I don't know why so many of you are down on HI reviews on TA? We stayed at a HI in Brighton MI (not a luxury hotel anywhere near there) last year on the basis of good TA reviews - and found the reviews were "spot on".

Another area where TA is frequently useful is its demolition of some well-known supposedly luxury properties (on the basis of reputation) which have creaky/moldy/smelly/etc. rooms. The pictures (which I like) tell the story.

That said - my own personal planning is kind of in an (agreeable) rut these days. Most of my travel is to major or minor metro areas - and I stick to luxury chain properties if available. Many cities only have 1 luxury chain property - and I will stay at that property if it allows smoking (either in my room or on a balcony). If there is more than 1 luxury chain property - I will only consider the properties that allow smoking - and it is usually hard to come up with more than 1. I suspect I might have a harder time picking a room in Tokyo today than I did 3 years ago - but - 3 years ago - there wasn't much to choose from.

So - as you might guess - for the most part - I wind up staying at FS properties.

I used to subscribe to the Hideaway Report (AH) ages ago (like 20+ years ago). Got one or two decent ideas (like the Point when it was an infant). And an equal amount of duds. Cost maybe $50/year then. I certainly wouldn't pay for it now (at least if your subscription prices are correct). For the same $50 that I spent then - you can subscribe to Vanity Fair - Harpers Bazaar - Vogue - Gourmet Magazine - etc. (don't think any costs me more than $12/year) - and they always have articles about new/trendy places (which are not always places I care to visit - but they make for some interesting reading). I also like reading Departures (get it from a neighbor with whom I share magazines). There are special interest magazines too - like Travel & Leisure Golf (which I get for free - if you play golf - you can probably get it for free too).

FWIW - I always decide where I want to go first - then I decide where to stay. Robyn