Whether you’re planning to travel for two days or 20 days, where you stay can have a big impact on both your budget and your trip experience.

We’ve spent the past 23 years hunting down the best hotel values in Europe’s priciest cities. While we’ve seen some big changes, good and bad, over the years (finally, free Wi-Fi!), there are certain bits of “Cheapo advice” that remain the same today as in 2001.

Before we get started, remember: Don’t panic.

High-season rates in particularly expensive destinations (London, Venice, all of Switzerland…) can cause great anxiety and all-out panic. Remain calm and remember that many websites (not including EuroCheapo, of course!), rank the hotel results to show you what they’d like you to book first. (These are often the hotels that are paying them the highest commission.)

So don’t just stare at those first results and quickly assume that the city’s going to be too expensive for you to visit. It might take a little digging and further research (using tips on this page and throughout EuroCheapo), but chances are you’ll be able to find a great little hotel, B&B, or hostel in town for your budget.

Bottom line: Don’t panic. But be prepared to do some digging for a deal.

Related: How to save on hotels in France.

Tips for saving on hotels in Europe

Here are our 10 top tips for saving on accommodation and on finding the perfect hotels for your trip.

1. Think about location before price.

We often hear from travelers who do a hotel search, and then book the cheapest hotel they can find, only to realize it’s located far outside the center (or in a neighboring town!), and isn’t easily accessible to areas they want to visit. This can cause an undue expenditure of both time and money, not to mention often a crummy hotel experience.

Fortunately, this can be avoided with advance planning. Really zoom in on the hotel’s location when researching. How far is it from a subway or bus line? Consider paying just a bit more for something more central or closer to public transportation.

2. Be flexible with your travel schedule.

If your trip itinerary spends quite a bit of time in one geographic area, flexibility with your itinerary can help save money. Once you start searching for hotels, you might find that one stop is more expensive on certain dates than others. Juggling around your itinerary can allow you book hotels when they’re at their cheapest.

For example, say you’re spending a week in Belgium, visiting both Brussels and Bruges. Once you start searching for hotels, you’ll likely find that hotel rates in Brussels are lower on the weekends (because there are fewer business travelers and Eurocrats booking them). Thus, why not visit Bruges during the week, and spend the weekend in Brussels, when hotels are at their cheapest?

3. More stars do not always make a better hotel.

Hotel star ratings in Europe are confusing. Every country has their own standards and system of classification, usually set by a government-run tourism board. Thus, what qualifies as a three-star hotel in the Netherlands will probably be different from a three-star hotel in Italy.

In short, the more amenities and services a hotel offers, the higher the star rating. Inspectors visit with clipboards and literally check off everything they see in the lobby, hotel room and elsewhere. The more stuff to check off, the higher the star rating. But obviously, more “stuff” doesn’t always make a better-run, friendlier or more memorable hotel.

You can be fairly certain that a four-star hotel offers elevators, room service, private baths, cable TV, Internet, air conditioning and so forth. But it doesn’t say anything about the room décor, the hotel’s location or the helpfulness of the staff. A four-star hotel may actually be far less charming than a two-star hotel.

We’ve visited many hotels that are stuck, for reasons outside their control, with a low star rating. A two-star hotel located in a historic neighborhood in Paris, for example, will probably have restrictions placed upon its ability to do renovations. This might make adding an elevator impossible, which would prevent the hotel from achieving three-star status, no matter how lovely the rooms or how cordial the management.

Also, note that one-star hotels will often offer things for free (like Internet access) that four-star hotels might still charge for. Read more about star ratings in Europe.

4. Which amenities do you really need? Really?

If you can reduce the number of amenities you need, and reduce the star rating, you can probably score a better deal. Consider which room amenities you really need to enjoy your visit. Do you need air conditioning in Vienna in early June? Do you need a safe? Hairdryer? Toiletries? The difference between a one-star and a three-star hotel might be more noticeable in your wallet than in your room.

5. Know when to book.

When’s the best time to book to save on hotels in Europe? Unfortunately, it depends. Booking in advance helps you arrange your travel plans before you take off, but you miss out on the possibility of last-minute travel deals. Booking at the last minute (even same day!), can result in amazing deals, but it can also lead to stress… and finding yourself without a place to sleep.

I wrote an entire post about when to book hotels for the best rates. But basically, it boils down to this:

We recommend booking well in advance if:

• You need to secure a favorite hotel. Book it before it fills up.
• You see very limited availability when you search. Book now — it’s only going to get worse. (This is especially the case during high season.)
• You just want to get everything checked off your list and relax.
• You have a pretty rigid schedule.

