And clean towels. You need clean towels.
Most of the ones you had were used on the Dead Hooker.
Or shortly prior to that.
When travelling for work:
- Clean.
- Quiet.
- Ability to be very dark during the day.
- Close to cafe’s, restaurants, etc.
- Windows that open.
- A separate bedroom from the living area.
When travelling privately:
- Clean.
- Nice area. Not necessarily shops, forests, and activities is fine.
- Separate bedrooms.
I live in Korea. Hotels can run as cheap as $30/night, but the cheaper end ones spray the sheets with something to (presumably) kill bedbugs. My skin reacts to these with a 2nd degree burn. That’s a dealbreaker.
Also, bathtubs are rare here. My apartment doesn’t have one. I prefer a bathtub, big enough for my 300 pound frame to climb in and out of safely.
My hotel stays are usually in Itaewon, a Seoul neighborhood near a major US Army base. My favorite, the Hamilton, is located mere steps away from three or four of my favorite bars in the world.
This can be critical if you are dining out in Mexican restaurants during your trip.
Good quality hotel/motel pens are what I look for. I’ve found some of my best office pens that way.
When we are meeting our kids somewhere, we much prefer an AirBnB apartment or house to any hotel. It lets us cook, it has enough bedrooms for everyone, it has a living room for socializing. When our grandson was being born, we got one much closer to the hospital than any hotel - walking distance. When I went to my graduation we got one much closer to campus and much cheaper than the hotels near campus, which were sold out anyhow.