Finding a place to stay in Europe or anywhere can be a challenge, especially if you are making your own lodging arrangements, which we like to do. But, one reason we have a challenge in finding a place to stay has to do with avoiding American chain hotels … not that there’s anything wrong with American hotels, we stay in American chain hotels all the time in the United States. But, why stay in an American hotel in Europe. Part of the experience of visiting Europe is staying in a European owned hotel. We are big fans of the European breakfast. [Just an aside, we don’t travel thousands of miles to stay in a hotel, but we do need rest after a day’s exploration.]
So, how do we pick European hotels?
- First, we check Frommer’s or Fodor’s [usually Frommer’s]. Frommer’s is not always 100% reliable. When we were in Lisbon, Portugal, both Dom Pedro and the York House receive 2 out of 3 stars. Dom Pedro deserved the rating, if not better, the York House did not. [The York House had character, history, and great food, just crummy rooms.]
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After checking Frommer’s or a similar travel site, we visit Expedia to read what other travelers have said about the hotel. Again, not all travelers are reliable, so we consider a “preponderance” of opinions.
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We tend to make reservations with hotels that have websites, but if the hotel does not have a site, it’s not the end of the deal. A hotel that does not have external photographs is probably not likely to get our money.
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We tend to make reservations through Expedia or Travelocity, but if we have to make reservations through the hotel, they have to have a secure site and accept credit cards. There are many hotels that take reservations through a non-secure site … no thank you. Our credit cards provide some relief if things do not work out.
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We also consider location. In Europe, public transportation is very reliable and extensive … unless there’s a strike, so you don’t have to stay in the center of the city or have a car. Just pick a location near a metro station.
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Services, such as a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, are important too. While we don’t necessarily prefer to eat lunch or dinner at a hotel restaurant, sometimes, it is necessary, and sometimes these restaurants have really good food. We like to stay somewhere where there is a staff to ask questions.
These are some of the criteria we use to select a hotel when traveling abroad and for the most part it has worked for us. We hope our luck continues for Europe 2008!
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