Just curious as to what motels everyone likes to stay in when they are on the road, how they pick a place to stay, etc.
I'm a member of both Wyndham Rewards and Choice Rewards so I try to use those chains (Super 8, Days Inn, Microtel, etc. for Wyndham; EconoLodge, Quality, Sleep, Comfort, etc. for Choice Hotels) and about the only amenity I require is high-speed internet, although I do like a refrigerator and I actually like outdoor corridors where I can park right outside my room.
I also like to make advance reservations, so I'll know where I am going and now that I have a room.
I used to use Super 8's, Motel 6's and the like but I've had too many bad experiences with them lately. The standard of cleanliness at some of them leaves a lot to be desired. I've had blood stained linen, pillows smelling of sweat, sheets covered in hairs. The other thing I hate with cheap motels is people banging around at all hours of the night. Soundproofing between rooms appears to be minimal.
I now stay at places around $100/night. Staying several nights adds up but at these price levels I know I will get a clean room.
I'm still experimenting at the moment - I'm part of the Choice rewards program, but also Marriott's and Holiday Inn's parent franchise's program (the latter because my work tends to book at their hotels. I'm ditching the Marriott one because the minimum rate is usually $100 or more.
HB have you had bad experiences with the Super 8 and Microtel chains?
Quote from: hbelkins on December 05, 2009, 07:48:06 PM
Just curious as to what motels everyone likes to stay in when they are on the road, how they pick a place to stay, etc.
Usually, I just fly by the seat of my pants and stop someplace random. I gravitate to the old independents, but they are a mixed bag. Some are good (Ozark Motel, Ozark, AR), some need to be bulldozed (Magnolia Motel, Laurel, MS).
I've stayed at Motel 6 with mixed results (Rapid City, SD and Council Bluffs, IA are decent , North Little Rock, AR is falling apart, St Joseph, MO is a joke) as well as Super 8 (Marshall, TX fair, Shreveport, LA good). I've yet to find a Howard Johnson that doesn't have problems. :-/
BUT, I'm biased. I've worked 6+ years for various franchise motels (Super 8, Days Inn, Holiday Inn, Extended Stay America, Doubletree) so I know where a lot of the money goes. Plus I can't see paying an extra $20 a night for a donut & coffee in the morning and a "free" night after I've stayed 10 times. If I had an expense account or someone I traveled with on a regular basis, maybe I'd be a little more picky.
As it is, I just believe in supporting the small, independent business man where I can (like he really even exists). :spin:
Quote from: Master son on December 05, 2009, 08:40:41 PM
HB have you had bad experiences with the Super 8 and Microtel chains?
Not really to speak of. I am glad that Microtel joined the Wyndham family because they aren't as commonplace as others (Super 8, Days) in that chain. The worst experience I had at a Microtel was in Franklin, NC, where the wi-fi connection was terribly slow and the service ran through a proxy that denied access to certain sites based on some sort of "family-friendly" filter. Can't remember which roads-related site was blocked as porn, but I remember than one of them was.
My experiences with most of the places I've stayed have been pretty good.
I know I've mentioned this previously, but I try to keep my per night stay in the $50-60 range once taxes and incidentals are figured. I've stayed at many Wyndham properties at that range and so far have had no issues. I always book ahead whenever possible so I know I'll have a room but more importantly so I know the cost of the room. Most times, a much better rate can be had booking online, and it also is good to belong to a rewards program so eventually you can gain free nights.
I'm a member of Choice Rewards, and just recently joined the Wyndham Rewards program. Consequently, my preferences on the road are either Comfort Inn or Microtel Inn. I have had no issues before at either chain. Generally, I like to reserve a room a couple of weeks in advance of the trip...better safe than sorry.
I usually just stay at a Motel 6, since I find that they have a decent standard for budget lodging. Also, frills aren't important to me, just a bed and a shower. A few of their locations I've used more than once (Framingham MA for instance), and a few locations I may have second thoughts about using again. Overall, I've had a satisfactory experience using Motel 6. Occasionally, I'll use another chain or even an independently owned motel, usually when there isn't a Motel 6 on the way. That has some mixed results as well.
Having done enough travel for work, I've learned that anything under $60-65 a night generally isn't worth it. Above that, I find the rooms to be better maintained. Below that, they tend to be ratholes. Of course, it is very area-dependent, but that's what I've found in general. HoJos, Red Roof Inns, Motel 6s are all on my bad list due to not so great experiences. I find I prefer Holiday Inn Expresses, Comfort Inns, and Best Westerns (which can be a great value, IMHO) and their ilk.
On my road trips, i try to find a Quality Inn to stay at if possible as the ones i have been at have a complimentary computer in the lobby, perfect for catching up on emails and other things....there are two in Massachusetts i like to stay at, but one is incredibly iffy as they also seem to be in major use as hotel for a local women's shelter (the one night i got a room there, i counted 20+ kids and moms in the breakfast room....and a school bus/van came by at 8:15 to pick up all the kids for school....) It works out to be a few extra bucks, but i will pay that for the amenities of a clean (CLEAN) room and CLEAN beds! And a refrigerator to work on my road munchies!
