I'm turning into a hotel snob

I started this week in Athens and will end it in Singapore. In between I'll pop in on Frankfurt for some kraut.

The impact of all this traveling, apart from a giant carbon footprint, is that I'm developing some travel habits that would've annoyed and/or confused the old me.

My colleagues at work would be most surprised to hear that I've recently been showing up to the airport with plenty of time to spare. For me, a more interesting shift has been my preferences for accommodation.

Until recently, I didn't really care where I slept, especially when traveling on my own dime. I've stayed in some dodgy hotels and some dodgier hostels, but paying a lot to sleep somewhere never made much sense to me. I think it was my stay at Berns in Stockholm last Fall that started to change my thinking. This is the best hotel I've ever stayed at -- great location, great design, great restaurant/club/bar, and if you plan ahead, it's not really that much more expensive than any other hotel/hostel in Stockholm (and I've checked out a few, including one in an old wooden ship*).

I stayed at another good one in Athens this morning, Fresh Hotel, and last time I was in Amsterdam I was recommended Lloyd Hotel, which was also excellent. The Glasshouse in Edinburgh is fantastic and so is the Hoxton Hotel here in London, which I recently booked a room at for £1.

So now I'm a complete snob.

In case you're interested, here are some good sources for boutique/design hotels worldwide.

www.tablethotels.com
www.mrandmrssmith.com
http://unlike.net
www.blackbookmag.com
www.designhotels.com

And of course Guardian Travel and New York Times Travel can also be useful references.

If anyone has a good hotel suggestion for any of the following cities, I'd be interested in hearing from you: Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Belgrade.

*The ship was called af Chapman. Not Diversity.