Whats your booking killer?

[offshore171]

Main showstopper for me is a location that is not near public transport connections such as a metro station.

Other thing that makes me look elsewhere is when they use excessive "drip pricing". They advertise a low price, but then have a bunch of mandatory other fees such as "resort charge", mandatory gratuity, etc etc, that they drip feed during the booking process and then you end up at a price that just balloons out.

Drip pricing is now banned in Australia I think? Or at the very least the ACCC aggressively monitors it.

Out of interest, what's the background to those saying they can't cope with anything less than a king sized bed? I've seen Americans complain about this on sites like tripadvisor, but rarely anyone else.

 

[nickykim]

As someone whose stays are usually in more moderate hotels/B&Bs - I have a look at trip adviser reviews and the three types of comments that would make me say no are - dirty, noisy, rude...I've stayed in some pretty basic and tiny accommodation but they have been clean and welcoming.

 

[Carrots]

Depending on which petrol station or convenience store I'm somewhere around 6'4, so for me no king bed = no deal, especially when travelling with the other half as she's a shorty at 5'11 and 3/4 (don't let her tell you she's 6ft).

The only alternate we will consider on occasion is a twin room if they have a couple of queens.

After bed size is consider, then everything else follows - location, breakfast, car park cost (if needed) and to an extent room size (although king bed sort of takes care of this).

As an aside back in the day when country motels would more often than not just have a double bed I'd always have to untuck the end of the bed to fit, or I'd get cramp. First world problems I know!

 

[Hvr]

Drip pricing is now banned in Australia I think? Or at the very least the ACCC aggressively monitors it.

It's prevalent with credit card fees and usually car parking as well.

 

[StevoQFtraveller]

- If the hotel mentions kids in any form of promotion (kids stay free; kids club; etc) i strike the property of my list;
- if the shower is over the bath, definitely forget it;
- a spa or jacuzzi in the room (yuk), how gross;

What I look for:
Breakfast included in the rate; a location close by public transport; reasonable extra cost for Executive level.

Totally agree - kid-free is the way to go!

 

[StevoQFtraveller]

My "wants" in a hotel room are size, king-size bed, a view other than a brick wall out the window, a walk-in shower and cleanliness! Great Egyptian bed-linen in the finer hotels with a thousand pillows to match is a big plus!

 

[lahlee]

Bedspreads. Those things are NEVER washed

 

[JCD]

I really like having a window that opens to get fresh air.

 

[equus]

Depending on which petrol station or convenience store I'm somewhere around 6'4, so for me no king bed = no deal, especially when travelling with the other half as she's a shorty at 5'11 and 3/4 (don't let her tell you she's 6ft).

Never understood tall people making this distinction between King and Queen size beds, as in Australia and USA, Queen and King size are exactly the same length - King is just wider. If you are looking at UK, then what they refer to as a King is pretty much the same size as what we refer to as Queen.

 

[Spacetravel]

I love my sleep so I look for anything that can enhance my sleep and anything that will stop me sleeping. Beyond that I have many wants but hardly any single deal breakers but here we go:

Complete Killers:
- Kids promotions, anything that gives off a family friendly vibe
- No Air con
- Any indication of an uncomfortable bed but this is usually hard to find out if its a brand I haven't visited before

Almost killers:
- A room I can't make dark ~ this one is usually really hard to find out before first stay but if I can get an internal room without a window is perfect for me
- Early check out. Anything that enforces a pre 11AM check out and if there is another option near by that allows later check out

Deal influences:
- Loyalty program, I know this thread said excluding but it really has a big influence, if I have status for a hotel it usually solves a lot of my killers
- Excessive noise, but willing to overlook bar/ club noise as I am usually awake during this time
- Poor location, I try and find the closest hotel to whatever my goal is for the trip. Across the road or next door to the office or intended venue is perfect. If I can stay in the same hotel as the function even better.

 

[VPS]

Not a deal breaker but I much prefer where I can open a window.

Someone said they prefer and internal room - that would be a deal breaker

 

[kookaburra75]

Here's my list of "killers" (for hotel or holiday apartment):-

• Size - ie small hotel rooms (less than 30 sq m) or small holiday apartments (less than 70 sq m for a one-bedroom)
• at least queen bed
• no aircon in hot/warm climate (including summer in Europe)
• shower over the bath
• no lift if more than 2 flights of stairs
• poor outlook (e.g. busy street, car park)
• less than ideal location (which is of course very relative)
• for hotels - no on-site restaurant
• No mini-bar/fridge
• potential for noise (e.g. nightclub, wedding venue, etc)
• if required - no parking on-site or nearby (at a "reasonable" price - 40EUR per day in some European cities is not uncommon).

Of course the problem is you can't always tell if all of the above conditions are met.

That all sounds like a check list of the features as offered by many of the Premier Inns I've stayed at in the UK over the years, when booked by the UK office for me (although it might have been pay back for me having backdrops of sunshine and beaches on video calls all of the time).