I'm a Marriott member, but those are not always available where we are, so I also have grown to like Holiday Inn (way better than they used to be), Country Inns, and sometimes various others.
I haven't used Comfort Inns since 2002, so I can't say anything about them. Best Westerns tend to be a mixed bag for me (Boston - great, VA Beach - horrible). I steer clear of the budget because, like Brandon said, they tend to be ratholes.
There are some good local places out there, but they too can be mixed bags.
Quote from: njroadhorse on December 06, 2009, 09:42:35 AM
There are some good local places out there, but they too can be mixed bags.
I keep promising myself I'm going to start a blog about independent motels. Someday, maybe,
My method used to be to drive without a set plan and usually track down a Super 8 when I was ready to stop for the night. Some combination of too many bad Super 8 experiences, and increasing standards and budget has led me to the Choice Hotels group, with Comfort Inns and Comfort Suites usually my top choice. I've also gotten into the habit of planning ahead a bit more and making the next night's reservation from my room each night. Internet in the rooms is essential for uploading of pictures but I'm usually not picky about other amenities. Make it clean, safe, and comfortable, and I'll be happy.
Another big change in my habits in recent years is extensive use of tripadvisor.com to read and contribute reviews. Those times when I couldn't or didn't check ahead and had a bad experience, I have found that others had already reported the same problems and that I should have known better. I have posted reviews of nearly every place I've stayed since I started using tripadvisor.
I would like to try to support the independent motels, but I always worry about winding up a the local headquarters for any number of undesirable activities. By checking reviews, it's probably a safe thing to try. However, I rarely do that. I should make a better effort for future travels.
Quote from: Jim on December 06, 2009, 09:51:48 AM
I would like to try to support the independent motels, but I always worry about winding up a the local headquarters for any number of undesirable activities. By checking reviews, it's probably a safe thing to try. However, I rarely do that. I should make a better effort for future travels.
I kind of go with my gut on the independents. I've stopped at a couple that screamed RUN, so I did. I sort of judge by vehicles in the lot. Lots of clunkers, means it's probably bad. Nicer, "small business" type vehicles or small "family" vehicles is usually a better sign... at least until you go inside (I almost always check the room before I pay for it). Motel 6 seems to attract a lot of local/area truckers that rev their engines at 5am. :(
I often go with Super 8s, since they're usually reasonably-priced, are in many of the smaller off-Interstate communities where I often travel, and have both decent wireless internet access and a decent selection of TV channels. I've never been able to get my older laptop computer to work with Motel 6's wireless networks, and you can't get the Weather Channel there, either.
Sometimes I alternate between something like a Super 8 and something cheaper like a Motel 6, since I can usually live with being online only every other day. Sometimes, on the off-days, I'll end up in a real dump, just four walls, a roof, a bed, and a shower.
I usually bring a portable electric cooler on lower-48 road trips, which makes it easier for me to get by with refrigerator-less cheap lodgings.
My mild preference is for motels like Super 8 in the Wyndham Rewards program, which I've set up to give me frequent flyer miles (so my accumulated miles don't expire due to account inactivity) rather than free nights.
Quote from: oscar on December 06, 2009, 10:09:51 AM
I often go with Super 8s, since they're usually reasonably-priced, are in many of the smaller off-Interstate communities where I often travel, and have both decent wireless internet access and a decent selection of TV channels. I've never been able to get my older laptop computer to work with Motel 6's wireless networks, and you can't get the Weather Channel there, either.
Many of them, you can get Weather Channel, but no "Local on the 8's". As far as wireless, I think you have to pay them $3 a night for the password. We had something like that at Holiday Inn for a while, but the system was crap and tech support was worse. So the owners put in a new "free" system which didn't work if more than 5 people were logged on at the same time. :banghead:
I use Hotwire whenever possible, and have had great luck with that. I've recently stayed at the Sheraton Four Points by KCI for $38 (!) and the Cambria Suites in Boise for $45.
If it's a small town, options are generally limited. I tend to stick to Super 8, because they seem to be pretty reliable. I'm not a big Travelodge fan (the hotels usually seem old and run down), but I feel like I end up at those a lot.
As a college student, my preferences end up being "what is the cheapest hotel I can get with an internet"
Quote from: corco on December 06, 2009, 12:14:11 PM
If it's a small town, options are generally limited. I tend to stick to Super 8, because they seem to be pretty reliable. I'm not a big Travelodge fan (the hotels usually seem old and run down), but I feel like I end up at those a lot.
Travelodge is generally bottom of the barrel... just above Knight's Inn. Howard Johnson is just above that.
Quote from: US71 on December 06, 2009, 03:21:56 PM
Quote from: corco on December 06, 2009, 12:14:11 PM
If it's a small town, options are generally limited. I tend to stick to Super 8, because they seem to be pretty reliable. I'm not a big Travelodge fan (the hotels usually seem old and run down), but I feel like I end up at those a lot.
Travelodge is generally bottom of the barrel... just above Knight's Inn. Howard Johnson is just above that.
Or just a three-way tie at the bottom of the barrel ;-)
I found a Howard Johnson's once in the Bronx smacked up between abandoned projects next to the Major Deegan. God I wouldn't want to stay there ever.
