Where to Stay

One of the first choices that has to be made in almost any trip is where to stay.  There's a fine balance to be maintained here, and many considerations.  When I started to actually think about the number of things that have to be included in the final decision, I was amazed that anybody is actually able to make the decision at all.  Unfortunately for me, my choice of places in Savannah were seriously constrained when I started, so I ended up booking with the Hampton Inn Midtown.  That said, I thought I'd go through some of the considerations and choices that have to be made, no matter where you're going.

1.  Cost:  This is often one of the most, if not the most, dominant constraints in the choice.  Quite frankly, I don't have enough cash to splash out for an expensive hotel room every night, and I realize that my price point may be above others (and is definitely below some).  The Hampton Inn fits my typical price point, and matches on a number of others, so...

2.  Room Size:  At one time, this wasn't really a consideration at all.  Now, I travel with two children, so I need a room that comfortably accomodates four.  That means at the very least, two full beds, and ideally two queens.  This may sound picky to those of you who travel without children, but for those of you who travel with kids, I'm sure you understand my insistence on this point.  I have a few stories to tell about what happened when we stayed in places that didn't meet this basic criteria, and the results are almost uniformly bad.  This is definitely a bigger point for family travelers than for single travelers or couples.  Savannah's B&B options appear to be mostly one bed options, and not wanting to pay for two rooms (see point 1) makes the traditional hotel room a better choice for me.

3.  Location:  While I haven't had the chance to do much reading on the sights of Savannah just yet, it does seem that most of the things to see/do/eat are in a single central area.  I'd prefer to be able to easily get to that area, or be in that area.  Unfortunately, by the time I got to looking, many of the standard hotels that might hit points 1 and 2 were booked.  It looks like Savannah is a surprisingly popular travel option for the end of March.  There were a few options that were available in the central area, but I'm saving almost $150 a night by staying a couple of miles away.  On my budget, that's too much of a difference to pass up.

4.  Loyalty programs:  I almost hesitate to bring this one up, but as a person who travels for both business and pleasure, I do have some interest in retaining my current status in the Hilton Honors program.  Obviously, your program may differ.

There are a myriad of other factors as well - again, having kids, breakfast is important, so while I get free breakfasts at all Hiltons, the guaranteed free breakfast at the Hampton is nice.  One of the main benefits of booking with a chain is that you are reasonably well assured that you know what you are going to get - rooms will be fairly standard, and while you may have some generally better or worse experiences, there usually won't be that much difference in the standard level of room or service.

I would have preferred a place a little closer to central Savannah, but this time, price and availability turned out to be against me.  Having secured a place to stay, we'll move on to the next stage of planning.