How to Choose a Budget Hotel: 6 Important Criteria and Hacks
Posted: October 29, 2024 | Tagged: Travel Hacks
I've been travelling for almost 32 years. That's a lot of time. I have backpacked hardcore, on a budget, through 124 countries and territories that I personally recognise. And, of course, I have stayed in thousands of hotels and hostels.
As a budget traveller, a shoestring traveller, I normally opt for the cheapest hotel or hostel I can find, but there are other criteria, too. It's not only about finding the cheapest room.
The Palmers Lodge in Swiss Cottage London was a great place:
As a budget traveller, a shoestring traveller, I normally opt for the cheapest hotel or hostel I can find, but there are other criteria, too. It's not only about finding the cheapest room.
The Palmers Lodge in Swiss Cottage London was a great place:
Here are my 6 steps for choosing hotels or hostels when travelling:
1. Location
A cheap hostel is no good if it's located above a bar or on a party street. A cheap hostel is no good if it's built next to a busy road. It's no good if it's a long way from anywhere.
I am a tourist. I go places to do tourist things. I don't want to be in the heart of the action but I do not want to be more than 3 km away. Any further is just a ballache.
I need to be near the metro so I can access places of interest or get to the bus station for out of town excursions. I don't want to waste half of my day before I've even started.
And at the end of the day, I need to rest. I regularly put in 15 km a day when in backpacking mode. Recovery is important.
I am a tourist. I go places to do tourist things. I don't want to be in the heart of the action but I do not want to be more than 3 km away. Any further is just a ballache.
I need to be near the metro so I can access places of interest or get to the bus station for out of town excursions. I don't want to waste half of my day before I've even started.
And at the end of the day, I need to rest. I regularly put in 15 km a day when in backpacking mode. Recovery is important.
2. Cost
I am a low-budget traveller a backpacker. After all, I travel with a backpack. NOT a suitcase.
Hostels with dorm rooms are normally the cheapest option. But not always. I have stayed in many 1 star hostels at a fraction of what a bed in a dorm room costs.
You can get good deals if you want to stay a week, a month, or even longer. You just have the balls to ask. It's easier in the low season.
If the hostel is popular, there is no reason for the owner to give you a discount.
Elephant Trail Backpacker in Botswana:
Hostels with dorm rooms are normally the cheapest option. But not always. I have stayed in many 1 star hostels at a fraction of what a bed in a dorm room costs.
You can get good deals if you want to stay a week, a month, or even longer. You just have the balls to ask. It's easier in the low season.
If the hostel is popular, there is no reason for the owner to give you a discount.
Elephant Trail Backpacker in Botswana:
3. Facilities
As a long-term traveller, I need to have access to certain facilities. I travel light, so I need to do laundry more often than most. A washing machine does come in handy if you have a load of clothes to wash, but I prefer to wash mine myself. I have an Ortlieb dry bag and carry a small bag of soap powder. This is easier in developing countries as you can buy smaller packets.
A small outdoor area, or better still, a rooftop, to hang my clothes is essential.
It's mostly a given these days that a hotel or hostel will have Wi-Fi, but I have stayed in a few, even recently, that didn't have internet, or the connection was so fickle it was bordering on useless. I am a Wi-Fi-loyal travel blogger. I need a good connection to upload my stories at the end of the day.
A small outdoor area, or better still, a rooftop, to hang my clothes is essential.
It's mostly a given these days that a hotel or hostel will have Wi-Fi, but I have stayed in a few, even recently, that didn't have internet, or the connection was so fickle it was bordering on useless. I am a Wi-Fi-loyal travel blogger. I need a good connection to upload my stories at the end of the day.
A hostel with an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet is a great option:
In countries where the water is unsafe to drink, I want filtered water to be offered. Free tea and coffee is also a God send.
A self-catering kitchen is a must, more so when staying long-term. I cut costs by preparing my own meals.
As is a roof top or balcony. They make great places to drink a beer and chat to other travellers.
A self-catering kitchen is a must, more so when staying long-term. I cut costs by preparing my own meals.
As is a roof top or balcony. They make great places to drink a beer and chat to other travellers.
4: Security
A hotel needs to have a video surveillance system installed. It will deter the opportunist.