Quote from: njroadhorse on December 06, 2009, 03:46:45 PM
Quote from: US71 on December 06, 2009, 03:21:56 PM
Quote from: corco on December 06, 2009, 12:14:11 PM
If it's a small town, options are generally limited. I tend to stick to Super 8, because they seem to be pretty reliable. I'm not a big Travelodge fan (the hotels usually seem old and run down), but I feel like I end up at those a lot.
Travelodge is generally bottom of the barrel... just above Knight's Inn. Howard Johnson is just above that.
Or just a three-way tie at the bottom of the barrel ;-)
I found a Howard Johnson's once in the Bronx smacked up between abandoned projects next to the Major Deegan. God I wouldn't want to stay there ever.
I stayed at a Howard Johnson in Elyria, Ohio, once. Much safer than being next to abandoned projects for sure. However, it was right next to the Ohio Turnpike, and you could definitely hear the sound of all the trucks whizzing by. Otherwise, I didn't really have any complaints about staying there, since the lodging met my needs. In the end, your mileage may vary as far as one's expectations of motels goes. I've never been picky in general, and normally have no real use for the extra frills provided by motels, since I tend to arrive after sunset and leave before sunrise.
What's the rating on Red Roof In?
Quote from: Hellfighter on December 06, 2009, 05:58:28 PM
What's the rating on Red Roof In?
According to Consumer Reports, it's slightly better than Super 8 or Motel 6, but not as good as Microtel.
I like Hampton Inns, but I don't like the price. Most Hamptons run around $100 or more per night and that's just too pricey for me. There for awhile, when I wasn't traveling as frequently, I stayed in Hamptons quite a bit.
I really hate paying more than $70 a night for a room. That's why I gravitate to the Days Inns and Super 8s of the world, although some of them can be very expensive.
Quote from: hbelkins on December 06, 2009, 09:38:20 PM
I like Hampton Inns, but I don't like the price. Most Hamptons run around $100 or more per night and that's just too pricey for me. There for awhile, when I wasn't traveling as frequently, I stayed in Hamptons quite a bit.
The good news is Hampton has higher than average standards as they are part of the Hilton chain (like Doubletree, Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites),
but they also have one of the highest franchise fees and commissions (like 10-12 percent). I worked for a hotel that "upgraded" to Hilton (specifically Doubletree) and the building & amenity standards are strict ! Our "grand opening" was delayed over 2 months because Hilton was simply not happy with our progress. Is all that worth $100+ a night? Maybe if you're a high class business person, but not necessarily for the average traveler.
It seems most people on this forum are penny pinchers and totally begrudge paying more than $50 for a room. Unfortunately in this world you get what you pay for. Of course, I would rather pay $50 than $100 but $50/night often means taking your chance with the quality of an establishment.
I've stayed at a few Red Roof's. They are just a little better than Super 8's/Motel 6's but they suffer the same problem of poor sound insulation. One of my rooms was next to the stairwell and the banging of people walking past kept me awake much of the night. It doesn't help when the floors are creaky. The same problem also happens if you're on the first floor and there's people in the room above. Cheap wooden floors aren't really acceptable in hotels in my opinion.
Someone a few posts back mentioned trucks revving their engines. Yes, I've stayed at many places that suffer this problem. The worst ones are refrigerated vehicles that leave their engines on to keep the fridge running. I've now reached the stage where if I see one in the parking lot I will drive straight out and find somewhere else.
Quote from: Truvelo on December 07, 2009, 06:15:15 AM
Someone a few posts back mentioned trucks revving their engines. Yes, I've stayed at many places that suffer this problem. The worst ones are refrigerated vehicles that leave their engines on to keep the fridge running. I've now reached the stage where if I see one in the parking lot I will drive straight out and find somewhere else.
Some motels fobid "reefer" trucks. I worked for a Super 8 that didn't allow them. We had a lot of non-commercial customers that would object if those trucks were running all night.
Quote from: Truvelo on December 07, 2009, 06:15:15 AM
I've stayed at a few Red Roof's. They are just a little better than Super 8's/Motel 6's but they suffer the same problem of poor sound insulation. One of my rooms was next to the stairwell and the banging of people walking past kept me awake much of the night. It doesn't help when the floors are creaky. The same problem also happens if you're on the first floor and there's people in the room above. Cheap wooden floors aren't really acceptable in hotels in my opinion.
I've only done Red Roof once. (The Youngstown/Boardman/Poland, OH area). That was because the Microtel next door was full-up. Red Roof advertised wi-fi but the catch was you had to buy a T-Mobile Hot Spot card. And to beat it all, after I'd checked in I found out that Microtel had had a cancellation and had a vacancy after all. The Red Roof wasn't bad, it was a comfortable, nice room, but it's not someplace I stay at frequently.
Noise doesn't bother me terribly. If I'm tired, I can sleep through a hurricane.
If possible, we try to stay with friends.
But, my brother and I usually pick on the fly and go with the "coupon books" that you find at rest areas. When we get to a place, we try to go on "gut feel," if it is not obvious otherwise.
