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Interesting thread. The OP seems a little inexperienced and probably didn't do his research and is prone to exaggeration (as his other threads have shown) and was probably afraid to consider hotels outside the ubiquitous chains, but the topic is a worthwhile one.
Europe has a much broader range of hotels compared to the United States. In the US most hotels and motels are chains, owned by a corporation. Whereas for Europe my impression is that most hotels are privately owned by a family. A family owned hotel isn't necessarily going to have the resources for continual improvements to the rooms and the overall facility quality. Add to that in historic centers hotels are often in older buildings that are very expensive to maintain and have small rooms and idiosyncratic layouts. The scope for renovation is limited and requires substantial and costly interaction with the local bureaucracies. Plus, family owned hotels generally can't afford to shut down for a large scale renovation. Having said that, you just as easily find family owned hotels that are outstanding. On the whole, European hotels tend to be more idiosyncratic, but that's part of the charm for me. I generally prefer to stay in an older, historic building in a more central location even if it means sacrificing a few amenities such as an ice machine.
If you get outside the city centers you do find plenty US style hotel chains and motels. Large tour groups stay tend to stay there and are bussed into the tourist areas.
In all my years of travel in Europe I have stayed in a broad range of hotels and B&Bs. As with anywhere in the world it pays to do your research beforehand and read the reviews online (booking.com and trip advisor are good sources) before booking a hotel. If you're on a budget you will have to compromise on something, whether it's hotel quality or proximity to the tourist areas. However, $350 a night should get a comfortable and pleasant hotel room in just about anywhere in Europe, even London!
For those on a budget I've discovered it's probably better value to stay at a pension than a lesser quality hotel. Pensions do vary in quality but careful research will turn up excellent ones. Each city/region will have different tipping points where the value of spending extra money starts to decrease and there are places where $150 will get you a very comfortable room in a good family owned hotel or fancier pension, whereas $250 easily gets you a bog standard, uncomfortable generic hotel.
A good example is Vienna. We've stayed at the Le Meridien opposite the Opera House and it was fabulous. I think we paid $350 for the room. On another trip we stayed in a convent-run pension slightly further out, where the rooms were very basic, Ikea style, but light and airy, and we paid around $75 a night. The convent pension was much better value than the third hotel we stayed in Vienna, which was a fusty old fashioned hotel in the Inner Stadt and we paid $175 a night for that option.
American cities are much more disposable, and hotels fall into that paradigm along with everything else. If you get off the interstates, and go back go the old US highways, especially in rough neighborhoods, you will see hotels that are as scummy as anywhere in the developed world. I doubt people here, even the budget minded folks, stay at these places. I'm not at all fussy, but I certainly wouldn't. And the flip side is we also have an abundance of fresh, new places also. It's a trade off we make, rightly or wrongly. I also think that flat tvs, a/c and ice are very American things to expect. Maybe the French find the wine selection and access to public transit at your local hotel severely lacking as well. On the other hand, I haven't visited Greece and was unaware of the TP situation there. If that is true, I'll totally be the Ugly American and be horrified by that. Ick!
Paris was just one example. I have been to most of the major cities in Europe and did lots of research on the best places to stay but always come up short. Nearly every place ends up noisy, very expensive, two very hard single beds right next to each other and lacking in creature comforts us Americans enjoy such as a large HDTV, Ice Machine, Vending, Large Elevator, etc.
What on earth do you want a large HDTV for! youre on holiday! get out there and actually live the real life. And as for your statement about the elevators?? What has the size of the lift got to do with the quality of a hotel? Ive NEVER found a lift anywhere where its been so small I've had trouble getting in and out of it! lol. I think you may be better off holidaying in Disneyland next year :-)
Sounds to me like you should never leave America if you dont want anything thats different. Go to Colorado next time, be less bitter.
Ive been to several top hotels in Europe and never had to pay a price anywhere near what you paid in Paris. To me Hotels are a place to lay your head is all, who think of large TVs and such crap for a hotel room.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
On my last trip to Europe with a friend I loved my days traveling around seeing the sites and watching the people but the nights were hell! Why? The typical European hotel. So much $ for so little.
Paris was the worst. I LOVED PARIS during the day but at night I just hated being there. $350 a night for that hotel! OMG! Here was my beefs about the hotels in European Cities (especially Paris)
Small 100 Square Foot Rooms with my head inches from the hall way
Two super hard single beds right next to each other. It was basically like being in the same double bed. This made me and my male traveling companion very uncomfortable. I was so close to him! (I would have loved to be staying in a typical American hotel with two queen sized beds (softer mattress) with each bed 5 feet apart)
No Sound Proofing. I could hear everyone in the hall, in the elevator and outside.
Air Conditioning is only offered during the summer. Even though it was 90 degrees outside in the Fall.
Super Small Elevator
No vending and ice machine
Lights out in the hall and in the room unless I had the key in the slot.
I could go on and on.
These were not historic buildings but new construction.
When will European middle class hotels meet up with the 21st Century?
The hotels in Spain were just fine to me. No issue really. For one nice hotel, i just had to get used to the small shower door curtain which allowed water to get all over the bathroom floor. The bathroom floor had a drain but it didn't drain fast enough after my shower...lol...had to place towels all over the floor to soak up the excess water.
