It can take a long time to find a hotel for your trip. I know. After nearly two decades of writing about California travel, I’ve done it more than most people. To save you time, I provide lists of recommended hotels for popular California destinations and give you practical guidelines on how to find them in smaller venues.
This is how I find a place to stay:
Choice of candidates
This is the most important thing to me: if a hotel has more than 20 TripAdvisor ratings and averages 3.5 or more (out of 5), it is probably acceptable. 4 out of 5 is better. I use this same limit in all price ranges because people have lower expectations for less expensive hotels and everything is equalized. However, it is not as simple as just looking at the averages. Here are some things to keep in mind: However, it is not as simple as just looking at averages.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
Stars are not the same as quality ratings. The stars are based on what the hotel offers: the more stars, the more things you will find, such as swimming pools and other services. However, they don’t reveal that the pool is poorly maintained, the carpets worn, or the beds lumpy.
Ratings cannot be trusted if there are less than 20 reviews. Disgruntled competitors, employees, and former employees can post comments, positive or negative, but there aren’t armies of them and they eventually get lost in the mainstream.
Even worse than bad reviews written for the sake of competition, some unscrupulous people engage in a form of extortion, posting bad reviews of properties and asking for money to remove them. It’s also worth noting that people are more likely to take the time to complain than to praise and that almost any place to stay and / or any traveler is going to have a bad day. This NBC News article has more tips for spotting a fake review.
Reading negative comments can give you an idea of the pitfalls. Low-rated individual reviews can reveal issues with the reservation system, specific wings or floors having issues, such as being too close to the dumpster or not yet being renovated, in an otherwise fine hotel. It can also reveal that 90% of visitors who give high marks like to party all night long, while the other 5% complain about noise. Knowing what to look for (and avoid) can be helpful.
A rating of “5” means different things, depending on the cost. If someone paid very little and got a clean room with comfortable beds and a hot shower, they can give a high rating. Conversely, if they paid a lot, they probably got more amenities, nicer rooms, a hot tub, and more attention from the staff, but if even the smallest thing went wrong, they’ll lower the rating a bit.
Making the cut: choosing a hotel
When I make a list of recommended hotels, I first sort them into price ranges. Often times, the list of contenders is still long. This is where the additional criteria come into play:
- Value for money: Among hotels with the same rating, lower average cost is better.
- Cleanliness – When all other criteria fail, cleanliness ratings can break the tie.
What is NOT on my lists is just as important as what is. If I find a hotel unacceptable, no matter how popular it is, I will not recommend it. If you look at a list and think I “excluded” or “forgot” a hotel, it is more likely that I will not be able to suggest that you stay there. It may be too expensive for your grades, it may have a big name and need renovation, or it may not be as clean as others in its class. Whether you still want to stay there is up to you, but keep an eye out for potential issues that could ruin your trip.
About the hotel comments
I do not recommend hotels that I have not slept in. A quick tour can’t reveal noise seeping through the walls in the middle of the night, lumpy mattresses, rude desk clerks, or that two-hour wait for room service. .
I don’t write hotel reviews. Instead, I include places that I like and would go back to other hotel reviews. I try to stay in interesting, individually owned or boutique hotels. I’m also looking for recently renovated, recently opened places that you may have heard of, but are too new to have garnered many reviews yet. That means you may not find big name chain hotels mentioned very often.
Hotels sometimes give me a free stay, which is common in the travel industry and allowed within the About.com ethics policy. Otherwise, I couldn’t afford to stay in some of them. I make it clear from the start that every property has to earn its rating and I always honor my obligation to you. I pay special attention to interactions between staff and other guests. I read all the negative reviews to find out what to look for. I look in every corner, under the beds and anywhere else that might be important.
You have the idea. You come first, whatever happens.
More: Easy Ways to Get a Good Rate | Get the best rate over the phone | Beware of hidden hotel charges
