Okay, I wouldn't say I travel as much as some road warriors, gone all week all over their territory. But I'm in a stretch where I'm staying in five different hotels over nine nights -- not the first of these in recent memory -- and I'm getting where I have a thumbnail list of what tells one "quality" hotel from another. And I think these distinctions are chain wide, so if say one Hilton does X, the next probably will, too. To save on lawyer fees, I'm not going to name a hotel when I'm giving a negative example; on the positive side, those who like what they see can start sending me checks. :)
Here are my criteria, in no particular order:
1. Size and thickness of towels.
I'm now in "advanced middle age," and am not as small as I used to be. Thus, a towel that does not go all the way around my waist AND have enough room to cinch is...well, an annoyance. So, yes, size does matter.
The next thing is that nothing is worse than being wet and having a (small) towel that is essentially as thick as toilet paper. If you are thinking you might need a second towel to finish the job, it's not thick enough. The current Radisson has done well on both.
2. Glasses made of glass.
This one is probably sketchier than the towel rule, but it makes a difference. Since I reuse my glass, a cup that is clearly "disposable" is suspect. It is one of those things that distinguishes chains -- it's surprising that chains who want to have a 3 star label and reputation put out these cheesy 10 ounce plastic cups. This Radisson has glass drinkware.
3. Bed.
Obviously? I like a firm mattress. I've just spent the last three night in chain hotels whose beds remind me of marshmallows. Of course the current Radisson has the sleep comfort bed (you know, where you set the firmness with a control, which we have on 75), which makes it top notch.
4. Pillows.
The best thing, maybe, about the Hilton chain is that they give you a selection of pillows. I like mine flat (goes with the firm of the mattress). Big, foamy pillows give me a neck crick. That's not a good memory to take away from a hotel. Give me a choice.
5. Wifi ease.
I can't tell you how many times I've spent lots of minutes, sometimes more & on the phone, trying to get Wifi access that I'm promised. I would claim that this about work, which I obviously travel for, but I think it's more about reproducing home conditions, where the wifi works well and constantly. How hard is it for a multi-billion dollar conglomerate to simulate that? But it's amazing how often passwords don't work, signals give out, or the sign in page doesn't pop up.
6. TV & channels
It's been a long time since I was in a room that didn't have like a 40" HD TV. But you'd be amazed at how often your choice of channels is limited -- far less than my cable company's basic package. The other night I wanted to watch *Justified* on FX and !!! the hotel didn't offer that station. Not like Fx is the 3rd Big Ten Network channel or something. You know how frustrating it can be to know the show and channel you want, be stuck in your room so you can watch it, and then...zip zip nada.
There's my list. Maybe I'll refine it someday. But now I'm on vacation and I can almost hear the sea lions calling me.
Standard in room refrigerators. Since i am a Pepsi product drinker and it seems that 99% of hotels have a deal with Coke. I like having a fridge to stash a couple of Dews in for the morning when i get up. Most of the Hiltons and Courtyard Marriots i've stayed at have all had a fridge in my room at no extra charge.
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