Where to stay in United States

The advertised price is not the price

American hotels have spent twenty years unbundling the room rate. A rule effective 12 May 2025 now requires the total price including mandatory fees to be shown up front, which has helped, but the fees themselves did not go away.

• Resort fees, destination fees, urban fees or amenity fees of USD 25 to USD 50 a night, charged whether or not you use the pool, the gym or the newspaper.
• State and city occupancy taxes stacking to 15 percent or more in major cities. New York and Chicago are among the highest anywhere.
• Parking of USD 40 to USD 70 a night in city centres, and it is rarely optional if you have a rental car.
• Add 25 to 40 percent to the headline rate when comparing against home. That is the realistic number.
• Ask for the total including all fees and taxes when you book by phone, and check the confirmation.

What the categories mean

• Motels are roadside, drive-up, cheap and perfectly fine. Not a downgrade, just a different thing.
• Chain mid-range hotels are reliably identical everywhere, and often include breakfast, which the boutique places do not.
• Airbnb and Vrbo are heavily regulated in some cities and effectively banned in others, notably in New York, where the enforcement is real and short lets have largely disappeared.
• Hostels exist in the big cities and are thin on the ground elsewhere.
• A tip of USD 3 to USD 5 a night for housekeeping is expected, left daily rather than at the end.

Practical

• Check-in is typically 15:00 and check-out 11:00, and both are enforced more strictly than in Europe.
• A credit card is required for the incidentals hold, often USD 50 to USD 100 a night. A debit card ties up real money for days.
• Air conditioning is universal and loud. Ask for a room away from the ice machine and the lift.
• National park lodges book out 6 to 12 months ahead for summer. This is the single most common American holiday planning mistake.