I adore swanky hotels, for me travel is about the whole experience and starting the day off on the right foot. Where you open your eyes in the morning is just as important when you are away as when you are at home! I want the first thing I see in the morning to be something that inspires me - whether it be a gorgeous view or a beautiful room.
Kia
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Depends. Sometimes the hotel *is* the destination.

I would much rather save the money for sightseeing, eating out, etc. so I tend to opt for comfy B&B's or other mid range accomodation. That said, I no longer want to save money to the point where I stay in a youth hostel either.

Since we tend to go on holidays where there are lots of things to see and do, spending hundreds more just so the bed we sleep in is not only comfortable but also excessively stylish seems like a waste.

No doubt there is appeal in swanky hotels. But I am constantly reminded of this quote from the movie 'The Beach'....

"We all travel thousands of miles just to watch TV and check in to somewhere with all the comforts of home, and you gotta ask yourself, what is the point of that?"

My father always lived by the theory "Sleep cheap, eat well." I tend to follow his advice on this one. As long as the hotel is clean and safe, I go for the cheapest option. The only exception would be if it's a vacation where we will be doing a lot of hanging out in the room.

It depends on the purpose behind the trip. Sometimes it's all about the luxury, starting with the hotel. And sometimes it all about everything that can be seen and done outside the hotel :)

i enjoy swanky hotels

stephbolt- absolutely the best advice!

I looooooooove swanky hotels, but only stay in one if it is a) a romantic getaway, or b) PAID FOR BY MY EMPLOYER! Otherwise, put me in a decently clean motel and I am a-ok.

I used to work for this crazy lady who paid for me to stay in the most awesome hotels when we traveled, mostly because that's where she wanted to stay - for 4 years! She would also pay for all the room service and very expensive meals I ate with my husband. She was fired... and that perk left with her :( booooooooooo

I'll pay for location in a hotel (I want to be in walking distance of the destination's attractions, whatever they might be) but not much for amenities. I'll share bathrooms in B&Bs, sleep under ugly comforters and live without air conditioning but when I walk out the door I want it to be just a stroll away from awesome.

I'll even do private rooms in hostels if they have a great location. No multi bed rooms anymore though. That's one thing I'm glad to have grown out of.

all i need is a clean bed and a shower. it has always seemed pointless to spend exorbitant amounts of money on a place where you really should only be spending time to sleep. when i'm on vacation, i am ONLY in my hotel room to sleep.

as a result, i've always loved those shoebox/train car style hotel rooms that are about as wide as the bed. that's all i need!

I used to travel to the mountains of NC a lot to hike. My favorite place to stay was a small family owned motel. For $25 a night I got a room with a really nice bed and shower. That was all I needed. I've never found a more comfortable place to stay anywhere else.

I never stay in swanky hotels. I just can't justify the cost for a room that I only spend time in to shower & sleep. As long as it's quiet and in a decent area, I look for the cheapest accommodation I can.

I can't afford the swanky hotels, but I wouldn't want to stay in a motel, either. Camping could be a destination in itself, but if I'm going to stay in a hotel, I would choose a comfy, clean mid-range one, rather than a questionable low-priced motel.

Creative License: "Depends. Sometimes the hotel *is* the destination."

My thoughts exactly!

I can't really afford the swank. Clean and functional works for me. And, given the choice between a mid to low price hotel and a vacation rental apartment, we go for the rental, often for the same price or less. So much easier when traveling with kids who wake up with jet lag at 1 a.m. and want the dinner they slept through. We have found lovely places that allow us to get to know a neighborhood and give us the flexibility that we need. On trips in the U.S. in the summer though, we make sure to stay at a place with a pool because our kids love it and it helps them cool down and get tired enough to sleep well in a strange place.

@mitspeck- I really admire people who factor in even the smallest of their child's needs in everything they do. I look forward to being a parent one day, and having that kind of sensitivity.

In general, I'm a Starwood company girl pretty much all the way. I'm not sure what "swanky" really is in this conversation, but let's say I'm going Sheraton or Westin on sale rather than St. Regis. I think in certain areas of the world, staying in a quainter hotel in the heart of the city has its own charm. i once stayed in a small hotel in Italy that had beautiful mismatched furnishing, and served a full hot breakfast every morning- for what I'd pay to star in a Holiday Inn in a good location stateside and eat bagles. But when visiting Rome, I didn't have the same kind of luck, and ended up running to a more familiar chain hotel.

Another vote for nicer hotels: I have the unfortunate luck of having booked a trip a month ago to Ft. Lauderdale for this weekend. Hello, Bonny! And it's a beach front room, so I can watch my sun soaked weekend wash out. But at least this way I know that I am in an enjoyable hotel, in case it becomes "the vacation" for us.

