A couple of weeks ago I highlighted a thread on the City-Data forums in which travelers were discussing how they choose a hotel. I found the discussion interesting not only because of the useful information being shared, but also because it shone a light on how non-points-obsessed travelers approach hotel selection differently than, say, a traveler who might find him/herself reading a BoardingArea blog.

But no one in that thread, nor in my wildest imagination, would choose a hotel in the way Milepoint member estnet does:

If you have high status at some chains you get spoiled with benefits sometimes….so have you ever chosen to visit a city because of a hotel? Not particularly talking about exotic/aspirational properties, just sort of normal

 

I was recently in Vietnam and chose to go to a different beach town than I originally planned because of great reviews that a Starwood hotel received. Turns out I didn’t like the town so much, but the hotel is one of the best I’ve visited.

 

So…am I crazy or do others make similar choices?

A trip to Houston for the nice Hilton? Milwaukee to stay at the Marriott?

Yeah, sounds sort of crazy to me. But based on other replies in the thread, it seems I am probably in the minority.

I once went to the IC Porto mostly because the hotel had a good reputation and I wanted to get out of Lisbon for couple days ~jonspencer

I’ve stayed a few hotels in a nearby area because of reviews or trip reports. I do have a couple on my bucket list based on reviews I’ve seen from others. ~daninstl

I was going to reply “What, are you crazy?!?”

 

And then I remembered that I went to the Hyatt in Hua Hin, Thailand, because it was a cheap award stay, they had just announced a devaluation, and I wanted to spend a relaxing week at a warm sunny beach in comfort without being particularly concerned about the location. ~HaveMilesWillTravel

Ok fine HaveMilesWillTravel, if you’re going to get all reasonable about it I suppose if I put just a little thought into it I too have to admit that I once visited a place primarily to experience the accommodations. It was a Nguluko Guesthouse in Yuhu village, China. I stayed there with my mother, who said it was a “must visit”. And she was right. I highly recommend it – perhaps even as an early retirement option.

So maybe estnet isn’t so crazy after all (or maybe I am also crazy – shudder to think).

Have you ever selected a destination based primarily on wanting to stay at a particular hotel? Whether because the hotel received glowing reviews, because someone recommended it, or just because it sounded cool to you?

Read the thread in its entirety: Did you ever travel to a city just because a hotel got good reviews?