As regular readers know, I am a big Marriott fan. I frequently stay at Marriott properties of all different types. However, when traveling overseas, I opt to round out my cultural exchange experience by staying at short-term rental apartments rather than chain hotels. How does a traveler decide between a European apartment or a European hotel? For me, an apartment is often a way to make sure my experience is as authentic as possible and that I have the chance to soak up a lot of culture in a short time.
A relative of mine recently took her very first international trip. As it was her first time, she felt more comfortable booking an established hotel. Peace of mind is important. While navigating a foreign city if she felt more comfortable being able to search for a business with a sign and a concierge to assist her, that’s perfectly fine. I get it. Every trip is different and every traveler is different.
If you are currently planning for travels of any kind, I encourage you to read articles on this site that discuss some of the various brands of Marriott hotels. Are you artsy? Then read about Grand Bohemian hotels here. Do you like a living room/bedroom combination? Then read about Fairfield Inn & Suites here. Do you like your hotel to provide reasonably priced food? Then read about Courtyard hotels here. Lastly, to make things as convenient as possible for my readers, when you click on any Marriott ad or link on this site, you’ll be directed to Marriott’s booking platform so you can make your reservations at any of their worldwide properties.
As far as short-term rental properties go, here are some cultural observations that I’ve noticed in Western Europe and in Eastern Europe.
“Czech” Out My Pad in the Czech Republic
I can say I noticed some apartment similarities in the two countries I visited that were formerly a part of the old Soviet bloc (Hungary and Czech Republic). Both apartments were two “no frills” rooms. This could be simply that the owners purchased them specifically for use as short-term rentals. Or it could be that the Communist powers-that-be decided that people needed only a basic roof over their heads and “no frills” was the name of the game.
In Budapest, we had no living room to speak of. The main room was a kitchen/dining room combination, which if you opted for a smaller table, would have allowed space for a little loveseat at best. The second room was the bedroom.
In Prague, we had a tiny kitchenette and a bedroom. If one were so inclined, I suppose you could have used a sofa bed rather than a regular bed, which would have allowed for the space to function as a living room during the day.
These two places contrasted with experiences that I’ve had in other parts of Europe.
My experience in Slovenia, which was originally part of Yugoslavia, was somewhere between a standard apartment that many Westerners would expect and the tiny size of either of the two Eastern European places I mentioned above. The apartment had a main room (which was set up like a dining room), a small kitchen, and two bedrooms. One thing to note is that one bedroom was a separate room and the other was a portion of the main room that had been partitioned off. It was a very old building with a lot of charm. The experience was just quirky enough to give us great stories.
At the opposite end of this spectrum were my experiences in Amsterdam and Stockholm. In both cases, the owners were out of town and, therefore, rented me their entire apartments complete with their personal décor and belongings. Both of these apartments were the size of any apartment that one might see in America. In the comparison, we could simply be looking at the difference between an investment property versus a home in these two situations. I’ll never know for sure, but I suspect it’s a cultural difference.
Lastly, Marriott now has a program called Marriott Homes & Villas. This combines the best of both worlds. These are full houses or apartments that are curated by Marriott. They are available around the world. Full disclosure, I haven’t had the opportunity to stay at one yet, but I am very excited about the possibility.
Whether you decide to stay at a hotel or at a short-term rental apartment, do your research. Read reviews and remember when doing so, not to focus on the very high ratings or the very low ratings. As with politics, the truth is often somewhere in the middle.
July 23, 2023 at 11:14 am
Good post. I think it is interesting what you can get used to in terms of space. I think you need to go hit the other continents (South America, Africa, Asia and Australia) to round out your research and report back. Where would you expect to see the most similarities and the most differences?
July 24, 2023 at 5:24 am
I imagine places in Asia being smaller because we hear about how crowded they are. I don’t know, but I hope to see all the other continents you listed someday to find out.