Best chain hotels to stay in?

[jarm]

What chain of hotels do you prefer to stay in and why?

[shopaholic]

Marriott

They have been the cleanest so far.

I have stayed in Double Trees (which are nice but not every single Double Tree seems to be created equal) and Radisson.

[bookworm]

I'm also a Marriott fan (mostly b/c they tend to be convenient for where I travel for work, and I'm a bit of a points whore). I believe Hiltons are comperable, and Hyatts are a bit nicer.

[linekelei]

I'm spoiled. I love Ritz Carltons and Four Seasons. Service, cleanliness, and atmosphere are superb at all of these hotels. Only problem is the price! ;)

I think a lot of chain hotels also depend on the location.

[amew]

We always stay in a Marriott owned property. Marriott or Renaissance for middle of the road, Residence Inn or Courtyard for a cheaper option, JW Marriott or Ritz Carlton for a splurge. Marriott properties have always, in my experience, been clean and nice. But mainly, it's all about the points. My DH has so many points from work travel that we haven't had to pay at a Marriott in years, and we get fabulous treatment (room upgrades, wine and snacks, etc.).

If we had it all to do over again, we might go for the Starwood points and stay at Westins and Ws, but we are in too deep with Marriott now.

[bookworm]

I can't believe I forgot to mention this!

If you are an infrequent traveler, and will not use points/status, Wyndhams are great. Sign up for Wyndham by Request, and you get treated well without accumulating nights. Their "welcome gifts" (available to any "by request" member) are the same as Marriott's platnium gifts. The downside is that you don't earn status or receive points (though you can get 500 miles per stay--if you only stay a night or two that's not bad).

[lawyerlee]

For lower end, I like Hampton Inn (always clean and adequate). For middle range, I like Marriott and Wyndham (everything you need, clean, good standards). For luxury, I love Fairmont.

But I always get online (usually Trip Advisor) to read the reviews about a particular hotel. :)

[justHB]

Westin, Hyatt, Fairmont

[Atlanta_eBride]

I typically go with Marriott because I can collect points and 9 times out of 10 I know what to expect. When we travel with the dog I steer towards Jameson Inn.

ETA: It really does depend on location too because there is a Red Roof Inn that I stay at in Orlando that I can't beat and most of the time I would never even look at staying there.

[Marie]

We're Hilton points people. However, unless it is a hotel I've stayed at before I always check trip advisor for a particular location. I've found that name brands can vary greatly. I've been in a nasty Marriott and a fabulous Hampton Inn. It really just depends on the location and if is a new hotel built by that brand or an old one the brand aquired and didn't revamp.

Even downtown Chicago there's one Hilton I'll never stay at again because they are too damn inconsistent in service and room quality.

[jarm]

Thanks for the trip advisor info. Never heard of them, but it definitely helped make my decision. We're going on a budget so we had to find something "cheap" but nice.

[shopaholic]

Oh, I forgot about Hyatts.

[aligirl]

I'm a Hilton points person.... love the free nights.

When I can't find a good Hilton-brand, Sofitel is great - unfortunately they're not everywhere!

[laura]

If money were no object, I would always stay at the Four Seasons. :)

Chain-wise, I know what to expect with Marriotts or Starwood properties. We have a bunch of Marriott points lying around, but I think I am going to switch to Starwood after that - can't beat those heavenly beds.

[lml41981]

Depends. My dad manages a Best Western, Holiday Inn Express and a La Quinta. La Quinta is pet friendly...and the one he manages is very nice...so if I can find a La Quinta that is on par with his (and he can let me know if it is), then I have no problem staying at a "budget" type place...especially if we're planning to take our dogs...double especially because I get a discount through him.

If we're going on vacation, though, we tend to look toward Wyndham if there is a reasonably priced Wyndham in the area. Reasonably priced varies for us based on how many days we're going to be there and what similar hotels are going for. I like the Wyndham By Request...and the absolute nicest hotel we ever stayed at was Wyndham's Hotel Galvez in Galveston. I liked it even better than the Eden Roc in Miami, which is a Renaissance property and Mandalay Bay in Vegas.

[KrissyCat7]

I LOVE Wingate Inns. They are made for business, and are wonderful and usually very quiet. Its nothing fancy but they are just what we need at a really decent price. Too bad they dont have them everywhere.