In Croatia, what is the usual behavior with regard to footwear when entering: (i) a hotel (ii) a private home
Is it usual to take one's footwear off, or not, and if "off", where does one leave it? Does it vary with whether one is in a city or a rural area?
You definitely can and should keep your shoes on in hotels in Croatia. It's normal and expected to wear shoes in the lobby, corridors, hotel restaurants or bars, etc. Of course, outdoor shoes are usually not permitted in the spa area; either walk barefoot or use some indoor slippers (your own or provided by the hotel).
Most Croats would probably take off their shoes when entering a hotel room and then walk around the room barefoot. If it's your hotel room, the choice is yours. The hotel absolutely won't have any rules about footwear in the rooms. If someone invites you to their room, check if they have shoes removed and do the same.
Croatians observe the standard Eastern European etiquette of removing their shoes when entering a house or an appartment, whether one's own or someone else's. Things can be more relaxed in hot and dry areas when people walk around in flip-flops or similar, but even then, those can be quite dusty, so it's a better idea to remove them when going inside. The same default etiquette also applies to any form of private accomodation.
In any case, you should err on the side of caution. Only keep your shoes on if the host sees you removing them and tells you to keep them on. Make sure your feet don't smell and your socks are clean and not showing signs of excessive wear and tear!
Regarding i (a hotel), or nearly any other commercial place for that matter, you should not expect to take your shoes off. In the rare case they expect you to not wear shoes it will probably be clear for you to do so, for example in Mosques, Dojos, some Airport Security or wellness/spa areas.
I have no experience with ii (private home) in Croatia. My experience in other places is to look for signs, whether there are shoes and/or a place to sit and remove them by the front door or whether the host is wearing shoes.
Private homes: I'm from Germany but my father is from Croatia. We often spent our holidays in my granddads house in Croatia and they had guests I remember a lot of shoes standing at the stairs in front of the porch or in the hallway. Reason is exactly what someone else already mentioned: The dust especially in the summer.
Anywhere, look around the entrance for shoes. You might see them at temples, for example.
In many UK homes, you'll usually only see very dirty outdoor footwear such as boots, unless the custom is to remove shoes. If there are shoes in sight, you can ask the host if they would like you to remove them, or offer do it anyway.
It's not much of a recognised custom here (and some visitors will be offended if you ask them to remove shoes).
