rankourabu

If I flew for work, I could understand the appeal of a chain hotel (and loyalty) - especially if you are unfortunate enough to spend a 100+ nights domestically within the US in a hotel.

I stay in hotels about 50-80 nights a year on vacation. I cant imagine being "loyal" to a chain, and base our travels based on where there is a Hyatt or worse, a crappy Sheraton.
In addition, outside of the US and Canada, chains are extremely overpriced compared to local options (as mentioned in the OP), which in most cases, are better than the chains anyway. You can (by simply paying for it) get a nicer room, and all the "elite" perks of a chain, for a lower price at an independent 4*/5* hotel.

I do occasionally make use of my Marriott/Carlson status, especially within the US, but only because those statuses are free.

dulciusexasperis

Lots of interesting comments on both sides of the fence. I don't have anything against chains and do stay in them when on a road trip in N. America. I couldn't live in a Hampton Inn as one poster says would be OK, but I could probably live in a Marriott Residence Inn for an extended period of time. My wife, sister-in-law and myself stayed in one which had 2 separate bedrooms, a living room with fireplace and a kitchenette. Located right on the lake. Residence Inn Gravenhurst Muskoka Wharf - Guest Reservations

I'm not an AirBnB fan at all, in fact I am 100% against using them, primarily because of their unethical business model. They knowingly allow illegal rentals to be listed and hide behind their lawyers and say, 'we are only a listing site and not responsible for what is listed.'

I agree with the comment regarding UK B&Bs. Quality varies tremendously with there being a lot of low quality examples. It's ironic that the birthplace of B&Bs has some of the poorest example in the world. I avoid them and look for smaller hotels. Here is an example: The Woodside Hotel - The Woodside Hotel, Aberdour, Fife hotel rooms, wedding venue, restaurant, function suite & venue hire Coincidently, this hotel and the first one I linked in the OP, share the same birthdate, 1873. The Woodside is a half hour by train from Edinburgh city centre and with much more reasonable prices. The village it is in, Aberdour, is a nice little seaside village with a period train station. http://c8.alamy.com/comp/DF46A4/aber...and-DF46A4.jpg I can assure you it is far nicer to stay there than in the Sheraton in Edinburgh, I"ve done both. One you feel you are in Scotland, the other you could be anywhere.

Regarding Holiday Inn and Gulf Oil, yes I remember that now that you bring it up cblaisd. Then of course came along Howard Johnson's which captured the vote of my Brother and I as they had their attached restaurants with 28 flavours of ice cream. 28 FLAVOURS! That got our attention at age 10-12. I switched my attention to girls by the pool at age 13.

I think there is a place for both chain and non-chain hotels. My OP was just about not developing tunnel vision in the pursuit of Loyalty Points when there might be a more unique hotel that would appeal to you if you took the time to look around. For those who do like to find more unique hotels, it would be interesting to see some of your finds. So add a link and let us see what you have found. Here is one of our favourite finds: Château Eza - Hotel Chateau Eza | Eze Village | Site Official | Cote d?Azur Found in the days before the internet when it was not so easy to do.

The internet like everything else has its pros and cons but in terms of travel and finding hotels, it is definitely a plus for the traveller. Nowadays, almost every hotel, hostel, B&B, etc. has its own website making it easy to search out some little gem. Here is another of our 18th century favourites: Hotel Tamaro Ascona Switzerland | Official Site | Piazza Ascona Lake Maggiore

And for those who dislike B&Bs, here is a 17th century B&B to consider. They rent only one room, it is in the turret on the left in the picture. https://www.sawdays.co.uk/france/pic...=1&term=France Here's a better photo. Not your average B&B is it and yet it is available at an average B&B price of from $85 USD per night. http://frenchbattlefields.com/blog/w...-la-Quincy.jpg

darthbimmer

I try to avoid having tunnel vision in all areas of life, hotel choices included. In many parts of the US, though, local markets are so dominated by chain hotels that know I'll pretty much end up at one anyway. Thus often I simplify my search by looking at what's available from HH, MR, and IHG. These are brand families I've chosen over time because I like the standards of what they offer. Perks and points in their loyalty programs are a small benefit that helps tilt the decision when price and quality points are otherwise close to equal.

dulciusexasperis

What part of that do you think doesn't apply to everyone else CPRich? Which part of it do you think is only provided by chain hotels?

