When choosing accommodations for children I think it's important to remember that children are immune to two things adults look for in hotels. Luxury and Cleanliness. They couldn't care less. What they do care about is location. If you can be centrally located, so you can get out to the midst of all the action even in the middle of a Jet Lag night, I think you are golden as far as your children are concerned. They don't really want to be in the in a nice place in the outskirts of the town. They much rather be across all the action. Don't forget there is nothing that's more important of a killer for kids on vacations and metros and long cab rides. So location I think is the all is key. That said I do like to stay in a nice place. I think it's important for kids to have what I called the grand hotel experience from time to time. So I will tend to stay very cheaply often on friends couches and ____ if any one out of 4 or 5 nights, we can stay somewhere decent. I recently did that in Italy with the kids. We stayed in real, what I consider real flee pits, which the kids loved for several days and we explored and stayed at Hotel Hassler which is one of the great historic hotels in Rome. I think it was very good and helpful for kids to get that over all grace and atmosphere. In face we met a reigning Monarch on the elevator and happy to say that the kids held their own. So ultimate between cheap and something great, I would say one night at the Hasslers probably worth 5 nights you are not going to have in a holiday Inn.