How do you choose a hosting platform?

Lately I’ve been juggling a couple of new project ideas, and every time I get to the hosting part, I hit the same dilemma — what should matter most? Reviews feel helpful, but half of them look either too positive or too angry to trust. Support speed also matters, especially when something breaks at night, and I’m picky about control panels because clunky ones drain my patience. How do you personally decide which platform to go with?