Hotel prices in most corners of the world are dropping, but people’s expectations, when it comes to hotel rooms, aren’t. Travelers don’t want to settle for less, even when only forking out bargain rates per night.
No matter what price I pay for a hotel room, here are 15 basics I want to look for before booking, certainly before returning again.
1. Clean, clean and then spotlessly clean.
2. Convenient location — If the hotel is in the city, easy access to public transportation; if people are driving, they want a secure and locked parking area.
3. A solid room door with a secure lock designed to minimize noise from other hotel guests.
4. Beds should have firm mattresses that don’t sag in the middle. Travelers want the equivalent of a Radisson’s sleep number bed or Sheraton’s Sweet Sleepers with duvets that aren’t threadbare.
5. A selection of pillows, but not so many that they end up on the floor. Hotels should ask clients what type of pillows they like.
6. Closet space to really unpack as if they’re staying for more than a night.
7. Good lighting.
8. An alarm clock, easy to set, that doesn’t go off by itself at 4 a.m.
9. A phone next to the bed and another unit on the desk. Of course, there should be voice mail.
10. Free WiFi
11. Sufficient, accessible electrical outlets. Who wants to climb on their hands and knees to plug in their electrical “musts.”
12. A television with a good selection of channels.
13. Sustenance basics: A coffee maker with a selection of different coffees and teas, a small refrigerator, perhaps a microwave?
14. An ironing board and iron. (Maybe a trousers’ press.)
15. Blackout curtains.
Karen Fawcett is president of BonjourParis.
Karen Fawcett loves to travel anywhere. Karen was a founder & president BonjourParis.com while living in Paris for more than 25 years. She has traveled across Europe and the rest of the world. She is now based in Washington, DC.