 

[Stealthflyer]

My killers:

-The second “bed” in a two bed room is a sofa bed (usually only gleaned through room photos)

-The shower is over the toilet, or at least there’s no separate cubicle with shower curtain etc for the shower.

-far from public transport.

-“free” breakfast where the breakfast is some miserable white toast and cornflakes. It’s not free and I don’t want to pay for it as part of my room fee.

-Any accommodation where the owner has responded to a negative online review with personal abuse.

Overseas:

-No free wifi

 

[zig]

Many of my deal breakers are shared by others here:

kids promotions
reviews mentioning noise / night clubs
Shower over the bath
no A/C
generally dingy environment - worn carpet, old furniture, etc

A particular dislike is interconnecting rooms. I find noise travels through them and I always seem to have an idiot in the other room repeatedly trying to open the door.

I am fussy about pillows, so a hotel not offering a pillow menu influences my decisions as well.

 

[Tiki]

Overseas when I don't have a rental car:

1. Bad location, far from public transport
2. No free wifi
3. Kid promotions
4. No pool in hot climate
5. Parking/resort fees

Anywhere:

I like a nice view, free breakfast, free fast wifi

 

[bPeteb]

We’re pretty easy travelers.
Like many, a kids club would be a booking killer. Screaming/splashing/running kids - no.
I hate paying for WiFi but we’ve started buying travel sims so paid WiFi wouldn’t be a killer. Unlike many we really don’t like king beds so a queen bed is preferred.
We spend very little time in hotel rooms so the amenities of the hotel or what’s around it are far more important. Again like others we cruise the area via street view and look for nightclubs and street bars.
I look at review pictures to try to see what kind of space is in a room. I would like enough room to lay our bags on the floor or a decent luggage shelf. No space for a bag anywhere, no booking.
That’s why we’d prefer a queen bed to a king- the king takes up space we’d rather have as floor space. We often book a room with two queens in preference to a king and use the second bed as the luggage rack.

 

[Seat0B]

Deal breakers:
1. hotel with smoking rooms or smoking floors (mainly in Asia). Even if you book a non-smoking room, it usually still stinks of smoke.
2. single beds only option. Sometimes I like to sleep with Mr Seat 0A.
3. no aircon
4. reviews mentioning rude staff, noise, not clean
5. no kettle/jug/other way to make a cup of tea in my room
6. resort fees and other hidden charges. Just tell me what it's going to cost for heaven's sake
7. poor location - for me this means that I want to be able to walk to public transport, and I would like a supermarket and some local

Things I dislike, but might consider:
1. shower over bath
2. no fridge, or even worse, a fridge for mini bar that I can't use to keep some milk, yoghurt and a few supermarket priced cold beverages
3. check out before 11 am

Things I like:
1. quiet, dark, spacious room
2. nice view
3. coffee machine in the room
4. late check out
5. friendly, helpful staff
6. breakfast included or available at a competitive rate.

I am also influenced by status perks in loyalty schemes, although i also like to try to stay with locally owned smaller hotels if I can (I recognise this is conflicting!). What I mean is, if I can get all my deal breakers solved and some of the things I like at a good price, I will often try a local chain or independently owned place.

I also actively consider reviews on TripAdvisor, booking.com etc. I know some are fake news, but I do feel like I have been able to get a good idea about a lot of the places I have stayed from reading these reviews.

 

[Toula92122]

Two things that factor high on my decision making list.

1. Bed needs to be a king size. Even though I am short I can starfish a king size on my own so husband is pushed to the edges. If only a queen size must be two queen sized beds. We have been known to take two rooms in UK to accommodate sufficient bed space.

2. Noise. i read TA reviews checking for reports of poor noise control from internal sources, noise from external sources and general noise concerns. I'm a poor sleeper so a hotel with poor reviews for noise is immediately off my list.

 

[Carrots]

Never understood tall people making this distinction between King and Queen size beds, as in Australia and USA, Queen and King size are exactly the same length - King is just wider. If you are looking at UK, then what they refer to as a King is pretty much the same size as what we refer to as Queen.

Spoken like someone definitely under 6ft...

The extra width makes a world of difference. It allows for a little bit of extra leg room by angling, but still not great. The lack of width in a queen is a right royal pain.

I certainly for one wish a King was longer, that way I wouldn't be touching the end of the bed frame at home

 

[equus]

Spoken like someone definitely under 6ft...

6'3" actually. I find a double impossible because of length, but find the length of a Queen quite adequate without having to angle. As a couple, we find a Queen quite wide enough. I don't doubt that some (especially restless couples) need the extra width - but its just that it seems to be conveyed that I need a King because I am tall, and that implies it is longer, when it isn't.

I tend to agree with the previous comment that most of the time the extra width of the King is simply taking up floorspace that may be better utilised.