As a frequent business traveller over the last few years, I have always stretched my travel budget to the max, in the expectation that the higher the cost, the better the hotel. If the travel budget per night was £300 I would pretty much meet the upper limit every time, believing that I would receive a more comfortable and luxurious experience.
During these years, I shied away from budget hotels in Kiev, B and B's in Bulgaria and Rome apartments. Why not take advantage if the company was willing to pay for it?
Now that I travel mainly for leisure I can see that I have really missed out in the last few years! Not only are many far less expensive hotels up to the mark, but in fact they often provide a more homely and comfortable experience – and certainly far more friendly!
In place of the pricey and often faceless chain hotels that I used to use, I now spend time researching the area and the hotels available. I try to experience different types of hotels and accommodation and have been pleasantly surprised by what is on offer.
You can find some incredible hotels in the lower price ranges if you are prepared to spend time reading the review sites to weed out the bad ones and go for the colourful places, full of character.