I hate to say this but there are some posts here that typifies the "Ugly American" perspective. Generally in response to everyone who complains about European standards, there's one thing you need to know...Europe is not America and American standards are not universal. Unless specifically keeping in mind design space, non-Europeans should keep in mind that in Europe a home or living space (hotel) is solely designated as a place to sleep and eat. Life takes place outside the home where as in America life revolves around the home and its ability to bring comfort and solace.
Surprise! Not every country in the world is based on capitalist consumerism, high prices are a norm in many places in Europe due to high taxes. Yes, there are some trains that you'll take (in Eastern Europe) that have a lever that you kick to "flush" (which in reality means the waste drops onto the tracks). Yes there are places where you need to throw your toilet paper away, it's not disgusting, it's just culturally different. There are plenty of Europeans who think that Americans who eat corn are disgusting as in some places it is considered only fit for pigs. There are plenty of Europeans who think it's disgusting that Americans don't use bidets.
Point being that things are different, experience culture and accept it for what it is, the norm of the local culture. Love or hate it just don't expect it to be like it is back home.
Moved from the US to Europe about six months ago and have traveled all over Europe with my wife. After staying in mostly 4-star hotels, with the occasional 3 and 5-star property, here are my impressions:
-If you're used to American hotels, subtract one star from a European hotel's rating to get a general idea of what kind of American hotel it would compare with.
-Specifically - European hotel rooms are smaller than their American equivalents. A European hotel is less likely to have in-room safes, iron/ironing boards, bathtubs (instead of shower), free parking, a swimming pool, and good-sized flat-screen TVs than an American one. I couldn't believe that our five-star hotel in Paris had no swimming pool and quite tiny standard rooms (still an outstanding hotel, very much enjoyed our stay). Some older European hotels still use keys, instead of key cards, and require you to leave the key in the lobby when you leave the hotel for the day. Some people may consider this a security concern, especially if the front desk staff slips away for frequent smoke breaks.
-On the other hand - European hotels are more-likely to have heated towel racks, bidets (especially in Italy), and good coffee in the rooms. Have stayed in hotels in Germany and Belgium that even included a free minibar, refilled daily - have never seen this in the US.
-Compared with hotels in most cities in the US, pricing of European hotels is more-sensitive to high vs low season and to location. If you are willing to take a 30 minute tram ride into the city center, or a 15-minute drive, you can find 4-star hotels for less than $60/night if you shop around and book early. That's usually what my wife and I ended up doing. It works quite well if you do some research on free/cheap parking ahead of time (have managed to find free parking in nearly all cities we've visited, even Amsterdam). We've spent more to stay in the city center a few times and generally haven't found it worth the extra expense.
-There is NO REASON that you shouldn't know what to expect ahead of time - just check tripadvisor to find reviews from a range of travelers, many of whom have American expectations of space/luxury for the price.
I couldn't believe that our five-star hotel in Paris had no swimming pool
It's not like nobody but billionaires have swimming pool in Paris. Space is much more expensive there than anywhere in the US. I'm sure some 5 stars hotels have swimming pool.. but their price is certainly 5 times higher as well.
To get 5 stars you only need to fulfil a certain amount of conditions, swimming pool is not one of them : Hotel rating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Which mean some 4 stars hotels may be much more enjoyable than some 5 stars.
On my last trip to Europe with a friend I loved my days traveling around seeing the sites and watching the people but the nights were hell! Why? The typical European hotel. So much $ for so little.
Paris was the worst. I LOVED PARIS during the day but at night I just hated being there. $350 a night for that hotel! OMG! Here was my beefs about the hotels in European Cities (especially Paris)
Small 100 Square Foot Rooms with my head inches from the hall way
Try doing mroe research, my last time there cost me 77 Euros a night, large room though i never cared for the size of the room.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
Two super hard single beds right next to each other. It was basically like being in the same double bed. This made me and my male traveling companion very uncomfortable. I was so close to him! (I would have loved to be staying in a typical American hotel with two queen sized beds (softer mattress) with each bed 5 feet apart)
You can move the beds you know... They will even move them for you.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
No Sound Proofing. I could hear everyone in the hall, in the elevator and outside.
As if hotels in the US are a beacon of quietness.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
Air Conditioning is only offered during the summer. Even though it was 90 degrees outside in the Fall.
Many hotels in the US are like this, same with getting heat. Many apartment buildings in the US are also like this, so this is hardly a "European" thing.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
Super Small Elevator
How big you need? A freight elevator?
Quote:
Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
No vending and ice machine
This is an AMerican thing; paying for voer-priced junk food out of a machine, as well as cramming ice into every little drink.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
Lights out in the hall and in the room unless I had the key in the slot.
Yes, it is called saving energy; again, many hotels in the US also do this.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
I could go on and on.
I am sure you could, not jsut about this, but seems with any subject; nothing ever seems to please you, you could find fault in a gold bar someone gives you.
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
These were not historic buildings but new construction.
And?
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Originally Posted by I'm Retired Now
When will European middle class hotels meet up with the 21st Century?
Given many hotels and apartment buildings in the US have the same issues...
Also, why would anyone care what the darn hotel is like? Are you there to see the hotel or the city/country? A bed and a shower is all that is needed.
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