i think the most important thing for me when i choose a hosting company is whether they have competent tech people on staff at all times. sure, there is great tech support during the day, but what if something goes down at 3am on Christmas Eve? is there going to be someone to pick up the phone after 2 rings that actually has some sort of technical knowledge?

unfortunately most of the people that work the "undesirable" shifts tend to be your less-experienced tech people, who are there basically just to hit the power button. most of your more experienced tech people won't take a 3am Christmas Eve shift.