I travel a lot for work and spend way to much time in hotels so I thought I would offer this handy guide to some hotel terms and what they really mean.
Boutique Hotel – offers the convenience of being able to sit on the bed AND work at the desk at the same time.
Downtown Hotel – Average rooms at ridiculous prices combined with the convenience of being at least 30 floors from anywhere you want to be. Plus you get the privilege of paying for extras like WiFi and parking.
Corner King Suite – 2 rooms, 1 bed, really odd layout because it’s wedged in a corner where 2 other rooms meet. Also, WiFi won’t work in parts of this room because it’s in a far corner of the hotel.
Suite Hotel – There is not such thing as an upgrade.
Free WiFi – Doesn’t work as well as your cell phone
Paid WiFi – Doesn’t work as well as your cell phone at 10x the cost of your home WiFi
Corporate Rate – not available for any week you actually want to stay there
Disney Hotel – That incredibly long walk from the lobby to your room is really just training for the theme parks.
Starbucks Sign – The hotel serve Starbuck’s coffee. Sometimes this means they bought it a the grocery store, no latte for you. Sometimes it means an actual Starbucks. It’s always a surprise.
Handicap/Accessible Room – Large bathroom door, no lip on shower, light switches and hangars placed low to accommodate people in wheelchairs. Note that this does not necessarily mean that a wheel chair, or a non-impaired human, will fit between the bed and the desk.
Recently renovated – You really, really didn’t want to stay here before the renovation.