THAT TRAVEL NERD
Scoring System - Hotels
All hotels will be graded on the same scale of 0-10. In other words, the same set of criteria applies to all hotels, be it a luxury hotel with a super big room that charges $3000 a night or a dingy inn with a room barely enough to lie flat in that charges $20 a night.
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It might seem unfair, but the logic behind this is simple. If you're charging more but cannot provide as good an experience as a hotel that charges less, you should objectively be ranked lower. But if you're able to provide excellent concierge service at $20 a night then you should be better than a hotel that does the same for $3000 a night.
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That being said, for this to work the criteria on which hotels are scored based on become very important. This is a list of 10 criteria which I use (elaboration on criteria below):
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Accessibility
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Check-in/Check-out process
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Hotel's facilities
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Quality of Meals provided
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Meal variety
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Room: Living Area
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Room: Washroom
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Experiences offered
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Before-arrival service
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After-arrival service
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Each criteria is scored based on 10 and the score averaged out. I believe this will categorise hotels rather accurately. For instance, a budget hotel is not expected to have much before-arrival service, experiences offered and much facilities. Hence that sets an upper cap on the hotel's score by default. Similarly, a luxury hotel is expected to have everything except maybe value for money, so that raises the cap. A hotel that can give everything at a low cost would, naturally, be better than a luxury hotel that does the same.
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Here is an elaboration on what each of these points entail.
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1. Accessibility
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How accessible is the hotel from the nearest public transport station/stop? Is that public transport stop convenient?
Rough boundaries: No choice but to drive: 0-1, Take taxi or face a 30-minute walk: 1-2. Justification provided on a case by case basis for all other scores.
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2. Check-in/Check-out process
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Was the check-in/check-out process smooth? Were there welcome snacks/drinks provided? Was a promised check-in/check-out time delivered? Was the process longer than necessary?
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- Hotel's facilities
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Pool, Gym, Spa facility, space of the lobby, space of the hotel premises in general.
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- Quality of Meals provided
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How good were the meals included in the stay? This will be a 0 if there are no meals included.
*For hotels that offer breakfast as part of a separate rate, it will be considered as included but value for money proposition will be judged based on the breakfast included price.
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- Meal variety
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Did the included meals vary? What about the variety of food served within the same meal?
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- Room: Living Area
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How is the room apart from the washroom? This includes the bed, workstation if any and any other luxury perks like a balcony or a furnished terrace.
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- Room: Washroom
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How is the washroom? What amenities are provided in the washroom? Is it easy to accidentally scald or freeze yourself in the shower? There might be a bathtub but can I soak comfortably in it? Very first world problem I know, but you simply can't charge exorbitant rates without thinking about these things.
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- Experiences offered
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Does the hotel offer experiences as part of the stay? A complimentary tour of a nearby attraction perhaps. A free class offered in-house perhaps. These things help to elevate the stay experience.
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- Before-arrival service
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Strictly limited to concierge service: assistance with restaurant/experience booking or room amenities requested for. Assistance with check-in/check-out details is a given, negative marks might be awarded if the hotel refuses to even communicate through email if necessary.
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- After-arrival service
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Service at the hotel. This includes housekeeping, receptionist staff and everything at the hotel. The 'soft product', if you will.