Sometimes travel plans actually work exactly the way they are supposed to.  I chose my hotel in Sofia because it is near the bus terminal  (where I would be arriving ) and it had distinctive architecture  (which would make it easy to find). First thing I see when I walk out of the bus terminal is this:

Not quite as easy to see in this low resolution shot as in real life, but the light coloured building with the turret at the end of the street is what I wanted to see. I also chose it because it is close to the subway which will take me to the airport. Turns out there is a subway entrance right in front of the hotel. It is not always that everything falls in place so nicely, especially in a place you have never been before. It was kind of like a small reward at the end of a trip.