We recommend booking closer to your travel date if:

• You see lots of availability and cheapo options when you search for hotels. You can hang back and see if prices come down. (This is often the case when traveling during the off season.)
• You want more flexibility when you’re traveling. Are you the kind of traveler who likes to switch your itinerary at the last minute? You may just want to hold off. (Or at least book refundable rates! See next point.)

6. Consider first booking a hotel with free cancellation.

Another option is to book a hotel right now that offers free cancellation, and then cancel the reservation later if you find a better deal. This can at least calm your nerves (hey, you’ve got a place!), and allow you some flexibility in terms of finding something better later.

One warning: Most hotels now charge a bit more for free cancellation (so you’re actually spending money to have this flexibility). Also, be aware that the definition of “free cancellation” varies widely. Free… until when? Are you free to cancel until the day of your reservation… or only free to cancel up to one week before check-in? There’s a big difference — pay attention to the details.

7. Consider renting an apartment.

Even though we have a special love for small hotels, we can’t deny that apartments can be handy and sometimes even more affordable than hotels, especially for longer stays or when traveling with a family. You can browse apartment listings by searching on our partner, Booking.com, or on any number of apartment search sites, like VRBO or (of course) Airbnb.

Be aware that some European cities, like Paris and Berlin, are cracking down on illegal apartment rentals on these sites, so double-check before booking that it’s legal! Also make sure that all of the check-in logistics are squared away in advance, and that you know exactly how to get into the apartment, and how to contact the apartment’s owner for any questions or emergencies.

8. Hostels are for everyone.

Hostels in Europe aren’t just for “youth” anymore. In fact, in the past 10-15 years scores of stylish and hip hostels, like the Generator chain, have reinvented what it means to be a hostel. Today’s “hip hostels” often offer fresh design themes (often developed by local artists), low-cost group activities, healthy food options, and lots of shared space.

As you’ll see when you search and filter by “hostels”, the bedroom situation ranges widely depending on the hostel, but most offer both private rooms that are cheaper than you’d find in most hotels (you’ve got the room to yourself, although you might share a bathroom) and really cheap shared rooms (you’re probably sleeping in a bunk with others in the room). Regardless, rooms tend to be simply furnished, but often hostels make up for it with extensive public rooms meant for reading, hanging out, and meeting other travelers.

That said… the hostel landscape still includes plenty of more traditional “youth hostel” options, as well, especially those official and non-profit hostels affiliated with Hostelling International.

9. Take our hotel advice

We’ve spent a lot of time inspecting hotels and rounding up the best affordable hotel options in Europe’s priciest destinations. We especially like small, family-run and independent hotels that really capture the spirit of the destination — and we try to stay away from recommending big international chain hotels. I always say that I prefer to wake up in Rome and immediately feel that I’m in Rome — and not next to the Milwaukee airport.

You can easily save on hotels in Europe by booking one of our picks in Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Venice or any of these cities. We’ve already done the hard work for you!

10. Keep saving once you’ve checked in.

Once you arrive, there are still ways to save on your hotels in Europe even after you’ve checked in. These include:

Head for the nearest grocery store: Don’t touch that minibar! As soon as we plop our things down in our room, we typically head out to a nearby supermarket for some essentials: Bottles of water, fruit, snacks, missing toiletries, and anything else that would cost us a small fortune if purchased from the hotel or (double yikes!) taken from the mini-fridge.

Think twice about breakfast: When you check in, the receptionist will probably ask you, “Are you taking breakfast?” Don’t be shy here — ask for more specifics before committing to their breakfast offerings. How much does it cost? And what exactly does it consist of? (You might be surprised!) If you’re staying in the middle of a city or town, chances are you can easily walk to a cafe or restaurant and get a better deal.

Be clear when making your hotel reservation.

One final word of advice (from an article I wrote about how to not get stuck with the worst room in the hotel): Be as clear as possible when reserving your room. What exactly are you looking for in a room? Do you prefer one on a high floor overlooking the street? Or perhaps you like lower floors with windows opening to the courtyard? Maybe you dream of a room with a balcony? Do you need a bathtub instead of a shower?

Mention these preferences in your correspondence with the hotel when reserving. (When reserving through EuroCheapo, there is a field in the reservation form to add any special requests). Your requests will almost always be considered. The hotel wants you to be a happy guest (and they especially want you to write a glowing review). They’ll try hard to accommodate.