Internet access is not key for us as my brother can use his phone as a modem for his computer and both my old phone (Treo 700p) and my new one (Motorola Droid) have fair and good internet access respectively.
When we plan ahead, we often find ourselves staying at Super 8 and, occasionally Day's Inn or America's Best Value Inn.
Quote from: Truvelo on December 07, 2009, 06:15:15 AMIt seems most people on this forum are penny pinchers and totally begrudge paying more than $50 for a room. Unfortunately in this world you get what you pay for. Of course, I would rather pay $50 than $100 but $50/night often means taking your chance with the quality of an establishment.
I don't think it is about being a miser. Even budget overnight accommodation is priced at a steep premium compared to being at home, so people like to buy and pay for only the services they really need, such as a bed free of insect infestation, abundant hot water for showering, and free wi-fi, and they also prefer transparency in pricing and use--i.e., they would rather not have to pay extra for wi-fi or to ask at the front desk for the wi-fi key. The
real misers are those who will camp in the winter cold to save money. (I have done it myself, but only once, at a resort in Terlingua near Big Bend National Park, where the choice was between a $8 campsite with access to a coin-operated shower which took quarters only and charged $1 for 10 minutes of hot water, or an actual motel room for more than $80 per night.)
Where overnight accommodation is concerned, I tend to be very tolerant. I will not accept insect infestation or bed sheets which leave my skin with a burning feeling, but apart from that I have accepted pretty much anything and everything, including cigarette burns in bed linen, reclaimed property marks on the TV and other valuable furnishings likely to tempt drug addicts, walls and wall coverings which look like they are suffering from terminal cancer, gas-operated heating, broken humidifiers, hardcore porn on the TV, and a lot else.
The lowest price I have paid for a private room was M$100 (about US$10 at the time) for a cabin-type room in La Junta, Chihuahua, which had propane heating and got very cold overnight because the tile floor was laid directly on the ground rather than on top of a crawlspace. The most I have paid was about $100 when I stayed at the Oakland Marriott, which was one of two nominated hotels for a wedding I was attending. The most unusual room I stayed in was at a motel in Basaseachic, also in Chihuahua, where guests were issued a firewood ration which they were to use for room heating. The motel was family-owned and the owners' 8- and 10-year-old kids helped me light the fire. This was where I learned
leña is Spanish for firewood.
I have spent many comfortable nights in motels in the $25-to-$45 range. Probably the least comfortable motel I stayed in was a Days Inn in Santa Fé, which was relatively new and well-appointed on the inside, but did not have working humidifiers at a time when outdoor temperatures went below freezing at night. I felt like I was defibrillating myself every time I touched something metal.
Occasionally motels have signs inside the rooms which indicate that they cater primarily to a particular clientele. Hunters' motels, for example, often have the season start and end dates prominently posted, and sometimes notices along the lines of "Please be careful with the gun oil" or similar. I once stayed in a motel in Kremmling, Colorado, which was heavily used by railroad employees. I guess it also served as a first port of call in medical emergencies because there was a sign in my room urging guests not to get mud or blood on the furnishings.
I generally steer clear of establishments which charge $70 or more per night, or which market themselves largely to a business-traveller clientele, because Internet access tends to be spun off as an extra-cost service, and I really hate paying the extra charge
and interacting with the access-control mechanism. At the Oakland Marriott, for example, the cost was something like $10 per day for Internet, and I couldn't even get my computer to connect to the signup screen because it had to be done over a LAN connection and I was in a "dead" room. In the end I did a daily email check at a coffee shop across the street which had free wi-fi, paying about $3 per cup of coffee to cover my seat for about an hour each time.
Last winter I was flying from London to Wichita when I was stranded in Chicago by a snowstorm, so I had to stay overnight in an airline-nominated hotel near O'Hare. A daypass for O'Hare wi-fi costs something like $10, but when I finally got to the hotel, I discovered Internet access cost something like $15, and as a little sting in the tail, I had to pick up the cost of the room (about $90 at the "distressed passenger" rate) since the airlines are now so protective of their margins that they no longer will pay for hotel rooms for stranded travellers.
If I were a frequent business flyer, I would probably get a T-Mobile subscription just to make sure I had consistent Internet access while travelling, but right now I don't do it often enough even to justify the time it would take to figure out T-Mobile's pricing. I also disagree with the expectation that travellers should have to pay for wi-fi in major international airports.
QuoteI've stayed at a few Red Roof's. They are just a little better than Super 8's/Motel 6's but they suffer the same problem of poor sound insulation. One of my rooms was next to the stairwell and the banging of people walking past kept me awake much of the night. It doesn't help when the floors are creaky. The same problem also happens if you're on the first floor and there's people in the room above. Cheap wooden floors aren't really acceptable in hotels in my opinion.
It is a very old observation, dating back to the 1920's at least, that Americans in general are more tolerant of environmental noise in overnight accommodation than Britons. I am not sure what to suggest, other than to look for overnight accommodation which is fairly remote from Interstates and other freeways, as these are less likely to appeal to long-distance truckers.
I usually stay at Motel 6, Super 8 and the like.
