In Islamabad, many visitors avoid hotels (especially since the Marriott got bombed) and head for a guesthouse.

These come in all forms, and levels of comfort, but the top end costs about 25-50 % of what a hotel room would cost, and, in the nicer parts of town has wi fi in the rooms, which usually also include a desk and a sitting area. Helpful staff bring up simple meals and newspapers, and the guesthouses usually have around 8-10 rooms. They are favored by visiting news correspondents.

Guesthouses also have the advantage of not being obvious targets for bombers. My guesthouse, with the improbable name of Number Three-Lush,  is a large villa on a tree lined street and like most single family Islmabad homes, has a huge gate, watched by a guard, that shuts behind entering cars, leaving outsiders with no glimpse of the yard and house inside.