Travel blog by web-hotels.com

To the typical American, the United States is not just a continent, but a world apart. Different accents, driving, and way of life may get to you sometime or the other. The one place that you would at least want to be comfortable and at home at is the hotel that you put up in. Once again, Britain offers different types of accommodations with different ratings. So how do you know what a particular hotel has to offer simply based upon its classification and stars. Our brief guide on understanding UK hotels will help you out when it comes to selecting the kind of accommodation that you want to stay in at UK.

Hotels: Hotels in the UK are just like hotels anywhere else in the developed world, and offer facilities ranging from “luxury’ to “basic” and “budget”. The Automobile Association or the AA in the UK rates hotels based upon service and facilities provided by giving them one to five stars. The more the stars, the more the price and the features. A basic hotel with a single star rating will have at least a restaurant or a dining hall “with a reasonable choice of food and wines”, rooms will have attached facilities and the service will be competent.

Bed and Breakfast (B&B)

While a bed and breakfast is supposed to generally provide you with just these two Bs, many of the best BnBs in UK will not only provide you with an evening meal; but may also give you a packed lunch on request. While you might not get private WCs or bathrooms in BnBs, the good part is that you get a lot of personal service and attention that often makes staying in a B&B more comfortable than a hotel. The fact that these are cheaper than hotels also helps. Bed and Breakfasts are rated by the AA from 1 to 5 diamonds, with better service and quality resulting in a higher number of diamonds for these mom and pop kind of establishments.

Self-Catering

If you are planning to stay at one place for a long period of time (at least a week or more) and want both privacy and economy, then a self catering room, apartment, flat or cottage can be a good choice. These facilities come equipped with their own fully furnished kitchens and you are supposed to provide your own meals. Many of them are serviced by maids, housekeepers or even cooks. These units are generally cheaper than both B&Bs and hotels and make for a home-like, private atmosphere. Self catering apartments generally have a minimum booking period and a prefixed “start” day in the UK.