Quote from: hm insulators on December 08, 2009, 01:07:57 PM
I usually stay at Motel 6, Super 8 and the like.
I stayed at a Super 8 recently that was $20 more than Motel 6. The difference? "Frequent guest" points and a bowl of cereal in the morning. Otherwise, it was no more (or less comfortable) and it was just as noisy. For $20, I'd skip the points and have breakfast at IHOP ;)
Since everybody I know lives no more than 100 miles away, my long-distance trips are exclusively leisure trips where time is not an issue (roadtrips), so I drive everywhere. In fact, I have never traveled by scheduled airlines, since my parents always went on vacation by car when I went with them.
Europe is a country where thousands and thousands of campsites are, heck, in France alone there are over 10,000 campsites for every budget imaginable. I have a three-seconds fold tent which can suit two persons, but I usually travel alone, so I have enough space. I tend to pick out campsites which offer free wireless internet, though these are still rare in Europe, but are on the rise, especially on the somewhat more expensive campsites. I carry a small cooking set with me, but also hit the McDonalds, which is everywhere on this continent.
I tend to drive low-budget. I drive on diesel, which has a better mileage (my car gets 45 mpg) and diesel tends to be cheaper than gasoline in most countries. Other than that, most campsites do not charge more than $ 15 including electricity. Wireless internet is increasingly common on the more expensive campsites. The most expensive campsite I had so far was in Spain which charged about $ 30 for a night, but I have also paid $ 8 once in Germany for a night. Somehow I'd rather pay $ 25 per night including free wireless, than pay $ 15 per night and be charged $ 3 per hour for internet. Last summer I was in Switzerland, campsite wasn't too expensive at $ 20, but the wifi was $ 8 per hour, so I only logged in a few times back then.
McDonalds offers free-wifi in some countries, for instance in Switzerland and France, and also in Germany, but you need a German cell phone number to verify by text message.
The downside of campsites is that I can't really go away in the winter. If night temperatures drop to the freezing range, it's way too cold to comfortably have a road trip. But then again, the Netherlands is at the same latitude as Edmonton, so taking pics in the winter doesn't work too well anyway. Only northbound during noon at clear days with sunshine. Those are rare. For instance, in the past 5 weeks, there hasn't been a single day without rain.
Chris: 45 MPG US or Imperial? My last car (Rosie) usually did a little better than 30 MPG (US) in summer open-road driving.
I have also camped, but prefer to do it during the summer when it is more likely to be warm and dry at night. I had a KOA membership for about one year (2003) and used it fairly extensively. The campsites I stayed at tended to have power hookups at each tent site, which was particularly convenient for recharging my digital camera and for using the laptop computer to download pictures (at the time I had a camera with its own charger and had not yet started using a SD card reader).
Campgrounds do have some disadvantages beyond those connected to weather. At the time I used them heavily (summer 2003), wi-fi at campgrounds was almost unknown. Some of the larger KOA campgrounds, such as the one in Calgary near Stoney Trail, had significant crowd-control issues. I have never felt concerned for my personal safety at a campground, but because tent sites are not enclosed, there is an inevitable loss of privacy as people walk past and occasionally through your site to get to their tents. Early curfews are common at campgrounds, which makes it difficult to inflate an air mattress using a tire air compressor if you arrive after dark. (Hand-inflatable air mattresses do exist, but I have never seen one in the US.)
For campgrounds I ask much the same as I ask of motels: clean sheets (only I provide these, and the pillows and mattress, myself) and plenty of hot running water. Availability of the latter is more or less guaranteed at built lodging establishments like hotels and motels, but rather hit and miss at campgrounds in general. For instance, I have never stayed in a NPS campground which had hot showers, and some of those I have stayed in have had pit toilets instead of flush toilets. I think pretty much all of the KOA campgrounds do have hot showers, but some private campgrounds which are not franchised by KOA (such as the one I stayed in at Terlingua) have coin-operated showers in order to discourage outsiders from coming in to use the showers without paying for a tent site. A general rule of thumb is that if the campground has RV slots, or better yet is a RV campground with tent sites, it will have hot showers and the plumbing will be to a generally high standard.
I decide whether to camp in a given town according to weather and the relative cost of campgrounds and built lodging. A typical per-night fee for a tent site is around $15 to $25 at developed campgrounds with hot running water. If I can find acceptable lodging in the same town for about $10 more per night, I will often take that instead. Sometimes it is Hobson's choice--I remember a small town in Wyoming which had a large motel but no campground, and it was getting late with no guarantee there would be vacancies in the next town about 30 miles away, so I grimaced and paid $55.
I should mention that the coffee shop I used near the Oakland Marriott required you to ask at the counter for a dynamically generated wi-fi password which had to be entered at a browser login screen and gave you a maximum of two hours of wi-fi access. I am sure there are still businesses out there which don't encumber their free wi-fi with anti-leeching measures like this, but I think they are getting harder to find in large metropolitan areas.
Quote from: J N Winkler on December 08, 2009, 03:09:10 PM
Chris: 45 MPG US or Imperial? My last car (Rosie) usually did a little better than 30 MPG (US) in summer open-road driving.
