Fancy hotels are fun! My first date with my husband was in a fancy hotel-- but that’s another story.
If you have the means, you should play that up. Of course a willingness to treat your date to a rich vacation is a plus! But you should be dating a girl for a few weeks, and already be in a sexual relationship, before you take her to ANY hotel.
Not sure what you mean by nice hotel, I have never experienced a luxury hotel outside of Vegas. If I spend $200.00 I am really liking the lady a lot. Thats about my limit no matter how pretty she is.
I can’t imagine someone being particularly wooed by the name of the hotel unless she’s a gold-digger. Why rent an average room at a 5-star hotel anyway, though? It’d be more economical and get you further to spring for the best suite at a mid-range hotel. Chicks love hottubs.
Woo implies some source of spiritual energy please indicate where woo enters into your OP
You’re unfamiliar with “woo” as in “to romance”?
Not being a 22 year old backpacker or a hobo, I like to think I can do a bit better than hostels and train stations.
My SO and stayed at Grand Hotel Baglioniwhen we went to Florence. It’s only about 4 stars which would make it 3 by typical American standards. But it’s in a convenient central location, reasonibly priced and has the quaint European feel we were looking for. Plus complementary breakfast with a great rooftop view of the city.
I stay at hostels because I prefer them, even on business trips if I can convince my company. I find they have better customer service, less BS and upselling when it comes to making travel arrangements, and more vibrant and sociable atmosphere. I’d rather sit on the roofdeck with a cheap beer playing cards than taking a bubble bath and watching CNN.
If someone took me to a very nice hotel, I would also assume they have very different priorities than I do. I could never reconcile spending all that money for something you are mostly going to sleep through.
Didn’t hostels used to have an upper age limit? Or was it more self-limiting; like nobody over 25 would really want to stay there anyway.
I’m guessing you mean a place with a three-hour minimum on their hourly rates.
Some do, some don’t. I stayed in some hostels in Europe when I was 27. A handful, mainly in Germany IIRC, were closed to me because I was over 25, but I remember one place in Switzerland that had a really elderly man as a guest one night.
Yeah, screw that. I want to check in, go to my room, and not see another person unless I decide to go have dinner in the restauarant.
We’ve traveled a lot and there are times we stay in the cheapest places that are decent, and times we ask about top-floor suites with a view. Each has their place and their charms, but I can sympathize with anyone who sees hotel rooms as a place to “shit, shower and sleep” and otherwise unnecessary.
I’ve got a date to spend two hours with a steamed-up Scarlett Johannsen in scanty clothes, and we’re staying at the W=A. No lie. So sue me if I didn’t book the Motel 6 in Jersey City for this one. 
Not usually, although there are some exceptions. I’ve met lots of people in their sixties and seventies in hostels.
This would be very rare today, although it would be much more common in the past.
In decades past, hostels were run as sort of a cooperative. You would purchase a membership to a hostel organization (such as HI), and you’d be expected to pitch in with chores and cleaning. Some of these organizations limited their membership to youth. Hostels were often very spartan, and guests were expected to provide their own linens, put up with daytime lock-out periods, and follow all kinds of rules. Housekeeping and other services was limited.
In more recent decades, hostels have shifted dramatically and now most closely resemble a guesthouse or boutique hotels aimed at independent travelers. The rules, lock-out periods, and age limits are pretty much long gone. In my experience, the age range really does vary by country. Some countries do skew quite young and you’ll find a primarily undergrad crowd. Other countries have hostels mostly full of thrifty Europeans, teachers on holiday, single empty nesters living the dream, aid workers and ESL teachers, etc. You’ll always find at least a few older independent travelers no matter where you are.
Today, the difference between a hostel and hotel would be:
The option of dorm rooms. A dorm bed is still very cheap ($3-$30 depending on the country), but every hostel I’ve been to in the past decade has also offered private rooms withe ensuite bathrooms at a lower price than you’d expect in a hotel. These are usually very clean and well maintained, but not as plush as a hotel. It’s what you might expect at a guesthouse.
Various comfortable public lounge spaces that encourage socializing. You may have a cafe/bar that offers a reasonably priced mix of international and local foods, TV area stocked with DVDs and comfy seating, computer room with free or low-cost internet access, pool tables, take-one-leave-one bookshelves (often with travel books for the place you are in), small swimming pools, selections of board games, roof deck, etc. There are usually areas to sit back and curl up with a book and be alone, but there are also areas for chatting with fellow travelers.
A fully equipped kitchen, often stocked with basics (cooking oil, salt, etc.) for guest use. Some offer breakfast, some don’t.
An activity desk aimed at independent travelers. Often hostels will put together pretty comprehensive resources, including transit directions to various sites, walking tour guides, suggestions for off the beaten track activities, directions to things like bicycle rentals, etc. They will book organized activities with a lower markup and a lot less BS than a regular activity desk.
If you are traveling alone and looking for an activity partner, hostels will often help you arrange that. Likewise, if you are traveling to your next destination, hostels will help you find others who are headed that way if you want to share transport or look for safety in numbers. Often there will be traveler information boards where you can try to connect with people who share your interest.
Many hostels also organize free activities. You may find opportunities to do some drop-in volunteering at schools and the like, free guided tours of the area, free shuttles to popular destinations, organized excursions to nightclubs (safer for solo travelers!), cooking classes, holiday and cultural events, language classes, etc. Sometimes these things are really- like teaching ESL to monks in Laos, or celebrating Chinese New Years with a Chinese family.
More personal service. Hostels are often staffed by younger people who enjoy spending time with travelers. If you stay long, you’ll probably get to know the staff by name, share beers with them during the slow periods, join them out clubbing at night, etc.
Or the Come-fort Inn.
Thank you for taking the time to share all that information, even sven!