I love feeling at home. You might not believe it, but home is my favorite place to be. Amongst my love for traveling and seeing the word I often find a creeping feeling of homesickness that nags at me when traveling. Maybe because I miss my mattress or maybe because I secretly love sitting on the couch for hours watching the Kardashians, the verdict is still out. Whatever the reason is, I try my best to feel at home when traveling. It may be really bougie of me, but I associate staying in a nice hotel with feeling at home. I think I can blame my parents for that one, but it’s the truth. I spent a lot of time looking for a place to stay on Airbnb and VRBO, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to stay in a hotel. What can I say, I’m a sucker for the mini fridge snacks, movies, and cleaning service-sue me.
This past June and July my long time friend, Dria, and I set off for London, Dublin, and New York. We have dreamed of traveling together for years and after last summer in Paris, we decided to pull the trigger again and book a trip. If you know me, travel planning is my favorite hobby. I spend hours and hours creating travel plans for my dream destinations so you could say I have a pretty good idea of where to find the best deals, places to stay, things to do, and restaurants to visit. I carefully looked into hotel after hotel making sure I chose the right place, and after sifting through expedia, google, and instagram, I finally came to the perfect place.
After a lot of research I ended up choosing the CitizenM hotel, not only in Bankside, London but in New York as well. Talk about a high tech and unique hotel. Everything in the room is controlled with an ipad, from the curtains, to the tv, to the temperature, to the colorful changing bathroom lights! They even have a mode for any mood you might be in; you can go from relax mode to party mode with just a push of a button. So for all of us tech savvy, millennial brained people, we have pretty much found heaven. I’d probably suggest not bringing your grandparents or even your parents who either share a facebook page or who accidentally post comments on a stranger’s recent profile pic; something more classic like The Ritz would suit them better.
The best part about the rooms is not the free mini fridge snacks, but the bed. I have never seen a bed this large. You could easily fit a four person family plus 3 medium sized dogs in this bed. Dria and I were able to both completely spread out and we still didn’t even come close to touching each other. The room also had a great closet space which was much needed as living out of a suitcase is never ideal.
The unique thing about CitizenM is that every single room is the same no matter what location you are staying at. So when we arrived in New York we felt so at home, well, more like we were back in London-it was the weirdest feeling. We were so happy to have that giant bed back after sharing a king bed in Dublin.
Checking in and out is such a breeze. I always prepare at least 10 minutes for arriving or leaving, but since everything is done on a self service computer in the lobby you can be on your way in less than a minute, no joke! Just type in your name and reservation code and you are set!
I could travel multiple countries and still find myself feeling at home, thanks to CitizenM. I was happy to find a place I felt totally comfortable in and allowed me to relax during my travels these past couple of months. With locations all over the world, I know I can feel at home in not just two countries, but also many more.
Thank you to CitizenM for having me during my time in London and New York. CitizenM sponsored my stay, but my words and opinions are based genuinely on the experience I had.