U.S. Gallons. 1 liter per 19 km = 45 mpg. City driving gets a little worse mileage, about 1 liter per 16 km (38 mpg). That's the advantage of a light car (1100 kg) with a modern diesel injection engine. (1.5 dci). I have reached 56 mpg once on a tank in Switzerland, including a 40 mile downhill drive
IMHO,
I am a member of pretty much every brand's points system, because I travel for work a lot.
I really prefer chains that are standardized. For example, a Hampton Inn is a Hampton Inn. Pretty much the same. Contrasted to a Holiday Inn which will vary in quality and price relative to the local market from far below to far above the Hampton.
What I really look for in traveling is free internet, non-rip-off vending or other food, quiet, and a good TV with 60+ channels. If someone had that consistantly, they would have my business. I especially hate being in a motel with 12-20 channels of TV.
Quote from: SP Cook on December 09, 2009, 08:41:40 PM
IMHO,
I am a member of pretty much every brand's points system, because I travel for work a lot.
I really prefer chains that are standardized. For example, a Hampton Inn is a Hampton Inn. Pretty much the same. Contrasted to a Holiday Inn which will vary in quality and price relative to the local market from far below to far above the Hampton.
What I really look for in traveling is free internet, non-rip-off vending or other food, quiet, and a good TV with 60+ channels. If someone had that consistantly, they would have my business. I especially hate being in a motel with 12-20 channels of TV.
Agreed about Hampton Inn, but it is a bit too pricey for me to choose consistently as a destination. Of course traveling for work is a lot different than traveling for one's self in terms of who's paying. Even when traveling for work, I tend to use a more inexpensive place. Outside conferences that are usually held in Loserville ... er, Louisville, about the only place I ever go for overnight is Frankfort. And there I usually stay at the Days Inn for $55 over the Hampton at $100 or the Holiday Inn Express at $100 or other places. I don't really want to waste my employer's money, plus I don't get a per diem for breakfast at Hampton because they serve a hot breakfast. I can stay at Days Inn for $55 and take a $7 per diem for breakfast and still get off cheaper than a night at the Hampton. Plus I can accrue Wyndham Rewards points for myself while staying there on business.
Plus there's the fact that I have to pay in advance (with a credit card) and then be reimbursed. In the interim I am accruing interest on the room charge, so in effect I am paying for the necessity of having to travel for business. So the cheaper the better.
I usually try to stay in places that my website has an affiliation with (http://www.pahighways.com/store/reservations.html) so I make a little coin on my stay. Otherwise I go with a place somewhere in the $50-80/night range.
Other ways to save money include napping in your car at Walmart. Don't know about the situation in Europe, but in the US Walmart has spacious parking lots and stay open 24 hours, so you will not be disturbed by any store personnel. If you park on the end of the lot away from the store, you get to have some space to yourself. Obviously this situation is suboptimal if you are sensitive to noise. Cost is free, though, and if you need any food, drink, or toiletries, you can always go inside. You can't take a shower at Walmart, but some truck stops such as Love's offer trucker showers that you could use.
My roommate and her friend managed to make it from OKC to San Antonio and from there out to Orange County, CA by driving in shifts and the other sleeping. Obviously this method doesn't work well for roadgeeks because you have large portions of the trip with less than stellar photography. You can always stop and take a photo with flash, of course, but if you're rolling 24 hours a day then chances are you have need to get there quickly.
I stay in motels when we go places. On the longest trip I've ever done, we decided to not plan in advance and stop whenever we got done for the night. This was because of our experience with the Boy Scouts and their heavily scheduled, pre-planned, approved, copied in triplicate, signed, stored in a retrieval system, scrupulously followed method of stopping at motels on our trip to South Dakota. That was was too stressful. Instead, on our trip to DC, we decided on a place to stay when we were too tired to continue driving or conditions were unfavorable. Thus, we didn't have to stop while we could still make some more mileage that evening, nor have to push ourselves to make a certain destination before falling asleep. It worked fantastically, as we were not expecting to be able to make it from DC to Dayton, OH in one day on the way back.
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 11, 2009, 12:06:01 AM
Other ways to save money include napping in your car at Walmart. Don't know about the situation in Europe, but in the US Walmart has spacious parking lots and stay open 24 hours, so you will not be disturbed by any store personnel. If you park on the end of the lot away from the store, you get to have some space to yourself. Obviously this situation is suboptimal if you are sensitive to noise. Cost is free, though, and if you need any food, drink, or toiletries, you can always go inside. You can't take a shower at Walmart, but some truck stops such as Love's offer trucker showers that you could use.
I have a friend who drives an RV and stops at Wal-Mart. I'd be nervous in a car (or my "war wagon") about being mugged.
Quote from: US71 on December 11, 2009, 12:10:24 AM
I'd be nervous in a car (or my "war wagon") about being mugged.
And you don't at a motel?
Lock all the doors, and if someone knocks on your door with a gun, you can drive away quick. :P
I've stayed in a couple Red Roof Inns. They weren't bad, but I've been in better places.