The post How to Save on Hotels in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

We’re not talking about having to hang out with your laptop in the lounge downstairs because the Wi-Fi doesn’t reach your room. And it can’t be blamed on a frozen modem or a confused router.

The hotel, it turns out, doesn’t have an internet connection, Wi-Fi or otherwise.

You experience (pick one): Panic? Confusion? Relief?

It’s incredible how something that was presented just a few years ago as a new amenity is now considered almost a right. (In fact, an Estonian tourism official recently told me that in her country free Wi-Fi is, in fact, considered a “human right.”)

Rewind a decade or so, and hotels were eagerly embracing the new Wi-Fi technology, especially as it represented a new revenue stream. Some charged by the hour, others by the day. But almost everyone charged. In the years since, as the cost of offering Wi-Fi has dropped and online hotel bookings have become more competitive, hotels have found that they could also win over travelers by offering the service for free.

Not every hotel, of course, offers it for free. I’ve written before about the tendency for upscale chain hotels to charge for Wi-Fi, even as smaller budget hotels give it away for free. Many of the most popular hotels in our Paris guide, for example, offer free Wi-Fi, including the Tiquetonne, the Esmeralda (really only works in the lobby), Hotel Jeanne d’Arc and even the super-duper cheapo, the Hotel Rivoli.

But there are still a very few hotels that don’t offer it at all.

A few days ago I was updating our review of the Hotel Henri IV, a super cheapo sleep located on the Place Dauphine at the tip of the Ile de la Cité in Paris. (Given its extraordinary location, doubles going for €60 are indeed considered “super cheapo.”)

When I visited the hotel last month, the friendly receptionist reminded me that the rooms are rather basic, and don’t have TVs. Fine. (This isn’t actually that unusual for small hotels and pensions, as one room’s blaring TV can echo down the hallway, disrupting the mood.)

But then he came to the clincher: “And we don’t have Wi-Fi.”

Ah, right. I scribbled down the note and didn’t think much more about it until I updated the review and made a point of calling this out. But it didn’t have Wi-Fi last year either, and I hadn’t felt necessarily compelled to point it out then. Are we, in fact, now seeing Wi-Fi as a right? Is that fair, or even a good thing?

I took to Twitter, mentioning that, after all these years I’m still impressed by the hotel’s low rates:

Adding new pix to Paris’ Hotel Henri IV review (doubles from €60). Still shocked by the Place Dauphine location – http://t.co/5yTjdvVHYa

— Tom and Pete Meyers (@eurocheapo) October 4, 2013

Minutes later, a follower responded:

@eurocheapo no wifi at a hotel, no thanks

— Isa (@JySbr) October 4, 2013

Right.

I certainly understand why we think it indispensable. We rely upon Wi-Fi to check email, find restaurants, search maps and fire up Skype to call loved ones. Not to mention keep up with work.

So what about the incredibly shrinking list of hotels that not only don’t offer it for free, but actually don’t offer it all?

It sounds almost like, well, a vacation.

What do you think?

Do you think that Wi-Fi should be offered by all hotels? Would you stay at a hotel without a connection? Do you think this entire conversation is foolish and that everyone needs to unwire themselves and get a life? Leave a comment below!

The post No Hotel Wi-Fi? Seriously? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Apparently Groucho was alluding to the lack of some “unclassified” amenity in that film scene. But all jokes aside, travelers often give an exaggerated sense of importance to certain amenities in the hotels they patronize—even if those amenities were not promised in the first place.

Amenities depend on context. In some remote properties in exotic or undeveloped areas, a mosquito-free or even a rat-free environment could be regarded as a desirable amenity. However, in major cities these and other conveniences are taken for granted and regarded as givens, even by undemanding travelers.

Budget-savvy travelers, often well acquainted with the written and unwritten rules of international hospitality, seldom make complaints about the non-presence of amenities, knowing that each additional (non-essential) service renders the property less and less affordable. This is not true, however, for a growing group of more naïve travelers that expects hotel services that are not necessarily essential. According to the accumulating experience of hotel proprietors and staff, these latter travelers’ demands often border on unreasonable.

Many small cheap hotels in Paris, for example, have very basic amenities (if any), and this contributes to their simplicity and affordability. Which amenities are indispensable to me? Provided the basic hotel qualities are met (cleanliness, hygiene, honesty, safety, a civilized environment, reasonable infrastructure, a comfortable bed, etc.), I can do perfectly well without the rest.

