Hotel or apartment? How to choose where to stay on a trip

Where you sleep shapes the whole trip: how you spend your mornings, what you eat, how much you spend and how well you get on with the people you are with. Yet most people choose by scrolling until something looks nice.

The choice between a hotel and an apartment is a real one, and it comes down to a few questions you can answer before you open a booking site.

What a hotel gives you

A hotel is a room, with services around it. You turn up, someone hands you a key, and the bed is made while you are out.

• Service. Reception, cleaning, luggage storage and someone to ask about the area. Useful for a short stay or a first visit.
• Predictability. You know what a room is, and there is a person to complain to if something is wrong.
• Facilities. Breakfast, a bar, a gym, a pool, sometimes a spa.
• Flexibility. Easy for one or two nights, with simple check-in and check-out.
• Location. Hotels are often central, close to stations and the main sights.

The downsides are that rooms are small, a group has to book several of them, and eating every meal out adds up. Noise from corridors and neighbours can be a problem, and you do not usually have a place to sit together that is not a restaurant or a lobby.

What an apartment gives you

An apartment is a home for the length of your stay, with a kitchen, a living room and more space for the same number of people.

• Space. Separate rooms for sleeping and sitting, so people can get up early or stay up late without waking everyone.
• A kitchen. Breakfast and some dinners at home, a fridge for drinks, and the chance to cook with local ingredients from the market.
• Laundry. Often a washing machine, which means you can pack less. Our guide to carry-on only packing works better if you can wash on a long trip.
• Value for groups. Several people sharing one place often costs less per person than several hotel rooms. See also where to stay with a group.
• A different view of a place. You shop in the local shops and walk the local streets, rather than staying on a tourist strip.

The downsides are less service. You may need to meet a host, collect keys, deal with a problem yourself and clean up before you leave. Check-in times can be strict. There may be cleaning fees, deposits and house rules. Quality varies more than with hotels, so reading recent reviews matters.

Choose by who you are travelling with

On your own. A hotel is easy and feels safer for many people, especially on a first solo trip. A small apartment suits a longer stay, when you want a base and some routine.

As a couple. A hotel works for a short break, especially when you want to be looked after. For a week or more, an apartment can be better value and more relaxed.

With a family. An apartment is usually the winner. Children sleep in a separate room, you can cook simple meals, and you are not whispering at 8 p.m. Hotels with family rooms or suites also work, particularly if they have a pool or a kids' club.

With a group of friends. An apartment or house gives you a shared living space, which is where the best moments happen. If the group is large, check the number of bedrooms and bathrooms carefully. Splitting a rental fairly is covered in how to split a villa fairly.

On a trip with several stops. A hotel is easier when you stay one or two nights in each place. Moving an apartment every second day is tiring, so choose apartments for stays of three nights or more.

Think about the length of the stay

A rule of thumb that works: one or two nights, choose a hotel. Three to four, either. A week or more, strongly consider an apartment, because the kitchen, laundry and extra space start to pay back.

Check-in and check-out matter more for a short stay. If you arrive late at night or leave early, make sure someone will be there, or that you have a self-check-in option you understand.

Look at the location, not just the room

A lovely place in the wrong spot costs you time and money every day.

• How far is it from the station, the main sights and the places you want to eat?
• Is the area safe at night, and quiet enough to sleep?
• Is there a supermarket, a bakery or a pharmacy nearby, especially if you are self-catering?
• How will you get there with bags, and is there a lift or are there stairs?
• What is the local transport like? Our guide to public transport in a new city helps you judge it.

On a map, look at the walking route, not the straight-line distance. A hill, a main road or a river can double it.

Count the whole cost

The nightly price is only part of it. Add up:

• Cleaning, service or booking fees on apartments
• Taxes charged at the property, which differ by place
• Breakfast, if it is not included
• Meals out versus meals made at home
• Laundry, parking, wifi and luggage storage
• Transport from the place to where you want to be
• Deposits, and how and when they are returned

Compare two options by the total for the stay, per person, not by the headline number.

Read the reviews properly

Reviews are the best evidence you have. Read the recent ones, sort by the lowest scores and look for patterns: noise, cleanliness, hot water, a host who is hard to reach, a bed that sags. One bad review is a bad night. Five that say the same thing are a fact.

Check the photos against the descriptions. Ask the host or hotel direct questions in writing if something matters, such as air conditioning, step-free access, a quiet room or a cot.

Check the cancellation terms

Plans change. Read the cancellation policy before you pay, and look at the deadline, the refund and what happens if the host cancels. A slightly more expensive, flexible booking can be worth it when your plans are not fixed.

Do not forget the middle option

There are stays that sit between the two: aparthotels with a kitchenette and daily service, guesthouses with a shared kitchen, and small hotels with family rooms. If you cannot decide, one of these may suit you better than either.

A short way to decide

1. How many nights, and how many people?
2. Do you want to cook, and do you need to wash clothes?
3. Do you want service, or space and freedom?
4. Where do you need to be each day?
5. What is the total cost per person, with everything added in?
6. What are the cancellation terms?

Answer those and the right choice is usually clear. Book it, add it to the plan, and move on to the more enjoyable question of what you will do when you get there.