Originally Posted by
littlesheep
I like new, updated, and modern, and dread oldish, dated and stuffy. Anything that says Best Western or Holiday Inn falls into these categories in my mind but I could be completely wrong about them. That's sort of what I was trying to get at.
Okay, that's a fair point.
You had most of the usual suspects within the range in your original post. A handful of thoughts on that list:
- It's good to include Wingate in your consideration. A lot of FTers overlook it because it's one of the higher end brands in a portfolio (Wyndham) that includes a lot of lower end stinkers.
- Quality Inn, as others have noted, varies a lot in quality from one property to the next. Comfort Inn & Suites is in the same portfolio (Choice Hotels) and is more reliable.
- Be aware that The Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express are separate brands within the same portfolio (Intercontinental). Holiday Inn is hit-or-miss but Express is fairly consistent and a real competitor to Hampton Inn and Courtyard.
- Don't dismiss Best Western as a brand. They don't seem to get a lot of love here on FT, probably because their rewards program doesn't seem that great, but the few times I've stayed at BW I've been pleasantly surprised.
- Add Hyatt Place to your list. It's a limited service, extended stay kind of place offered within the otherwise upmarket Hyatt portfolio.