The major amenities

Here are many of the major amenities you’ll find listed for most hotels. What do I, as an ultra-cheapo, think of them? Let’s investigate!

Non-smoking premises

No longer an amenity. Looking for—and demanding—a smoke-free environment is no longer a personal preference but a vital health imperative—an individual and social obligation. Nowadays, almost all Parisian hotels are smoke-free, though some of them are known to not fully enforce the regulation, as hinted by the pervasive stench some guests have noticed. Still, some properties keep a few rooms for inveterate smokers (such as the Hotel des Boulevards, nonetheless a Cheapo favorite).

Wi-Fi

The great majority of quality budget hotels in Paris offer free Wi-Fi, in contrast to their luxury counterparts, which usually charge a considerable rate for it. To me, Wi-Fi is one of the most significant amenities—if not the most significant—that a hotel can offer. However, with the numerous Wi-Fi hotspots that Paris offers at the moment, if your hotel doesn’t have it, pas grave! (See the related article on where to find free Wi-Fi in Paris.)

Concierge desk

I find the concierge to be a costly and fully dispensable amenity. In more expensive hotels, the concierge is usually in charge of special services for guests, such as arranging tours or tickets. Undoubtedly, a budget-conscious and knowledgeable traveler in the EuroCheapo vein knows well how to deal with his/her touristic duties. Being street-smart and self-reliant saves you euros! Having said that, a few quality cheap hotels (incredibly enough) do offer concierge services in Paris.

Multilingual staff

A simple French phrasebook or, even better, a functional understanding of the local language may help the frugal traveler deal with everyday hospitality-related interactions. Keeping a multilingual staff is usually costly for a hotel and even more so for a budget sleep; this “amenity” tends to be disproportionately reflected in the final bill. However, as I have remarked before, many of our favorite Cheapo-friendly properties have managed to assemble a multilingual (and very friendly) staff without imposing undue charges on the prudent traveler. Kudos for Le Laumière, de l’Espérance, Paris Villette, Champerret Heliopolis, Perdrix Rouge, Marignan and many others.

TV

Unless you’re a hardcore Tour de France fan and travel to Paris for the exclusive purpose of watching the TV transmission of the famed race, going to one of the most alluring cities in the world and wishing to spend time in front of a TV is something of an incongruity. Still, a substantial proportion of guests at Parisian hotels complain bitterly that there are only French language shows (!).  I personally couldn’t care less for  a TV set in my hotel. And, each year, I am able to follow the whole Tour from the faraway comfort of my own home.

Air conditioning/Ceiling fan

I’ve never been to Paris during the hottest peaks of summer, so the lack of air conditioning in my hotels has never bothered me. The common ceiling fan (or portable fan borrowed from the front desk) usually suffices in case of moderate heat. However, I reckon that trying to sleep in the July-August sweltering heat is an ordeal most travelers from temperate countries are not willing to endure.

Some notable extras

Minibar

Some consider it the quintessential tourist trap. This small snack and beverage bar offers its inventory at generally very high prices (when compared to the equivalent items purchased in grocery stores). A certain type of hotel guest is easily tempted with the minibar. Our EuroCheapo-friendly properties generally have no need to offer one.

Complimentary toiletries

Fully dispensable. I always take mine everywhere I go. Fine as token lightweight souvenirs for the children back home, but not as an additional and unnecessary item on your bill.

Iron/ironing board

Most of my acquaintances have told me they prefer to take their laundry loads to a laverie once during their stay, and so do I. If I tried to iron my clothes with a hot iron, my life insurance premiums would rise by several orders of magnitude, so in this entry I save by not using an iron.

Room service

Ninety percent of responders to a recent survey stated that they didn’t care for this feature when booking a hotel. I’m glad to be counted as part of the majority on this item.

Safe/minisafe

A sensible device. I’ve never needed one but many do, and I should consider using it.

Direct-dial phone

I seldom use direct phones in hotels and my impression is that they are becoming less and less indispensable.

Porter/bellhop

No thanks! I can manage…

Hair dryer

A useful device for some. I’ve never  actually needed one, except in one lone occasion in an emergency situation.

Bathrobes/slippers

Very stylish, but no thanks! Another pointless sort of “gift”, which will be eventually reflected in your bill.

Coffee/tea

Maybe… but I will pass and get my coffee from a café!

Your indispensable amenities?

What hotel amenities could you not live without? Leave a comment below.

The post Which hotel amenities do you really need? appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.