Motels, Hotels or Hostels?

Opatija hotels. No bargains.

Which is your choice when you decide to book your travel accommodation? Did you know that a Motel is originally a Motor hotel intended for vacationers who drive around? Now it's simply a cheaper alternative to Hotels. Usually you won't find too much difference between motel and hotel in Europe. A hotel which has 2 star ranking is equally cheap. What do you base your choice of hotel on? Location, price or simply Brand name?
I've learnt my lesson about trusting hotel chains. I thought the standard shouldn't differ too much from country to country. Of course I was wrong. The hotel that we went to was not only dirty. My mates found cockroaches floating in the toilet bowl and human hair on towel! That's about the most disgusting it can get besides the room smelling of cigarette smoke.
Price can be a pretty good indicator about the type of place that you are getting. Though in certain countries like Budapest, we were really surprised to book a hotel for 35 euros a night in the centre of the city (with breakfast included)!
Speaking of Hostels, I've only stayed in two before. One in San Francisco and the other in Bath. Everything in UK is expensive. So for 12 pounds a night at a centrally located student hostel at Bath. We couldn't complain too much except we didn't dare to shower in the unisex and open shower cubicles! Hostels are really for low budget travellers. You must be able to endure sleeping in a room with no less than 4 other strangers. Sheets or beds are usually pretty old. Though the person who runs the hostel will always give you a set of fresh sheets when you check in. And of course, the noise that the young and excited travellers are making can drive you up the wall. The risk of your bag of chocolates being shared by your fellow roommates when you are out if inevitable. I guess I'm getting too old for hostels. Give me my cheap hotels to shut me up!