I love to travel, despite all the challenges and frustrations that accompany it, and one of the bigger decisions that you need to make when planning a trip is figuring out where you are going to stay. In the most recent episode of Clay’s Corner over the weekend, my friend Clayton Imoo discussed the first things that people check or look for when they enter their hotel room. And that got me thinking about how I decide what is the best hotel for me. And so, here we are with this week’s vlog.

The circumstances of each individual trip, whether for business or for pleasure, will necessarily influence the factors I consider when choosing what I think will be the best hotel for the visit. Even so, many of the factors remain largely the same. I’m not going to stay at a dive just to save a few bucks, just as I’m unlikely to splurge on the most extravagant and luxurious of resorts.

The specific location of Beach Palace Cancun didn’t matter too much, because all of the major resorts in the area are located along the same Zona Hotelera. The quality of the amenities and “bonuses” were more important, though it was helpful being within walking distance of at least a couple shopping malls.

More recently, for our trip earlier this year to Los Cabos, we decided on Hyatt Place in San Jose del Cabo for a few reasons. We preferred the quieter side of San Jose del Cabo over the boisterousness of Cabo San Lucas and we liked that a massive Walmart-like superstore was literally behind the property. We opted against the all-inclusives in the area, because the added premium didn’t feel worth it for us and we preferred checking out more of the local fare.

Particularly if I know I won’t have a car with me, location is far and away the most important deciding factor when choosing the best hotel for my trips. We stayed at the Aqua Pacific Monarch in Waikiki because it was literally blocks from the beach (while significantly cheaper than the beachfront accommodations) and it offered a free shuttle for getting around town. We chose the RF Hotel in Taipei because it was within easy walking distance of the main metro line and it was priced very affordably too. It wasn’t fancy or expansive, but it was perfectly functional.

All this talk of travel is afflicting me with a serious case of the wanderlust again. Where should we go next?