Which European hotel chain is best for your budget?

Even though this isn't the top season for trips to Europe, you might be interested in the results of a new JD Power and Associates survey on European hotels. Composite scores are based on almost 9,000 respondents' evaluations of a hotel's check-in/check-out process, rooms, food and beverages, services, facilities, and costs.

Traveling seniors are more likely to be interested in the results for budget hotels. Power provides data on nine budget chains with enough responses for a valid comparison. From the top down, they're Express by Holiday Inn, Campanille, Premier Travel Inn, Treff, Balladins, Ibis, Tulip Inns, Etap, and Formule 1.

In my view, Power's budget classification is too big for good comparisons. It should really be split into two segments: regular budget and super budget. Holiday Inn Express, Campanille, Premier, Treff, Ibis, and Tulip are on a par with U.S. budget motel chains. Although rooms tend to be a bit smaller than in their U.S. counterparts, anyone familiar with, say, Holiday Inn Express in the U.S. would likely be satisfied with the room and services at any of this group. Other chains in the group that Power doesn't list include Akena, Best Hotels, and Motel 1.

Etap and Formule 1 are better viewed as super-budget chains. They have no counterparts in the U.S. At most times, check-in is completely automated: You swipe your credit card through an ATM-like device outside the main entrance, the machine issues you either a key card or printed code that lets you first into the hotel and then into your room. Although the hotels are attended a few hours a day, you can easily stay without ever encountering an employee. Rooms are tiny: usually less than 100 square feet, with one double bed plus a cot suitable for one child. Formule 1 and the similar Nuit d'Hotel lack even an in-room bath. Other super-budget chains include Fasthotel, Mister Bed, Quick Palace, and Villages.

So far, budget and super-budget chains are concentrated in a few countries, although most are expanding throughout the continent. France has by far the largest number. Best Hotels, Fasthotel, Mister Bed, Nuit d'Hotel, Quick Palace, and Villages are confined entirely or almost entirely to France. The majority of locations in the Balladins, Etap, Formule 1, and Fasthotel chains are also in France, although they provide some coverage elsewhere in Europe. The U.K. is also well served. Campanile, Holiday Inn Express, and Ibis all have U.K. locations, and Premier is in the U.K. only. Coverage in Germany is spotty—mainly from the French chains—although strictly-German Motel 1 has a small presence there.

You can reserve budget and super budget chains online. Etap, Formule 1, and Ibis are all part of the Accor chain, Campanile and Premier Classe are part of Louvre Hotels, Holiday Inn Express is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, Treff is part of Cendant/Ramada, and Tulip is part of Golden Tulip. Premier has its own website, as do Akena, Balladins, Best Hotels, Fasthotel, Mister Bed, and Quick Palace. Most of the foreign sites have English language options. And, of course, you can make reservations to most budget and super-budget hotels through the big multinational travel sites.

For more details on the European budget and super-budget scene, the best source of information I've found is Eurapart.com.