re: If your going on a vacation, do you base your hotel stay off ratings, name brand or price?

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the difference in quality between a place like a Motel 6 and a Best Western is tremendous, but the difference between a Best Western and a Ritz isn't that big as far as my enjoyment is concerned

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Another point is that although there are some very nice locally owned boutique hotels, chains are often a very safe bet. Especially if you're not staying in 4-star+ places.

A Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, etc. is on the lower end of their brands but a national chain has to meet quality standards of corporate. You're far more likely to find issues/gross things in a local mid range hotel than you will in a Hampton Inn that is audited by their corporate office.

Many chain brands have bought out local boutique hotels and created their own line out of it, so you get that unique experience with the national chain quality standards. Autograph Collection for Marriott is a must-stay for me anytime I'm working somewhere with them.

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all i need the room for is to sleep and shower

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this, within reason, at my age I've become accustomed to comfort, went to Oktoberfest in September, finishing a trip that started in Paris, with stays in Louzanne, Venice, and Vienna before Munich, all of those were pretty plush accommodations, made an exception and stayed at what was pretty much a hostel for Oktoberfest because it was within staggering distance of the fair grounds, it was nice enough and served the purpose

Cheapest in points

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If your going on a vacation, do you base your hotel stay off ratings, name brand or price?

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Location, then price.

The only time I am in a hotel room is to sleep. When I close my eyes, they all look the same.

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What about if you wanted them to offer a nice free breakfast? How about restaurants? Bars? Sometimes I enjoy the club level with all that comes with that.

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Personally, this does nothing for me.

When we travel, we love to eat and drink, and do a lot of research on the best places to go. So even if my hotel were to have free breakfast, there's a 99.9% chance we wouldn't take advantage of that and go out for breakfast instead. And I'd much rather go to a local brewery or bar for cocktails than drink at the hotel bar.

We tend to get an AirBnB and focus on cost and location.

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Another point is that although there are some very nice locally owned boutique hotels, chains are often a very safe bet. Especially if you're not staying in 4-star+ places.

A Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, etc. is on the lower end of their brands but a national chain has to meet quality standards of corporate. You're far more likely to find issues/gross things in a local mid range hotel than you will in a Hampton Inn that is audited by their corporate office.

Many chain brands have bought out local boutique hotels and created their own line out of it, so you get that unique experience with the national chain quality standards. Autograph Collection for Marriott is a must-stay for me anytime I'm working somewhere with them.

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I sometimes dig quaint older properties that may not be part of a chain (although they often are).

I've never had a bad experience staying at any of these places (some are chain affiliated some aren't). Some are more plush and luxurious than others, but I've stayed at places across the range here.

Historic Hotels of America

Also, speaking generally, I agree with the Google streetview rec, and also look to the Tripadvisor traveler photos more than the reviews.

I used to strictly book locally until I was screwed once in Long Beach, CA, once in San Francisco, and once in Nashville.

All of these cities get lots of tourists, including a decent amount of Europeans where hotels are much different than here, so they had 90% good reviews and were complete dumps. I say that as someone who would spring break at the darn Travelodge for $35 in college.

I agree most nicer local hotels are not like this, but those three experiences were enough to make me switch to larger names when I’m in the $100-$150 range. Or to do some really in-depth research before booking.

Location
Ratings
Price

There isn't a lot of difference in the importance of these three. Name brand is something I really don't care about, the Tripadvisor rating counts for MUCH more.

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When we travel, we love to eat and drink, and do a lot of research on the best places to go. So even if my hotel were to have free breakfast, there's a 99.9% chance we wouldn't take advantage of that and go out for breakfast instead. And I'd much rather go to a local brewery or bar for cocktails than drink at the hotel bar.

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In many cases upscale hotels have the nicest restuarants and bars in the city on the property. When I stay at the Driskill in Austin or the Fairmont in SF people come from all over town to eat and drink at the places in those hotels, but the same holds true for the hotels in most major cities around the world.

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What about if you wanted them to offer a nice free breakfast? How about restaurants? Bars? Sometimes I enjoy the club level with all that comes with that.

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That's why I choose according to location (where all of that is nearby) and price (so I can afford to spend the money on good restaurants, bars, etc).

We tend to be a bit more adventurous and spontaneous. I have stayed in plenty Westins, Hyatts, etc. The beds at Westin were great, but not substantially better than what a much cheaper hotel would cost. Hyatts are nice and shiny, but that means very little to me. When we travel, we're out and running the roads. Time spent in a hotel is time spent not doing something fun or interesting. I have no desire to waste my time and efforts on a hotel's generic offerings of food, liquor, etc any more than I care to visit Red Lobster or McDonald's. When we typically return to the room, we're too tired to care about anything other than a shower and bed.

I certainly understand that's not for everyone, but that's us.