I want to spend the least amount of time in an independent hotel, for the same reasons as you do in a chain hotel and yes they give me a free breakfast as well. But what you seem to not be considering is that you do have to spend time in the hotel. If it really didn't matter what the hotel was like, then why not just stay in the cheapest hotel you can find? If you have to spend time in a hotel, then does it not make sense to spend that time in the nicest hotel you can find within your budget constraints? There is no logic in saying that spending as little time as possible in the hotel is a reason to pick chain hotels over independent hotels. The only logical argument that spending as little time as possible in a hotel might support is that you should stay in the cheapest hotel possible. One star with a clean bed, why pay for more?

As an example, if you were to decide to visit Davos, Switzerland in June, you could stay at the Hilton Garden Inn. See here: Hilton Garden Inn Davos - Guest Reservations Or you could stay at the first hotel I linked in my OP. See here: https://bellevuewiesen.com/hotelbell...llevue-wiesen/

Take a look at the photo galleries for both. The location of the hotels is not comparable. One on a busy main street next to a supermarket, in the city and the other in a quiet mountain village with great scenery all around you and visible from almost every window. The Hilton will cost you more. The rooms are quite comparable. The Hilton is large, cold and impersonal, the other has only 21 rooms and if you stay more than one night, you will actually get to know the staff and get personal service.

Consider just this alone in terms of the time you have to spend in the hotel CPRich. In the HIlton, you will probably sit here to have a drink after you return from a day of hiking in the mountains.

In the other you will probably sit here:

Now you tell me which you prefer during the time you have to spend in the hotel.

Proudelitist

Chain hotels depress me. They remind me of that soul-less corporate landscape those of us who travel for work must endure day to day. I absolutely avoid Hamptons, Hilton Garden Inns, etc for their lack of imagination and their cookie cutter feel.

HOWEVER, as a points hound I seek out properties they own that are different. Marriott has some resort properties too. So staying at the Marriott resort near Garden of the Gods is nothing like staying at one in some uban sprawl exurb.

Funny you say Holiday Inn. I find that THEY are the ones that have the most variation between properties now..from 1970's hangovers to very chic style properties and everything inbetween.

And I also Airbnb with foreign travel when I can.

dulciusexasperis

That is all I am suggesting to people darthbimmer, that they avoid tunnel vision. I agree that in N. America there is little real choice unfortunately but that is not the case everywhere. I just think that sometimes we may not be aware that there are better options sometimes. I think the two photos I just added above are a perfect example of that.

Beltway2A

This is my go-to option when my preferred chains are too expensive or it's an extended stay. An AirBnB in/near the city center can be a great way to achieve some consistency while saving some money. I don't suppose I have anything against independent hotels per se, but they also offer me nothing that my chain or an AirBnB can't get me.

darthbimmer

In the US there are a few kinds of places where I routinely look beyond chain hotels. One of them is areas of great natural beauty. Independent hotels are often built to offer unique views that cookie-cutter chain brands often ignore, as in the comparison pictures you posted. Of course, independent ownership is no guarantee of a great view. There could just as easily be an independent hotel downtown in an unremarkable business area catering to travelers who want to minimize travel time, while a hotel atop the hill has joined one of the franchisors. Travelers must always look at what's on offer without carrying overriding preconceptions about whether name brands are good or bad.

MSPeconomist

To me, often the hotel is an important part of the travel experience. Nevertheless, the OP should be aware that many current chain hotels are not your father's (or grandfather's) chain hotels. For instance, Starwood LC properties are unique, plus SPG partners with Design Hotels now. In addition, we could ask what the OP considers to be a chain. For example, what about Relais et Chateaux, Leading Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels, Romantik Hotels, paraders, chains like Peninsula and Raffles, or even the FHR and Virtuoso programs? Very few top hotels today are genuinely independent.