I also had the unfortunate pleasure of staying at a Howard Johnson in Springfield, IL for one night. The first room they gave me had mold everywhere, and I didn't want to use the shower in there... I complained to the person on duty (who wasn't the manager), and he panicked and gave me a $200/night corporate suite (clean of course) for free. It was interesting walking through the office later that night to find the manager yelling at the poor guy over the phone.
Quote from: SyntheticDreamer on December 11, 2009, 12:26:01 AM
I also had the unfortunate pleasure of staying at a Howard Johnson in Springfield, IL for one night. The first room they gave me had mold everywhere, and I didn't want to use the shower in there... I complained to the person on duty (who wasn't the manager), and he panicked and gave me a $200/night corporate suite (clean of course) for free.
May have been the same HOJO I stayed at 6-7 years ago (it was an old Ramada Inn, judging by the architecture)
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 11, 2009, 12:06:01 AM
Other ways to save money include napping in your car at Walmart. Don't know about the situation in Europe, but in the US Walmart has spacious parking lots and stay open 24 hours, so you will not be disturbed by any store personnel. If you park on the end of the lot away from the store, you get to have some space to yourself. Obviously this situation is suboptimal if you are sensitive to noise. Cost is free, though, and if you need any food, drink, or toiletries, you can always go inside. You can't take a shower at Walmart, but some truck stops such as Love's offer trucker showers that you could use.
I've stopped to take a nap at a rest area or Wal-Mart for a few hours, as I was trying to get some rest so I could continue on my way, or in some cases, close enough to home to where I didn't feel it was necessary to find a hotel for the night.
I've napped in a rest area once or twice - one time after I got a little stomach sick.
I'm a Hilton hhonors gold member (frequent business travel), so I tend to look for Hilton-brand hotels if I can. Embassy Suites is my favorite, but can be pricey. For road trips, usually I like to stay at a Hampton Inn or a Hilton Garden Inn. Every once in a while you can find a Doubletree or a Hilton that's the same price as the local Hampton Inn, but you have to book in advance. Same goes for Homewood Suites.
If I can't find a Hilton-brand hotel, Holiday Inn Express is good and consistent (although I've stayed at some real nice Holiday Inns lately), as is Marriott Courtyard and Fairfield Inn.
Personally, I've found that the cheaper hotels to be too inconsistent for my tastes. Even within the same chain, there are real nice locations and real bad ones for the cheap hotels. I'd rather pay the extra $25 per night for consistent quality. And there's other benefits to consider. Residence Inn and Homewood Suites offer a free hot dinner (with free beer) and breakfast. Embassy Suites has a free open bar every evening and a free hot breakfast. Since I'm hhonors gold, I get a free hot breakfast at HGI as well. If you add in the value of the freebies, it makes the more expensive hotel not look quite as pricey.
Of course, I'm at a place in my life where I can afford a bit nicer hotel, and all of the business travel has spoiled me, so I'm picky about hotels now!
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 11, 2009, 12:06:01 AM
Other ways to save money include napping in your car at Walmart. Don't know about the situation in Europe, but in the US Walmart has spacious parking lots and stay open 24 hours, so you will not be disturbed by any store personnel.
Over here most stores have notices that say parking for customers only and those near train stations or other public buildings have a 2 hour limit to stop people parking there and taking the train into town. Some stores also have barriers at the exit whereby you need to produce a receipt to prove you've bought something from the store to exit for free otherwise it's a £5 ($8) fee. To get around this you just need to purchase a small amount of candy or something.
Walmart here is a bit unique in that the parking lot often is bigger than the store itself. The Norman Westside parking lot is so large I have never seen it more than half-full. When I went on a trip with agentsteel around SW Oklahoma and Texas, we left his car at the Walmart in Elk City at 6 am and didn't return until midnight, and I believe he even slept a bit more after that before returning to Capulin. Nobody said a peep!
Quote from: Scott5114 on December 11, 2009, 10:31:54 AM
Walmart here is a bit unique in that the parking lot often is bigger than the store itself.
And there is NO logical reason for that... but I'll shut up and stay on topic ;)
Walmart has an unofficial policy of allowing RVers to park overnight in their parking lots. Reason being is that the visitors will often run in there to do some shopping. I remember reading a news story a few years ago contrasting Walmart's ways to Kmart, which actively discouraged if not prohibited overnight parking of RVs. The feedback I remember was, "OK, if we can't park there, we won't shop there and we will go somewhere that welcomes our business."
Quote from: hbelkins on December 11, 2009, 10:45:46 AM
Walmart has an unofficial policy of allowing RVers to park overnight in their parking lots. Reason being is that the visitors will often run in there to do some shopping.
Some of the RV guides will tell you which stores allow overnight parking. I've noticed a lot of semi trucks also park in their lots.
Quote from: hbelkins on December 11, 2009, 10:45:46 AM
Walmart has an unofficial policy of allowing RVers to park overnight in their parking lots. Reason being is that the visitors will often run in there to do some shopping.
While this may be true, one should be on the lookout for signs in the parking lot which may prohibit this. Such signage gives the store/site owner leverage if an RV comes along and customer parking is in high demand for some reason.