Oh, this is SO apropos today! My husband stayed in one of Conde Nast's Top 100 hotels this week; he didn't pay for it, he was on the film crew of the Tim McGraw/Gwenyth Paltrow film that was shot in Nashville. Anyway, the Hutton Hotel in Nashville is super swank and aesthetically pleasing but the service was AWFUL and they made you pay for EVERYTHING...even though my husband's room was paid for by the production company they charged his (our) debit card for 200.00 for incidentals, and it's still frozen our account for that much! When we've stayed in less fancy, mom and pop type deals they haven't done anything like this - but I understand with swanky hotels it's a common practice. Now, he's off to Mississippi for another film shoot and the card will probably be declined at the NEXT hotel for THEIR incidentals because of this charge from swanky Hutton Hotel (which he didn't use any incidentals, they said they refunded it but it hasn't shown up yet...). Oh, and you had to pay for coffee, but not for wine. What.the.hell. I guess there were lots of problems and the production office was pissed about erroneous parking charges (they charge you 20.00 for regular parking a day and 24.00 for valet - huh?).

So if you're on a budget, or rich and care about where your money goes, you're better off at a clean little mom and pop place. Who cares about swank when they're fleecing your bank account or credit card?

I've only stayed in a couple swanky hotels, and in general I don't think they're worth it unless the hotel itself is the location (like directly on a beach, or some such.) I also hate daily maid service - it feels like an invasion of privacy to me.

To me, staying somewhere encapsulated and ultra comforting shields you from the real experience of where you are. You're getting the polite, polished, dressed-up in Sunday Best version. I'm always want the real.

One of my favorite experiences was staying in a VERY modest one room cabin with an outdoor bathroom on what used to be a nudist colony. The property was loaded with fruit trees- banana, avocado, mangos...not to mention JADE VINE (!!!!) and Night Blooming Jasmine.

It was in the middle of the jungle and the night sky was SO dark that my eyes never quite adjusted. There were all kinds of noises- geckos chattering, rats scurrying across the roof, wild pigs rooting. But the best part was the sound of the waves crashes and whales singing you to sleep.

No swanky hotel could EVER capture that.

cdanojohnson: you are so right about upscale hotels fleecing you for every little thing. I can't imagine why I'd want to stay at a Hyatt or a Hilton and pay for valet parking, internet, and everything else, when I can stay at a La Quinta and get free internet, free parking, and free breakfast.

i don't sweeping rules, but i do think each choice should be justified. two of my most memorable holidays were:

1. free camping for two weeks on the tiny island of gavdos, south of crete.

2. a luxurious stay at an astounding [-ly expensive] hotel on santorini with a glorious view of the volcano.

each trip was memorable for what it was.

The hotel is a big part of vacationing. I would much rather stay in a nicer place and do less expensive activities, window shop, spend less money on food (especially during the day), etc.

It depends on the place I'm traveling. As someone posted above, sometimes the hotel is the destination. Last year I went on vacation to the Smoky Mountains - we rented a decent cabin literally on a mountain...and spent some days out and other days in. I loved having a kitchen where I could do some of the cooking so we'd at least partially be eating more healthy. Other times I barely plan to be there so I'll get whatever is a decent price that also doesn't look like a shack - in example, traveling to an area with shopping centers and amusement parks. I'm barely going to see the room, so as long as the bed is comfy and it looks safe I'll stay there and save money!

Two years ago, my parents, best friend and I traveled to the Netherlands - I let Dad select the lodgings in Amsterdam and I chose for Rotterdam.

When I arrived at the place in Amsterdam it was on Damrack, just off the RLD: The entrance was through a restaturant - I had to schlep my own luggage upstairs - and the first room I was given felt like a jail cell facing the bottom of an airshaft. I moved to another room on the attic floor which had huge gaps in the floorboards and sewerage smells coming up through the drains in the bathroom due to a lack of proper venting, no TV and no A/C. There were rats in the restaurant, it was dank & noisy - needless to say I became sick and miserable - but there wasn't anything we could do as Dad had prepaid.

I finally got well enough to leave for Rotterdam - The driver loaded up our piles of luggage and we all enjoyed a drive through the countryside and some time at the windmills in Kinderdijk...
...when we reached our hotel in the garden district of Rotterdam that afternoon, we all stepped from the Mercedes into the cool, modern and spacious lobby of the Bilderburg Parkhotel following two porters pushing the carts piled high with the luggage - and behind me, I heard my normally-reserved Mother say "Thank God".

Oh Yes, It Matters!

Jealous, here! I have traveled very little, and the few hotels I've stayed in were merely places to sleep, so as long as they had the basics, I was satisfied.

However, one shock as a novice traveler was the differences in "4 and 5 star" hotels elsewhere in the world. Stateside, I'd never consider one in that range -- I kind of think I know what to expect, and how much money it would cost. But I saw a solar eclipse in Libya a few years ago (packaged tour), and the "5-star" hotel we stayed in had ONE towel for TWO people for Two nights, a rickety shower, lighting that didn't work properly, no toilet paper, and other drawbacks. (Of course there WAS that huge portrait of Khadaffi in the lobby to distract you!)

"Swanky" that surely was not! (Eclipse in the Sahara was pretty cool, though!)

Recently, I've stayed at two mid range (a Hampton Inn and a Fairfield) and a Hilton, and I have to say that I prefer the mid range for the free internet, free breakfast, and just as comfortable bedding. I was at the Hilton because I was accompanying my mom to split driving time (she was going to a convention, and it's much easier to stay in the same hotel that the convention is) and I probably wouldn't go back.

