Having stayed at all different types of hotels the most important thing is cleanliness and a fresh smell in the whole hotel, especially the corridors. Having English-speaking staff is important as is a roomy and modern bathroom with bath, shower, tiled floor and a new-looking toilet. Good speedy room service and a good concierge is also very important. The furnishings in the room should be ample and of a high standard and the bed large (king size) and very comfortable. Jean Kaye, Boynton Beach, Florida, USA
To me a good hotel is the one that can provide a friendly service, spacious rooms, no flowery decorations, a shower fixed on the wall, can make a good coffee and above all where you can open the window. Not too expensive - apx £50.00 a night. I don’t give a carrot about TV, telephone, Internet or those things, I’m on holiday for goodness sake! Alex Guerriero, Oxford
Why do we always have to complicate things in this country? There is a standard hotel rating system which is used and understood throughout the world. Why can’t we use that instead of designing a new system especially as we are aiming at foreigners who will be more confused with a unique British system than a universal one? Vinay Mehra, Purley
For me, cleanliness and simplicity is what I look for first in a hotel room. A marble, tiled or wooden floor, with no mats that can hold filth. No fussy ornaments that can get knocked over when I’m blundering around without my glasses. A “sensible”, if compact bathroom is of vital importance. It should contain a loo, washbasin with mixer tap, shower (with hose, rather than wall-or ceiling-mounted; a bathtub is not necessary and wastes water) and that most civilised of undercarriage-sluicing contraptions, a bidet. There should be plenty of dry shelving space adjacent to but at a higher level than the washbasin for shaver, glasses and suchlike. Soap should be of the wrapped, tablet variety, rather than in liquid form in dispensers. Fluffy mats round the base of WCs and washstands are unhygenic and should not be tolerated. Electronic gadgetry - a TV, telephone, radio, alarm clock, internet, etc, is not necessary. Many is the time that I have hit my head on a high level TV monitor. Good ventilation (a window that opens) is essential. Downstairs, the restaurant should offer (at least for residents) an economical fixed-price menu of the day for the evening meal. Ideally, and especially if meals are not served until later in the evening, there should be a comfortable and quiet lounge area where one can sit and read. Breakfast? The ideal is a simple buffet with fruit juices, yoghurts, cold meats and suchlike, available from an early hour. As far as rating by country is concerned, France tends to top the list for evening meals, Germany for breakfasts, and Spain for bedroom and bathroom design/layout, overall cleanliness and value for money. Prices? Depends on the country. Say 35 to 40 euros in Spain, 60 in Germany. Why pay more? After all, a hotel room is for a traveller to rest his or her weary head in. No more, no less. Mike Bent, Oviedo, Spain
Good soundproofing. A good shower. A good bed, soft fresh sheets with different sized pillows available. Fresh healthy simple food for breakfast. A library. A choice between air-con or opening the window. Environmentally smart toiletries and cleaning. Caitlin McKiernan, London
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I loathe one-off hotels and country house hotels where, in my experience, everything is a gamble (except of course the highly inflated prices). A good hotel in my book means one in a reliable chain, such as the admirable Novotel, where one gets a large, spotless, well-decorated comfortable room with up-to-date facilities including extra pillows, blankets, an iron and so on; friendly and polite reception and waiting staff who speak and understand English; a good well-stocked bar and a decent restaurant. And where one is then left alone to enjoy it and do what one wants. Ann Keith, Cambridge
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