Why Cheap Hotels are Better

There is a really useful article on the Website http:www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog about why you are better off opting for cheap chain hotels rather than their pricier counterparts. It refers to travel in the U.S., but I suspect the principle applies in many countries.

The basic reason cheap hotels are better is that they don't gouge you with extra fees for things like breakfast and internet, resort fees, and exorbitant parking rates. For example, hotels on the strip in Las Vegas may advertise low rates, but they add on average an extra $30 per night for resort fees.  You pay the fees whether or not you use resort facilities. Hampton Inn, the lowest price branch of the Hilton family of hotels, usually offers free internet and breakfast buffet, and free parking except for city centres.

Fees to park at a hotel in the centre of a city may cost as much as $70 a day. You are better off staying in the suburbs and commuting, according to the article, rather than bringing a car into the city.

I would add that if you have the right kind of car, like a van or a Volvo with the driver's seat that lies flat, you can skip the hotel altogether and park in a Walmart  or hospital lot, then commute into the city. (I have slept in small cars in Scotland and on the Cote d'Azur during Grand Prix week, and while it's not comfortable it beats sleeping outdoors.) Or, forget travelling in North America and head to Europe where you generally get more for your money (except in places like London, Paris, Switzerland and Norway.)

And speaking of Europe, airfare watchdog.com also is advertising some very attractive fares for fall travel, such as $393 Los Angeles to Brussels return in November on Delta.