The best new hotels, for “less”

By Hal Amen On November 13, 2009 · 9 Comments

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BudgetTravel.com profiles 31 of the world’s newest, most “affordable” hotels. But can a rate cap of $150/night really be considered budget?

Their list of “World’s Best Affordable Hotels” takes on five continents (though heavily weighted towards the U.S.) and nightly rates from $40 to $150.

I’m not familiar with Budget Travel, but I know if I clicked over expecting to get the scoop on cheap hotels, $150 price tags would be pretty disappointing — no matter how many Mongolian yurt spas or swimming pool waterfalls were promised me.

Short of a press trip, I can’t envision ever staying at Hotel Contempo in Managua, Nicaragua, for $130/night. Budget Travel recommends it for its teak furniture and a staff who can arrange day trips to an eco-reserve. My guess is you could get the same at a $10/bed hostel.

Only a handful of the 31 picks are even under $100, and half of these are in Southeast Asia.

Ranting aside…

A couple entries stood out (in a good way):

Poolside at The Pearl / Photo: Catchpenny

* El Cortez Cabana Suites, Las Vegas: A renovated motel, close to the Strip, with rooms from $42.

* Camping de Bordeaux Lac, France: One-bedroom lakeside cottages from $50. Sounds sweet.

* The Pearl Hotel, San Diego: Classic films screened weekly by the pool, rooms from $79.

Also, fans of the boutique hostel might want to check out Oops!, located near Paris’s Latin Quarter.

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What’s the upper limit of your “affordable”? Have any favorite places that fit the bill? Let us know in the comments.

About The Author

Hal Amen

Freelance writer Hal Amen edits Matador Trips. His personal travel blog is at WayWorded.

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view all → Hal Amen

http://www.evaholland.com Eva

I think the key is context. For travelers who want to stay in an actual hotel, rather than a hostel or a small-scale guesthouse, then yes, many of these are probably bargains – especially with the location taken into account. $109 for a decent room in San Fran’s Union Square? $99 for NYC’s West Village? Total bargains.

Budget Travel isn’t promising THE WORLD’S CHEAPEST ACCOMMODATION!! and then delivering $100-per-night hotel rooms. They’re promising “affordable hotels” and then delivering… more or less what’s advertised.

http://matadortrips.com/ Hal Amen

Right on, Eva. But I think “affordable” is still a very subjective concept.

And for the U.S. entries, sure, they might be good value “for what you get.” But c’mon, $130 in Managua? $90 in Siem Reap? I stayed at a place in the latter for ~$25 that was plenty swanky. Can’t imagine what the extra $65 could be going towards.

http://milesofabbie.com Abbie

I think it definitely has to do with the area, but in general, I personally consider budget in the U.S. to be under $100… and I agree, I would never pay $90 for a hotel in Siem Reap!
joshua johnson

I think the context is pink, squishy yuppy puppy budget.
For this boy, if something is budget fits into my $1000/ month framework. But I also tend to lose 20 or 30 pounds when i travel due to my “budget”
Linda

I pick up Budget Travel now and then, but it’s not really in my budget. “Yuppy puppy” is probably right, and they have some interesting pieces… but I guess something like “Shoestring Travel” or “Backpacker’s Travel” might be closer to my budget. $150/night… not so much.
Sarah

I think these prices are probably budget for the “Budget Travel” audience –mostly comprised of people who want to just vacation (note: “vacation” vs. “travel”) someplace nice without breaking the bank.

$79/night for The Pearl in SD is actually pretty decent. Most places in SD are a lot more than that… The Pearl isn’t a huge resort in the fanciest neighborhood, but it IS close to everything and is much nicer than most places in that price range. And those movie nights are FUN!!! (Drinks are kind of pricey, though.)
http://www.evaholland.com Eva

Well, it looks like we have one less “pink, squishy, yuppy puppy” mag for “vacationers” (as opposed to real travelers, natch) to criticize, folks:

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/11/budget_travel_shuttering.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nymag%2Fintel+(Daily+Intelligencer+-+New+York+Magazine)&utm_content=Google+Reader

http://matadortrips.com/ Hal Amen

Ahhh! I’m sorry BT, I take it all back!

Jared Krauss

I feel that because the term “affordable” is relative, we each have our own image of what a affordable night is. For instance, in my mind, in LA an affordable night is anywhere from 25-40 dollars, London: 15-25 Pounds, etc.

However, someone who has a bit more money might be able to spend more, or vice versa.

So, in terms of their view of affordable, they are providing the service they advertise.

The best new hotels, for “less”

Ranting aside…

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