While I hate cookie cutter consistency, in some parts of the world brand standards can be reassuring, especially regarding cleanliness, safety, and food hygiene. Front desk staff are more likely to speak English and you have recourse to the chain if problems arise that cannot be resolved locally. It's also convenient to book through a chain website and get a standardized confirmation with standard terms for cancellations etc. clearly stated.

I don't go out of my way to collect hotel points, but they can be useful, especially when you're facing high rates for your travel dates. However, I greatly value top tier elite treatment at hotels, including suite upgrades, guaranteed late check out, lounge access, and sometimes free breakfast. For this reason, I increasingly seek out unique chain properties such as those in SPG's LC rather than first checking what's available through FHR or LHW.

darthbimmer

Unique chain hotels are not limited to the upper echelons. In many places lower- and mid tier independent hotels have joined franchised brands for the benefits they offer-- primarily in greatly increased profile among travelers. For example, a few months ago I traveled to Estes Park, CO outside of Rocky Mountain National Park. Many independent hotels I remember seeing on a visit years ago are now affiliated with brands such as Best Western and Quality Inn. I considered carefully a few still-independent properties before ultimately booking with a brand named property that seemed to offer better consistency in hard and soft product than the indies.

lhrsfo

Fsulaw1

polkacat

Pretty much the same. I stay in chains for business trips and usually for U.S. personal trips, if I'm not staying with a friend or family. In Europe, I tend to prefer the non-chain hotels for the personal/local experience and generally lower rates. I've stayed in some amazing local hotels!

beachmouse

Same here. When we moved to Florida in the 90s, we rented down at the beach fro a couple years and discovered the fundamental incompatibility between vacationers who wanted to loudly party until 2:00am out by the pool and those of us who had to get up at 6:30am to go to work. When we bought a house, it was in an area where short term rentals were specifically excluded.

I actually find sorting by chain to be useful in big cities- it's a quick and easy cull to go from 2000+ options to a nice list of 20 or 50 or so that will give me a decent variety in terms of price and location. And if that first list doesn't seem to have any winners, I'll move on to the next chain and see how those options look. But then I'm most interested in clean, quiet, and refurbished in the past 5 years or so and am trying to screen out properties that think that mold and mildew are a part of a property's character.

I'm also digging the rise of the nicer extended stay or aparthotel chain property- reliable, generally quite new, and with a proper hotel front desk while giving more space than a standard hotel room and the kitchen area gives you proper plates and cutlery to use to eat your take out food. And if I can get a free week at a Staybridge Suites in London or Adagio in Paris because of loyalty points, it's even better.

MojaveFlyer

As said up thread, many of the former mom and pop motels have been bought by the big chains. So it helps to look at a photo of the property - if it looks like the standard chain motels, it is. Best Western is a good example where there are a chain style properties and any number of semi-independent properties each with their own architecture, room layout, and style.

That being said, for work, on someone else's dime, I usually just stay at a convenient chain with preference for one from which I collect points or have status to get an upgraded room. In Europe of course it almost always non-chain hotels as that is what is available. I always have a bit of doubt in one, but then I've always been happy.

For family travel, we tend to go with non-chain motels, with emphasis on relatively low cost. We are outdoors people and generally don't care too much where we sleep as long as it is quiet and has fridge and microwave. We've done vrbo and were happy with that, but the motel search is so much easier now with sites like tripadvisor. You have to sift through the reviews but it can be well worth it. Just a few weeks ago we stayed in a real nice 6 unit motel near Joshua Tree, in a room with a really nice kitchen, that I never would have even found much less chosen without the chance to read reviews.

Lately I have also started using extended stay hotels for both work and leisure. I prefer not to eat out, as I'm working on weight control, and it's very helpful to know just how a kitchen will be stocked and how big a fridge you'll get.

I've also had some really nice family stays in higher grade hotels - Andaz near Liverpool St Station comes to mine as heavenly - using those points from the boring chains.
In other words... a mix and a bunch of work to go off-chain, but often worth it.