Learn Spanish (Latin America): He viajado mucho, pero ayer me quedé en un alojamiento caro. - I have traveled a lot, but yesterday I stayed in expensive accommodation.

This sentence perfectly shows the difference between the Present Perfect and the Preterite in Latin American Spanish. We use he viajado (I have traveled) because it describes a general life experience with an open timeframe. However, as soon as the sentence introduces ayer (yesterday), the timeframe is closed, so we must switch to the Preterite for me quedé (I stayed).

Why do we need the pronoun me in me quedé?

To say 'to stay' somewhere (like at a hotel or a house), you need to use the reflexive verb quedarse. If you drop the me and just say quedé, the verb quedar means different things, such as 'to arrange to meet' or 'to be left over'.

If I am still staying in this expensive accommodation today, could I use the Present Perfect for the second part?

In Latin American Spanish, you still use the Preterite (me quedé) because the specific time marker you used is ayer (yesterday). Even if your stay continues into today, the fact that you associate the action with a finished past day forces you to use the Preterite.

Is alojamiento just another word for a hotel?

Not exactly. Alojamiento is a broad term that translates to 'accommodation' or 'lodging'. It can refer to a hotel, but it also covers hostels, cabins, rented apartments, or any other place you might pay to stay while traveling.