Apartment vs. Hotel: What to Choose?

Every fan of traveling faces the problem of choosing between an apartment and a hotel from time to time. And if you are an aspiring traveler, this article will be useful for you!

Of course, it’s impossible to give an unequivocal answer, because each choice has both advantages and disadvantages. In my article, I have classified the features of hotels and apartments.
Let’s consider all pros and cons to make the right decision! 🙂

Hotel Advantages

• Daily cleaning, frequent change of bed linen and towels.
• 24-hour room service. 5-star hotels can provide you with a three-course meal.
• A hotel complex can have 2-3 restaurants on the territory. Even if your hotel has only one restaurant, there should be some tasty dishes on the menu, which you will definitely like to have.
• Gym, swimming pool, sauna, SPA, beauty salon – all these facilities are at your disposal from morning till night (in some hotels even 24/7 service is possible).
• If you need to order a cab, you can contact the reception, and your car will arrive in a moment.
• At the hotel, you feel entirely safe. There is security at the entrance and on the territory. There are no random people who can intentionally harm you.
• Friendly personnel and courteous service. Hotel employees strive to satisfy the guests. Even cleaning is usually done with minimal discomfort for visitors.
• If you have any difficulties, for example, the air conditioner stopped working, you can always call the administrator, and they will quickly fix the problem.

Hotel Disadvantages

• The high cost of living. Staying at the hotel is much more expensive than renting an apartment. If you are going with your family, you are likely to stay in the same room, experiencing discomfort. This will significantly reduce the travel budget.
• Often, big hotel complexes with developed infrastructure are located far from the city centers, limiting guests’ mobility.
• Hotel fuss. It’s challenging to plunge into complete calm in a hotel because hundreds of people around you are bustling and trying to make your stay comfortable.
• Not all hotels are ready to feed you all day long. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be served at a particular time. If you are late for lunch, you will have to wait for the next feast to begin. And vice versa, do you like waking up early?  Well, in this case, you’ll have to wait until the cafe opens to have a cup of coffee or tea.

So, have you learned the specifics of hotel accommodation? Now cross out the benefits and drawbacks that are insignificant for you. For example, if you go to bed at 10 p.m. and get up at 7 a.m., the 24-hour service is not really necessary for you. Or perhaps you want to relax far from the city, then the city center’s remoteness wouldn’t seem to be beneficial. However, this option may be unacceptable for someone because we all have different habits, preferences, and requirements.

Well, at this stage, you have your hotel list of pros and cons to analyze.

Now let’s move on to the apartment part 🙂

Apartment Advantages

• Low rent for accommodation. Why? Because owners are usually more loyal than hotel managers, who determine the room prices based on the number of stars and brand history.
• Apartments are always more comfortable, whether with renovation or without. Of course, I am exaggerating. But the rent of the apartment is always cheaper. You can also ask for an additional discount, and most owners will gladly give it to you!
• The opportunity to cook food by yourself. If you buy products in the grocery store and cook by yourself, you may reduce your food expenses at least three times. Therefore, apartments are a perfect option for those who strive to save money.
• The apartment is always provided with the necessary equipment and utensils. There are detergents, and some owners restock their olive oil, sugar, and coffee storage.
• The most important advantage of living in an apartment during the trip is the opportunity to feel like a real citizen! Just imagine you close the door to the apartment and go out not to the hotel lobby but right on the city’s streets. Feel the smells of different cafes located nearby, greet the fruit vendor, and go to the nearest bakery for aromatic coffee. Pretty cool, isn’t it? This is real life and local charm, which you will never experience in the hotel!

Apartment Disadvantages

• The real apartment may differ from the apartment in the photo. Some owners are tricky: they move furniture and take pictures from different angles. As a result, the rooms look spacious on photos, but in real life, they may be tiny. To avoid conflict at the place, I advise you to clarify the size of the room, kitchen, bathroom, and shower cabin before booking. Thus you will understand how the apartments look like in real life.
• Comfort is out of the question if the room is dirty, and the bed clothing has become gray over the years of use. But you have a solution, just book apartments according to your friends’ recommendations or with good reviews on the website.
• If you travel by car and rent an apartment in the historic area of a European capital, there may be no guarded parking near the building.
• When renting an apartment, you become the same local resident as others. So be careful! You may be robbed in an alleyway, and, alas, no one is immune to this.

Now look again at the features of living in the apartment and cross out all unnecessary points. Keep only those that are crucial for you. Got it? Perfect!
Finally, you can compare both lists, evaluate your priorities, and make the best choice. I’m sure you know precisely which way of living is ideal for you on a future trip!