One Year of This Teen Travelz: Building a Teen-Focused Hotel Review Platform at 13

On February 6, 2025, I launched This Teen Travelz, a teen travel blog built around one simple goal: creating honest teen hotel reviews that focus on what actually matters to teens and families.

A week later, on February 14, 2025, I published my first full hotel review — The Daytona, Autograph Collection. That review helped shape the direction of the site and confirmed that there was space for a teen-focused perspective in hotel reviews, especially when it comes to Wi-Fi, room setup, amenities, and overall experience.

Now, one year later, This Teen Travelz has grown into a dedicated teen hotel review platform covering dozens of real hotel stays across the U.S. and Canada. This post looks back on year one — why the site started, how I review hotels from a teen’s perspective, what I’ve learned along the way, and where This Teen Travelz is headed next.

How It Started — And Why

I launched this channel at 12 years old after realizing something that felt surprisingly obvious: most hotel reviews aren’t made with teens in mind.

When families travel, teens are often the ones spending the most time in the room — on Wi-Fi, gaming, streaming, or just trying to relax. Yet those details are usually glossed over or treated as afterthoughts in traditional hotel reviews.

I wanted to create content that answered practical questions like:

• Is the Wi-Fi actually fast and reliable?
• Is it easy to hook up a gaming console or laptop?
• Does the room layout make sense for longer stays?
• Are there spaces that feel welcoming for teens, not just adults?

That gap is what This Teen Travelz was built to fill.

Year One by the Numbers — What Experience Looks Like

Over the first year, This Teen Travelz grew through consistency and real-world experience:

• 40+ hotels reviewed across the U.S. and Canada
• 41 Marriott properties featured
• Nearly 200 videos published across long-form reviews and Shorts
• Travel spanning 9 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces
• Launch of ThisTeenTravelz.com as a dedicated home for reviews and guides
• Creation of original tools like the Hotel Wi-Fi Speed Leaderboard

These numbers matter not because they’re impressive on their own, but because they represent repetition. Reviewing dozens of hotels teaches you how small details add up, how brands differ in real-world use, and how expectations change depending on the purpose of a trip.

For a full list of where I’ve stayed so far, you can explore the Hotel Index.

How I Create Teen Hotel Reviews From a Teen’s Perspective

Every review on This Teen Travelz follows the same mindset:
Would I actually enjoy staying here as a teen?

When I review a hotel, I focus on several key areas.

Room Setup & Comfort

• Desk space and seating
• Outlet placement and charging access
• Lighting, noise levels, and room layout
• Whether the room feels functional or frustrating for longer stays

Wi-Fi & Tech

• Real-world Wi-Fi speed and stability
• Streaming and online gaming reliability
• Ease of connecting consoles, laptops, and other devices
• Whether the tech feels modern or outdated

Wi-Fi performance is tracked and compared using my Hotel Wi-Fi Speed Leaderboard, which is based on real testing rather than marketing claims.

Amenities & Shared Spaces

• Pools, gyms, lounges, and common areas
• Whether spaces feel welcoming to teens
• How well the hotel balances adult and family needs

Location & Practicality

• Walkability and nearby food options
• Ease of getting around without constant transportation
• Whether the location makes sense for the type of trip

The goal isn’t to sell a hotel — it’s to explain what staying there is actually like.

What I’ve Learned Creating Teen Hotel Reviews

One of the biggest lessons from year one is that consistency beats momentum. Growth doesn’t happen overnight, but showing up regularly builds trust over time — with viewers, platforms, and even hotel teams.

I’ve also learned how much preparation matters. Strong reviews start before check-in: understanding what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to capture the experience clearly.

Another major learning curve has been communication. Over the past several months, I’ve been learning how to reach out to hotel teams, introduce myself professionally, follow up respectfully, and build real relationships. That process has been just as valuable as learning how to film, edit, and write.

What I Enjoy Most About Doing This

The part I enjoy most is getting to go to new places — and also returning to places I already love. Every stay feels different, even when it’s a hotel I’ve visited before.

I also really enjoy meeting new and awesome people along the way. Hotel staff, travel teams, and people I meet on the road all add something unique to each trip.

Most importantly, I enjoy being able to share places I love with other teens and families. When someone my age says a review helped them decide where to stay, that makes all the work worth it.

Building More Than Just Hotel Reviews

Over time, This Teen Travelz has grown into more than a YouTube channel.

The website was built to create something lasting:

• A complete collection of hotel review posts
• A detailed Hotel Index
• Brand and location hubs
• Teen-focused travel guides
• Tools like the Hotel Wi-Fi Speed Leaderboard

The goal is to build a resource that helps people plan smarter trips — not just watch a video and move on.

If you want to learn more about how this project started, you can also read my about me.

Looking Ahead to Year Two

Year two is about refinement and growth — stronger storytelling, deeper hotel guides, expanded travel resources, and continuing to build relationships within the hospitality industry.

I’m excited to keep exploring new destinations, revisit favorite hotels, and continue growing This Teen Travelz as a teen-focused travel platform.

Thanks for Being Here

Whether you’ve watched a video, read a blog post, shared feedback, or followed along quietly — thank you. Year one built the foundation, and I’m excited for what comes next.

If you’re new here, you can start by exploring:

• The Hotel Index
• The Hotel Wi-Fi Speed Leaderboard
• Or the latest hotel review posts

You can also find my full hotel reviews and walkthrough videos on my YouTube channel.

Here’s to year two of This Teen Travelz.