Cheap for me, my room is just to sleep in since the day is spent outside of the room. As long as it's clean and decent and in a good location I'm satisfied. Sometimes I pay a little extra for hotels that offer extra conveniences like a microwave and fridge in the room and hot breakfast but that's pretty much it.

Why waste money on a swanky hotel when you can go "glamping" or stay in a yurt?

:P

It really depend on where and the purpose of the trip.
When I go to Lake Tahoe for a ski trip and just need a place to stay overnight, sure I'll go for a cheaper option.

If I'm going to a place for several consecutive nights, I do think going for more comfort is valuable.

That being said, I generally avoid motels because I'm a slight germophobe... I cannot sleep well in a run-down motel because I always think there're bed bugs crawling all over me during the middle of the night. Of course that's all in my head, but for my sanity, I usually stay away from motels.

@SherryBinNH - I'm laughing because you've traveled very little, but you've been to Libya!!!!!!

Unfortunately I stay in hotels too often for work. I've stayed in rooms that the nightly cost was more than my monthly rent on my Manhattan apartment down to a shared room hostel. At this point I find all hotel rooms to be rather the same just a difference in the sheet/towel quality. When on vacation I tend to like smaller and must be within walking distance if in a city. However, our tradition is to spend the last night on an expensive dinner and hotel, go home early so that you are ready for the plane ride in the morning. That being said a private pool with your suite in Thailand is awfully nice.

I never pay for a "swanky" hotel with my own money, but I will stay at them when my employer pays (and sometimes my employer does). I have mixed feelings about them and tend to judge them on the way they render services and the experience I have there as a guest, rather than on the decor or status. Certain hotels are excellent at protecting guests' privacy and efficiently and discretely making them comfortable by catering to their expectations as individual people. Everything is effortless and seems to work as by magic. They offer exemplary service in a very low-key manner. They deeply understand how to render that old fashioned kind of quality customer service that you seldom see anywhere anymore. Other kinds of "swanky" hotels seem more based on having ultra-trendy decor and a crass appeal to a gratuitously conspicuous consumption type of lifestyle. I hate these kinds of swanky hotels. I'm not one of the "beautiful people" types staying there to be 'seen' and I don't like all those signs sitting around telling me how "special" I am or the presumption that I need their staff to bow and scrape in order to feel that I have received good service.

my partner and i vacation going by the "cheap-cheap-splurge" principle - the first three nights are affordable and the last night might be swanky. the key word is VALUE.

KWorld: Which hotels have been the best at providing that type of service, in your opinion?

(@bepsf - Oh my, the Damrak = the worst. I used to work for the Amsterdam Tourist Office and made a point of steering everyone away from the Damrak accommodations. Except the the two 4* hotels almost on Dam Square, they are all dives, dives with snazzy Internet sites. Bah. Amsterdam DOES have some totally wonderful hotels, though, just not on that particular thoroughfare.)

On husband's and my trip to SE Asia last year, we alternated picturesque little guest houses, inns, one youth hostel (double room), a couple of 4* hotels with great rates, and, on the last night before our flight home, 5* luxury. It was a treat, the Pan Pacific in Singapore, but I think we appreciated it even more because it hadn't been "the rule".

When we travel, we prefer to rent vacation homes or condos, but IF we have to stay in a hotel, we really enjoy the rather swanky ones. It gives me the creeps when I have to stay in a cheap, ugly place. Ugh! I rather eat nothing than stay in a hotel I'm not comfortable with.

As long as it's clean, I don't care how swanky it is.

Sleeping cheap is my mantra, but only so long as I'm guaranteed a restful, clean place to stay. I spent two nights on a recent trip to SF in a room at a hotel where the air was like choking on molding cigarette butts. They could not move us to a non-smoking room.

At some point I emptied about half a bottle of Febreeze in the room just so I could breathe without gagging. We slept with the windows open, and it was COLD.

I'd rather use the money to enjoy the destination, but I want to be rested enough to enjoy my travels!

Depends. I sometimes stay in luxury hotels, and I sometimes stay in hostels. It really depends on my destination. If I can't afford anything more, hostel it is, as long as I can get a private room and a clean bed. If it is a boring city I am heading to out of family obligation or some kind of wedding or something, or if it is just a weekend trip it is all about the luxury.

I don't require swanky hotels, but I require a good bed, a good bathroom, and at least one window that opens and am willing to pay for it. I have stayed lots of places that had neither and it definitely affected my trip.

Most of the time when I am traveling, I'm going to see stuff. Not hang out in a room. But, on the other hand, on our honeymoon when the point was to do a lot of hanging out in the room and relaxing, we splurged on a nice hotel/resort. Otherwise, I'd much rather spend the money on quality restaurants!

I LOVE swanky hotels but it all depends on the location. If I am holidaying in a city I will try to stay in the cheapest & cleanest hotel possible, I won't be spending much time in the hotel & the standard city hotels don't do it for me - they all look the same and you never use the luxury facilities anyway. If I am going to a remote location, sometimes it almost becomes ALL about the hotel, there are some amazing luxury retreats out there which are destinations themselves.