I remember from Cape Town, the place I got attacked in. That evening, 3 people had their phones stolen whilst they were being charged in the kitchen as they cooked their evening meal. The receptionists later ran the security footage back. The case was people not staying at the hostel had just snuck in immediately behind guests who had just been buzzed in. They just blended in, and no one batted an eyelid. Staff need to be attentive!
In Kenya, a receptionist once told me that I should not leave valuables in the room. I was like, hmm. What's the best option, carry my tablet and my passport and risk losing everything if I got mugged, or should I lift up the floorboards and hide my stuff that way.
In both of these places, I stayed just 1 night.
You also don't want a place that doubles as a bar for the general public. It happens a lot, especially in Africa. And not just for the noise. There are too many people coming and going. The hand is quicker than the eye!!
I remember from Cape Town, the place I got attacked in. That evening, 3 people had their phones stolen whilst they were being charged in the kitchen as they cooked their evening meal. The receptionists later ran the security footage back. The case was people not staying at the hostel had just snuck in immediately behind guests who had just been buzzed in. They just blended in, and no one batted an eyelid. Staff need to be attentive!
In Kenya, a receptionist once told me that I should not leave valuables in the room. I was like, hmm. What's the best option, carry my tablet and my passport and risk losing everything if I got mugged, or should I lift up the floorboards and hide my stuff that way.
In both of these places, I stayed just 1 night.
You also don't want a place that doubles as a bar for the general public. It happens a lot, especially in Africa. And not just for the noise. There are too many people coming and going. The hand is quicker than the eye!!
5. The Room
God, I have stayed in some shit holes. And not just in the developing parts of the world. One of the worst hostel experiences in recent years was in London.
When making a booking, it's not always so easy to know exactly what you will get.
In some hostels, the beds are crammed in so that there is no room to swing a cat, they seem to love 3-tier bunkbeds these days.
Sturdy and very comfortable bunk beds at the Kex hostel in ReykJavik:
When making a booking, it's not always so easy to know exactly what you will get.
In some hostels, the beds are crammed in so that there is no room to swing a cat, they seem to love 3-tier bunkbeds these days.
Sturdy and very comfortable bunk beds at the Kex hostel in ReykJavik:
I need a sturdy locker. I always carry my own padlock. And if the hostel is full of dodgy-looking characters or I have a certain feeling about some guests, scumming-looking or not, I carry my laptop with me all day as I backpack the city or even when taking a shower.
I prefer rooms with an external bathroom then, you don't have to deal with the extractor fan running, the humidity entering the room because they forget to put in windows and general other bathroom noises and smells.
Most of the issues listed above are thankfully not relevant if you have a single room, and after too many years on the road, I opt for hotels over hostels these days.
You need a good lock on the door. Key cards work well. But they can be copied by unscrupulous staff. I prefer a good key lock. And a bolt on the inside. In some cases, I have positioned a chair or even the bed in front or the door.
I prefer rooms with an external bathroom then, you don't have to deal with the extractor fan running, the humidity entering the room because they forget to put in windows and general other bathroom noises and smells.
Most of the issues listed above are thankfully not relevant if you have a single room, and after too many years on the road, I opt for hotels over hostels these days.
You need a good lock on the door. Key cards work well. But they can be copied by unscrupulous staff. I prefer a good key lock. And a bolt on the inside. In some cases, I have positioned a chair or even the bed in front or the door.
6. Hostel Reviews:
I take hostel reviews with a pinch of salt.
People like to complain about the other guests, snoring in the dorms, or slamming doors. Guests come and go. Reviews like these are useless.
I want reviews mentioning the quality of the mattress. If just 1 review mentions bedbugs, I will keep on looking. If the reviews mention mosquitoes when travelling in the tropics, I ignore the review. They are part of life, and of course, I travel with my own mosquito net.
The owners like to upload photos of when the place was last renovated. Some bear no resemblance to reality. Wide-angle shots distort the image.
People like to complain about the other guests, snoring in the dorms, or slamming doors. Guests come and go. Reviews like these are useless.
I want reviews mentioning the quality of the mattress. If just 1 review mentions bedbugs, I will keep on looking. If the reviews mention mosquitoes when travelling in the tropics, I ignore the review. They are part of life, and of course, I travel with my own mosquito net.
The owners like to upload photos of when the place was last renovated. Some bear no resemblance to reality. Wide-angle shots distort the image.