4 ms·

When I think of a hotel room, I picture a one room studio apartment with a desk chair, and maybe a couch. This studio apartment has no kitchen, but it might ha

When I think of a hotel room, I picture a one room studio apartment with a desk chair, and maybe a couch. This studio apartment has no kitchen, but it might have a small refrigerator and a microwave. It's a cramped space, and not very functional, outside of sleeping. For most people, this means making a bunch of sacrifices from their normal living situation. Lodging that doesn't force people to make these sacrifices will continue to be in demand, even at higher prices than hotels.

Scubabear68 3y ago
This is why I always try to book a small suite (preferably with working kitchen). Not always much more money, and much more comfortable.
ghaff 3y ago
I do like having some level of refrigerator but, when traveling, I actually don't generally care if I don't have a normal living situation. I'm probably in that place at least partly to eat elsewhere and really don't care if it's like my house--where I'd be if that's what I wanted.
- AYBABTME 3y ago
  If you travel with kids, house-like amenities are lifesavers. Feeding young kids with only restaurant food for days... isn't a realistic or healthy proposition.
  - maxfurman 3y ago
    Plenty of hotel rooms have kitchenettes, you've just got to find the right hotel.
    - ghaff 3y ago
      Yeah, it generally costs more but extended stay places and suites are fairly common. I sometimes rent them though I don't generally use anything beyond a refrigerator. AirBnB (and VRBO etc.) do tend to win when the objective is to rent an entire house.
    - secabeen 3y ago
      They do, but they don't generally have living rooms separate from the sleeping rooms. When I had little kids, and they went to bed at 8pm or got up at 5am, having segregation between the sleeping and non-sleeping family members was great. AirBNB gave you that, plus the kitchen without having to pay 2X for two rooms. It's also a lot more comfortable to set on a couch than on a bed, or the tiny desks you get in hotel rooms with kitchenettes. AirBNBs are also broadly available, with lots of selection. There may be hotels with the amenities you want, but they are rare, and are less likely to be in the part of town you want to be in, near your family or friends, etc.
    - AYBABTME 3y ago
      It's not that common outside the US in my experience, and the kitchenettes are barely usable.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    You have your own experiences obviously but my brother and I traveled with my parents for weeks from quite a young age--five or so--growing up and we always ate at restaurants (or sometimes room service once old enough to stay in the room on our own).
- smashed 3y ago
  When travelling for more than a few days, restaurants are not a viable option anymore, especially with the whole family. I used to find it difficult to find healthy options. But nowadays, the cost has become simply prohibitive. The restaurant budget alone would be much more than hotels and flight prices combined, and we'd still be mostly eating bad, unhealthy food most of the time. An Airbnb with a kitchen is a must. For extended stays, washing machines are super convenient also. It seems like hotels are catching up. I stayed at many newer chain brands with decent full kitchen offerings. Still not quite the same as a real appartement/house, but they are fine and often not that much more expensive than your typical hotel room, just look out for it.
TRiG_Ireland 3y ago
When I'm on holiday, I'm usually doing very little in my hotel room other than sleeping, so that's fine. I'll be out most of the day.
raincom 3y ago
At least when people 'think of a hotel room', they are happy with your assessment of these hotel rooms. In other words, expectations almost match. This is not the case with Airbnb: a large variance between what one expects, and what one ends up getting. Airbnb, their scammy hosts, hosts with 10 properties, etc are all responsible for it.
uhhhhhhh 3y ago
When traveling you already are making a bunch of sacrifices in that vein, often happily. Most Hotels are short term bedrooms/bathrooms with some extras. Where air b&b competes is against medium/long term stay hotels that try to give a more normal living environment. Initially airb&b had price attractiveness for even short terms stays but that's largely gone now as it became a business opportunity rather than a side income option.

Scubabear68 3y ago

This is why I always try to book a small suite (preferably with working kitchen). Not always much more money, and much more comfortable.

ghaff 3y ago

I do like having some level of refrigerator but, when traveling, I actually don't generally care if I don't have a normal living situation. I'm probably in that place at least partly to eat elsewhere and really don't care if it's like my house--where I'd be if that's what I wanted.

AYBABTME 3y ago
If you travel with kids, house-like amenities are lifesavers. Feeding young kids with only restaurant food for days... isn't a realistic or healthy proposition.
- maxfurman 3y ago
  Plenty of hotel rooms have kitchenettes, you've just got to find the right hotel.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    Yeah, it generally costs more but extended stay places and suites are fairly common. I sometimes rent them though I don't generally use anything beyond a refrigerator. AirBnB (and VRBO etc.) do tend to win when the objective is to rent an entire house.
  - secabeen 3y ago
    They do, but they don't generally have living rooms separate from the sleeping rooms. When I had little kids, and they went to bed at 8pm or got up at 5am, having segregation between the sleeping and non-sleeping family members was great. AirBNB gave you that, plus the kitchen without having to pay 2X for two rooms. It's also a lot more comfortable to set on a couch than on a bed, or the tiny desks you get in hotel rooms with kitchenettes. AirBNBs are also broadly available, with lots of selection. There may be hotels with the amenities you want, but they are rare, and are less likely to be in the part of town you want to be in, near your family or friends, etc.
  - AYBABTME 3y ago
    It's not that common outside the US in my experience, and the kitchenettes are barely usable.
- ghaff 3y ago
  You have your own experiences obviously but my brother and I traveled with my parents for weeks from quite a young age--five or so--growing up and we always ate at restaurants (or sometimes room service once old enough to stay in the room on our own).
smashed 3y ago
When travelling for more than a few days, restaurants are not a viable option anymore, especially with the whole family. I used to find it difficult to find healthy options. But nowadays, the cost has become simply prohibitive. The restaurant budget alone would be much more than hotels and flight prices combined, and we'd still be mostly eating bad, unhealthy food most of the time. An Airbnb with a kitchen is a must. For extended stays, washing machines are super convenient also. It seems like hotels are catching up. I stayed at many newer chain brands with decent full kitchen offerings. Still not quite the same as a real appartement/house, but they are fine and often not that much more expensive than your typical hotel room, just look out for it.

TRiG_Ireland 3y ago

When I'm on holiday, I'm usually doing very little in my hotel room other than sleeping, so that's fine. I'll be out most of the day.

raincom 3y ago

At least when people 'think of a hotel room', they are happy with your assessment of these hotel rooms. In other words, expectations almost match. This is not the case with Airbnb: a large variance between what one expects, and what one ends up getting. Airbnb, their scammy hosts, hosts with 10 properties, etc are all responsible for it.

uhhhhhhh 3y ago

When traveling you already are making a bunch of sacrifices in that vein, often happily. Most Hotels are short term bedrooms/bathrooms with some extras. Where air b&b competes is against medium/long term stay hotels that try to give a more normal living environment. Initially airb&b had price attractiveness for even short terms stays but that's largely gone now as it became a business opportunity rather than a side income option.