest yet you are missing all the best hotel brands - ritz, four seasons, Aman, mandarin oriental, st Regis, peninsula, rosewood, etc.

OP said she's going on a road trip. While these hotels are nice, you don't usually find them on the side of the highway.

[Anonymous]

I had to stay at a Motel 6 a month ago in a tiny town in California because it literally was the only hotel there. Amex declined my credit card to pay, thinking it was stolen and I wouldn't be staying there. The clerk was so strung out it was frightening.

But the room was very clean, and it came with a free breakfast. Oddest experience ever. I can see why that hotel was at the bottom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of the lower end hotels really depend on when they were built. I've stayed at a brand new Comfort Inn that was probably nicer than most Sheratons (which tend to be pretty old). I would put them more in categories by what amenities they offer.

Also, if you're traveling with kids, I would almost always pick one of the lower end chains (Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, Towne Place Suites), because the rooms are often larger and they offer free breakfast and usually a pool. If I am with my husband, I would stay at a W or Westin where I care more about the room and hotel decor, and not so much the free breakfast.

+1. At this stage of my life, breakfast and pools are top priorities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Curious, we are doing a road trip and want to rank the various chains an how they compare on average, down to the brand.

Feel free to add or re-arrange to make the One List To Rank Them All

Lowest tier to highest
Motel 6
Super 8
Days Inn
Econolodge
La Quinta
Comfort Inn
Quality Inn
Ramada
Wyndham
Fairfield Inn
Hampton Inn
Spring Hill Suites
Holiday Inn Express
Best Western
Sheraton
Hilton Garden Inn
Crowne Plaza
Doubletree
ALoft
Courtyard
Townplace Suites
Embassy Suited
Residence Inn
Hilton Homesuites
Hilton
AC Hotels
Marriott
Hyatt
Westin
W

Craziest part- your list has 30 names on it. Marriott ALONE has 30 brands. 30!

https://skift.com/2016/09/21/every-one-of-marriotts-30-hotel-brands-explained/

Hilton has 16! IHG (Holiday Inn, etc) has 10.

In case you are wondering why there are so many brands:

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/why-do-hotel-companies-have-so-many-brands.html

+1.

[Anonymous]

I prefer smaller hotels like Kimpton or the Graduate. Also put Fairmont at the top of my list, although I’ve stayed in a couple of not great ones (e.g. Montreal). But my favorite mid range hotels are Hampton Inn and Residence Inn. I’ve stayed in some super nice ones, although agree that age of the hotel is the biggest variable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The caveat to the new/class/etc is if the hotel allows pets. Stay away from all pet friendly hotels!!
Also this list is missing Kimpton

Um, Kimpton is pet friendly. https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/content/us/en/promos/pet-friendly-hotels