AllStays works with pretty much every hotel chain. From the smallest motel to the largest hotel, from primitive campgrounds to luxury rv parks, we work with them all. But we are often asked something like, “I stayed at a pretty nice Travelodge last year but the one I just went to was run down dump. What are the best hotel chains overall?”
Which ones are consistently the best and won’t let you down? Just like the experiences we hear about we’ve probably all been to a great Best Western or a Holiday Inn and then to a terrible one. So what should you expect the next time you travel and book your favorite chain? If it’s a Four Seasons, you can safely expect a great experience. But not all of us can afford to stay there every time we travel. And even if we could, they may not have one near Grandma’s house. We need to have options and know what to look for in other cities. With some brands, you never know for sure. Many are franchises who just pay for a name and a sign. Then they are either sold or get a ton of bad reviews on TripAdvisor and change brands to start their reputation management anew. Does that statement go too far? We play what we like to call the “chain roulette” game and change individual location names on average between 200-300 times a month here at AllStays.com. And we checked into what we already noticed, over 80% of 2008 name changes were for hotels with a poor review record. The high end hotels do change occasionally but not nearly as often as when you go further down the list. If you don’t pay attention to addresses, you could book the same crappy hotel with another logo two years later thinking it’s a different one!
For the first time, we’ve taken just under ten years of reviews and comments that we’ve received and analyzed them. Here is our 2009 ranking of chains that have locations in North America with all direct links to the official websites. Extra Tip: You can bookmark this page it for the next time you need a complete list and don’t want to mess with searching around. You can also view all these chains alphabetically at our hotel chains guide.
- Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
- Ritz-Carlton
- JW Marriott
- Sofitel
- Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
- Loews Hotels
- Embassy Suites Hotels
- W Hotels
- Omni Hotels
- InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
- Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
- Millennium Hotels and Resorts
- Westin Hotels & Resorts
- Marriott Hotels & Resorts
- Hilton Hotels
- Doubletree
- Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
- Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts
- Delta Hotels
- Hyatt Place
- Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
- Radisson Hotels & Resorts
- Hilton Garden Inn
- Courtyard
- Four Points by Sheraton
- Drury Inn & Suites
- Holiday Inn
- Homewood Suites
- Staybridge Suites
- Residence Inn
- TownePlace Suites
- Hampton Inn/Suites
- Best Western
- Holiday Inn Express
- Clarion
- SpringHill Suites
- Hawthorn Suites
- Quality
- Howard Johnson Hotels
- Candlewood Suites
- Extended StayAmerica
- Homestead Studio Suites Hotels
- Fairfield Inn
- Wingate by Wyndham
- Country Inns & Suites
- Comfort Suites
- Sleep Inn
- Baymont Inn & Suites
- La Quinta
- Comfort Inn
- Microtel Inns & Suites
- Red Roof Inn
- Ramada Inn
- Super 8 Motel
- Days Inn
- Motel 6
- Rodeway Inn
- Econo Lodge
- Travelodge
- Knights Inn
- Americas Best Value Inn
We had confirmed reservations for a suite at Hilton Homewood Suites in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. We are leaving in NINE days. Approximately 5 days ago, my husband went online to confirm our reservation and the websited stated that they were taking reservations for May 8th! We immediately called Hilton to inquire about this and were told that yes, sorry the hotel would not be open in time. We received NO notification of this and our plans were made in JANUARY. Had my husband not checked himself we would have arrived at Disney World and had no where to stay on one of the busiest weeks. We were asked to call customer service in the morning. My husband did that and with a flippant sorry, they suggested that we either stay at one of their other hotels (that she happily told us would be much cheaper) but it was one of their economy hotels and just happened to be one hour away from Disney or stay at their embassy suites hotel in two rooms, not a suite for TWICE the amount that we were originally going to pay. We asked for comparable reservations elsewhere and were told we would have to wait 72 hours to get an answer. Well, the 72 hours and more have passed and we still have no where to stay. Our phone calls and emails have been ignored or we are sent to another department and told they will fix it. This will be my daughters first trip to Disney and I fear we will not be able to go. We havent been able to find any other arrangements at other hotels. All are booked. Please do not use ANY Hilton Hotels. They customer service is deplorable, the employees dont care and eventually they just stop answering correspondance. We are sickened at the thought that there are other vacationers out there who reserved rooms at this Hilton and will arrive at their destination only to find out that they have no where to stay. We were completely ignored when asked if they were going to notify others about the unopened hotel. We have since filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and found out that Hilton has a rating of F with the BBB. if we would have known this ahead of time we would have never used them. Please dont make the same mistake we did!
It is true, Hilton Hotels Corporation has a BBB rating of F. Here is the link: http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?national=y&compid=130743379
gee, I wish I would have read that horror story above before I had one of my own. We went for a “free” couple of nights in Las Vegas at the Hilton facility last year. Of course, we had to listen to their sales presentation which was fine. We said “no” for 2-1/2 hours, then were offered a one time shot for a two bedroom suite at Kings’Land resort on the Big Island. Since no additional commitment, we went for it. Did I mention that we were given a “disabled” room in Vegas? Keep that in mind.
A year later we go to Hawaii, along with married daughter and husband and a two bedroom suite. Although pictures showed us on the water, the only water we could see was a pool about 200 feet away. When we entered the room, it didn’t look quite right. It was another “disabled” room. No warning at reservations, front desk, those endless emails, etc. This time we kicked back and got moved the next day.
Because we moved buildings, we “missed” our one chance to have maid service without paying for it so no maid service for a WEEK. Two pots of coffee, one packet of soap for washing machine, etc. Amazing. Oh by the way, another two hour presentation that we apparently signed up for (no one mentioned it until I received an email about a week before we left).
So for about a $50K investment, you can pay $100 per month “maintenance fee” plus a $79 “reservation” charge and enjoy your free vacation. Nonsense. The good part was the kids had a great time, away from the facility exploring the island, and we went to local’s places and enjoyed the island. Do the math, that’s about $150 per night, plus the $50K investment for your annual vacation.
As for the Hilton Grand Vacation Club, it’s a ripoff, plain and simple. It’s a very good marketing organization designed to make you feel good about getting screwed. If you go after reading a couple of these reviews, don’t blame us. You have been warned!
surprised there is no Shangrila in the list/
The Ritz Carlton has an F on the bbb website. Big companies are bound to have complaints.