When you search for a place to stay on one of the big booking sites, they show you a long list of hotels and you might assume they're all more or less the same in their respective price categories. In reality, hotels are about half a dozen different products. A resort, a business hotel and a small boutique place will all rent you a bed, but each one is made for a very different kind of stay. Picking the right type of accommodation for your specific trip can make a much bigger difference to how comfortable you are than you might expect. If you book the wrong type, you might end up paying for a spa you never set foot in or trying to work at a desk that seems like it was just put in the room for decoration purposes.
Unfortunately, star ratings don't really help with this. Stars tell you something about the facilities a hotel has, but not much about its character. On top of that, the rating systems differ from country to country. A four-star hotel in one place could easily be a three-star somewhere else. So instead of sorting hotels by stars, it's a lot more useful to know the actual hotel types and the advantages and disadvantages each of them has.
Budget and economy hotels
The budget category covers everything from big international chains to simple independent hotels. What they offer is a clean room for a low price and this is where your expectations should stop. The chains are standardized on purpose, so you know exactly what you'll get in any city. Think of them as the McDonald's of hotels. You will get a predictable meal that will be filling and match a certain quality standard, but don't hope for anything more than that. That's why they work so well for one-night stops and short functional stays. The independent budget hotels vary a lot more, which can go in both directions.
This type is a good fit for trips where the hotel is only a base and you spend your days somewhere else. City trips on a budget, overnight stops on a road trip and short stopovers all work well here. It's worth checking the location and reading the reviews for cleanliness and noise, since that's usually where cheap hotels really differ from each other. Also keep in mind that extras like breakfast and parking are often charged separately in this category.
Business hotels
Business hotels are built for people traveling for work during the week. They arrive late, work, sleep and leave early the next morning. That might not sound very relevant if you're on vacation, but this hotel type can be a really useful tip for city trips. Business hotels are usually close to train stations, airports or city centers. They tend to run very efficiently, the internet is fast and reliable and the rooms are built to be quiet.
The most interesting part is how they price their rooms. Business hotels make most of their money from corporate guests during the week, so a lot of them lower their rates quite a bit on weekends. That's exactly when most leisure travelers arrive. As a result, a weekend in a well-located business hotel often costs less than a similar tourist hotel nearby. The downside is the atmosphere, since these hotels are dependable but usually not very charming. For city breaks, single overnight stays and anyone who needs to work along the way, they're often a very good choice.
Boutique and design hotels
Boutique hotels are small hotels with their own individual design and the character of the place is a big part of what you pay for. Rooms often don't look alike, they might have individual design themes and the building usually has some history. The staff tend to know the neighborhood well and are able to provide you with recommendations for things to do or restaurants. Many boutique hotels are in interesting and hip districts. The breakfast is also more likely to be homemade than a standard buffet.
This type of hotel is a good choice for romantic weekends, slow city trips or any vacation where a bit of character is more important to you than having a gym or spa in the building. Prices can vary a lot. Since every boutique hotel is different, reviews matter even more here than with the chains. It's worth reading a few recent ones and looking at the real room photos before you book.
Resorts
With a resort, the accommodation more or less becomes the destination. Pools, restaurants, sports, entertainment and sometimes even a private beach are all part of the property and the idea is that you don't need to leave. All-inclusive resorts also include food and drinks in the price. That makes the cost of the trip easy to predict and takes away a lot of small decisions during the day.
Resorts are a good fit for beach vacations, family trips where the kids' program is half the reason for going and any trip where you mainly want to switch off. There are better choices, however, if you actually want to explore the region. Most of the interesting places are then a taxi ride away and with so much going on at the resort, it can feel like a waste to leave. If you're booking all-inclusive, it's worth checking what exactly is included, because this can differ a lot from one resort to the next.
Luxury and full-service hotels
The classic upscale hotel gives you the full package, from a concierge and room service to a spa, several restaurants and staff who remember your name. What you're paying for is the level of service and how consistent it is. At the good luxury hotels, you can really see where that money goes.
Whether the extra cost is worth it mostly depends on how much of all this you'll actually use. That's a big enough question that we cover it in a separate guide on luxury stays. Whether you should splurge on luxury accommodation becomes a lot easier to answer in cheaper regions of the world. If a five-star hotel is the same price as your local roadside motel, you might as well go and spoil yourself a little if you're going on a trip to another continent.
Aparthotels and extended-stay hotels
Aparthotels are a mix between a hotel and an apartment. You get an apartment-style room with a kitchenette and more space, together with hotel services like a reception and cleaning. The extended-stay hotels of the big chains work the same way and they're usually cheaper per night if you book by the week or month.
This type is a good fit for longer city stays, workations and family trips where having a kitchen saves you money and you would generally like to have an alternative to eating out all the time. It's a good option if you like the idea of a vacation rental, but would still like a front desk to call when there is something you need. For any stay longer than a few nights, it's usually worth taking a few minutes to compare an aparthotel with both a regular hotel and a vacation rental.
Airport and transit hotels
Airport hotels are there for one thing. They give you a bed as close as possible to your early flight or late arrival. The good ones have soundproof rooms and a shuttle service. Some also offer day rooms for long layovers, which can make a long connection day a lot more bearable.
Of course, nobody really goes on vacation in an airport hotel. It makes sense to book one when your flight times require it. Just check whether the shuttle is included in the price.
Match the hotel to the trip
Choosing between these hotel types gets a lot easier if you have clarity on the overall theme of your trip. For a single night on the way somewhere, a budget or business hotel is usually enough. A romantic city weekend might be a good fit for a boutique hotel, while a beach week with the family often works best in a resort. If you're staying a month to work remotely, an aparthotel is probably the more comfortable option. Once you know which type you're looking for, the usual checks like the location, recent reviews and what's included will help you with the rest.
And if none of these types sound right for your trip, the answer might not be a hotel at all. Vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts and even glamping each have their own guides in our accommodation section, since sometimes the best place to stay isn't a hotel in the first place.
