Tablet Hotels

One way to find an acceptable hotel abroad certainly is to book the local outpost of a reputable American chain.  Another way is through Tablet Hotels, priding itself on suggesting "unique hotels for global nomads".  If you're looking to get away, but aren't sure where you're headed, you can also look here.  The narrow-sounding name actually does the company a disservice because, by checking off the type of location you have in mind (city, beach, desert, jungle...) and what your agenda is (romance, adventure, shopping, food...), you'll get destination suggestions and hotel recommendations all in one.  The web site will even look for hip, boutique hotels around a city that you're trying to escape.