Originally Posted by
Badenoch
Independent hotels are off my list unless recommended by someone I know who has stayed there. Anonymous on-line reviews are too easy to manipulate. I've stayed at places with horribly reviews that weren't bad and vice versa.
Holiday Inn used to have a motto, "No Surprises" which continues to apply to most chains. No surprises either pleasant or unpleasant is acceptable. I know what to expect and generally get something close to it.
A reasonable approach if what you're looking for from travel is "no surprises".
For business travel, that's exactly what I'm looking for and I use chains because between the hotel and the office, location and charm doesn't really matter that much to me. I'm going to work. Could be anywhere.
For leisure travel, I
want surprises. I want to get lost, try hole in the wall restaurants, happen upon a festival or road rally. I would never choose a chain hotel for leisure travel. Too predictable and frankly indistinguishable from one another. Could be anywhere.
Boutique independents for less than three nights, short term rentals for longer stays.
It can be dicey if you don't know what you're doing. But learning how to select these sight unseen without getting burned or disappointed is a skill I've cultivated and it's worked for me over two decades of world travel. I'm actually proud of being able to do this. And it also makes even the simple act of arrival a bit like opening a wrapped present.