Pros/Cons of Staying in a Hotel on Vacation

St. Ermin’s Hotel

Where you stay can make or break your vacation.  We once stayed in a hotel in NYC that placed  earplugs on the nightstand because of its loud neighborhood. When planning your trip, the first decision is should you stay at a hotel, all-inclusive, or rent a place.  Today we’ll focus on hotels, so let’s start by breaking down the reasons why you should or should not stay in a hotel:

PROS OF STAYING IN A HOTEL:

NO COOKING

YES!!! Cheers break out from moms everywhere!! Even on vacation parents do not get a vacation from being a parent.  The advantage of having a hotel room is you can’t cook…not even if you wanted to! Don’t get tricked into getting a room with a kitchenette or you may as well put your apron on.

HOUSEKEEPING

 A week of not making beds or vacuuming sounds like heaven to me.  Leave the housekeepers a big fat tip because they deserve it.

CONCIERGE

 I love to plan my trips in advance but there are always problems that can pop up that the concierge can solve. If you have a sick kid they can find you a doctor, if a rainy day means you can’t go to the zoo they can find you an indoor activity, and if you need a restaurant recommendation they can point you towards the best one. Once you’ve booked your room, you can contact them and start your planning.

SAFETY

 Some rentals can be in residential areas and may not have good security.  I always feel safer at a hotel than a rental, especially if I’m traveling alone with the girls.

AMENITIES

 Some hotels have gyms, spas, restaurants, bars, golf courses, libraries, or indoor pools.  Don’t just use a hotel for a place to sleep, make sure you make it an experience.

PACKAGES

Some hotels can get you a good deal on rental cars, airfare, and discounts to local attractions.

REWARDS PROGRAM

The more nights you stay at certain hotels, the more points you can accumulate.  You can turn those points in for free hotel rooms.  Also, depending on the status of your membership you can get free perks such as room upgrades, ­­­­gift cards, and travel packages.  We try to book with a Marriott hotel when we travel.

ROOM SERVICE

 Don’t feel like getting out of your PJ’s to get breakfast?  No need…you’re on vacation…let the food come to you!

CONS OF STAYING IN A HOTEL:

TINY SPACE = LOTS OF BICKERING

My family likes to have our space…actually we NEED to have it. When we are confined to a small area we become caged animals.  Make sure you check the square footage of your room.

NUMBER OF KIDS

 My friends that have more than two kids sometimes have a hard time finding a reasonably priced room because they need a suite or adjoining rooms.  In Europe they would not allow any cots in standard rooms and were extremely strict about the number of people that can stay there.  I read many reviews where people were turned away for trying to sneak in a toddler.

OUTDOOR SPACE

 If you want to let your kids run around to get some fresh air, you’ll need to search for a hotel that has a courtyard or some sort of grassed area. This can often be hard to find.

CLEANLINESS

You expect your room to be perfectly clean but that’s not always the case.  You sometimes find a little more than a mint on your pillow…ugh.  I hate thinking about the amount of people that have slept in the bed and what has gone on in them…no amount of bleach is enough.

After weighing the pros and cons, it’s time to decide of a hotel is the right choice for you.  But before you book anything, you may want to wait until Wednesday when we’ll talk about the pros and cons of renting a place.