The parking lot of the Walmart Supercenter near my house in Reno has a sign near the main entrance that states no overnight Truck/RV parking (or similar language) pursuant to a section of the city municipal code. I imagine that this sign was erected by the site developer and not Walmart, and the Walmart staff doesn't necessarily enforce it. Usually the RVs stay parked along the fringes of the parking lot and out of the way of circulating traffic so as to not disrupt other customers. Right now, however, given that it's the holiday season and we recently had a big snowstorm that has limited available parking due to snow removal piles, they might be more apt to discourage the overnight parking activity.
QuoteSome of the RV guides will tell you which stores allow overnight parking. I've noticed a lot of semi trucks also park in their lots.
WalMarts truck parking is usually a store by store basis. Some stores allow parking while shopping only, some allow parking overnite and some allow NO parking at all. I cant recall the location but I was met in the parking lot by store personell and told I could not park there at all even tho I planned to shop for ALOT of groceries, I even showed them my full page grocery list. Needless to say they went on my "shirtlist"
I just checked into the Super 8 in Evanston, Wyoming, which is one of my all time favorite cheap hotels. It's $43/night, the hotel is insanely clean, there's no additional frills to jack up the price other than internet (eg no half-assed breakfast or pool), and the internet always works really well.
Great thread.I am planning a trip from Nova Scotia to Charlotte NC.I have the super 8 in Sailsbury NC as the hotel while we are there, i figure i need a hotel in Connaround I395 for a night then hmm,not sure where else, possible the Washington DC area for my 2nd travel night,anyone have any input on decent places.I have used motel 6 in the past,We stayed at the motel 6 in Nashua NH in 2007 40 bucks a night the room was clean and we were happy with it it was just a place to sleep as we were on the go each day anyhow.thanks.
Generally I prefer to stay at a Motel 6. Before the trip, I check to see if there are any along my chosen route.
The cheapest one I've stayed at was in Williams, CA @ $31 a night. It was clean, reasonalbe size room, basic cable, working climate control, and a nice hot shower. They had wifi for $3, but I have an Aircard from Sprint for my internet.
The most expensive Motel 6, I've stayed at was in Butte, MT @ $68 a night. This was the only one I didn't like. It was in the style of an inn. The room was BIG (nothing wrong with that). There was no hot water (it was lukewarm, plus it was 38 degrees outside) and I felt like I was going to fall through the floor of the tub. But the climate control did work. Everything else was fine.
The best Motel 6 I've been to was in Roswell, NM. It was in the style of an inn. The staff were very friendly and helpful. BIG room, clean, excellent climate control, hot water, and 60+ channels of cable tv. :biggrin:
I saw a Motel 6 advertising 29.99 yesterday - it was somewhere on I-25, south of Denver. Walsenburg, maybe? I think it is some kind of promotion they have, as usually the lowest prices they have tend to be $37.99. I paid $46.something in Turlock, CA a couple of nights ago including the room, the wireless internet, and the various fees and charges that invariably find their way onto one's bill.
the cheapest motel I ever stayed in was $9 in Gallup, NM in 2003. Nowadays I don't think you can find a motel under $17 in the US. (Where is $17? Gallup, NM, of course!)
I'd hate to think what $17 would buy you in terms of an overnight stay. A bed and a 12" TV with communal bathrooms like a college dorm would be my guest.
I've signed up for two nights at the Econo Lodge in Texarkana for Jan. 1-2 (can't remember which side of State Line Ave. it's on) so I'm hoping that's a decent motel.
Quote from: hbelkins on December 13, 2009, 11:59:54 PM
I'd hate to think what $17 would buy you in terms of an overnight stay. A bed and a 12" TV with communal bathrooms like a college dorm would be my guest.
$9 got me my own bed and bathroom. Clean and comfortable. I don't remember if there was a TV or not; I hardly ever watch TV so in general I don't notice their existence.
Quote from: hbelkins on December 13, 2009, 11:59:54 PM
I'd hate to think what $17 would buy you in terms of an overnight stay. A bed and a 12" TV with communal bathrooms like a college dorm would be my guest.
My guess would be a hostel, which could be good or bad. As long as it's clean...
Quote from: dougtone on December 14, 2009, 05:16:05 AM
My guess would be a hostel, which could be good or bad. As long as it's clean...
I know hostels are big in Europe. How many actually are there here in the U.S.A. or the western hemisphere in general?
I'm a big fan of getting the little coupon guides at welcome centers and trying to use that to get rooms on the cheap. We've had more luck than not with 'em.
I collect said little coupon guides, too, so I must be wary of other people at the rest areas wondering why the heck I'm getting two of each of the guides (in most SE states, there are three different coupon guide publications) in the states we're planning on staying.
Quote from: mightyace on December 14, 2009, 05:12:15 PMI know hostels are big in Europe. How many actually are there here in the U.S.A. or the western hemisphere in general?
I don't think there are that many. I suspect Canada has more on a per-capita basis, while the US does have some in large cities (for instance, the IYHF-affiliated hostel for LA is in Santa Monica within an easy walk of the beach). I remember seeing a publication about ten years ago which said that there were something like 250 IYHF-affiliated hostels in the US at the time (maybe late 1950's/early 1960's). I think that is probably in excess of current numbers by one or even two orders of magnitude.
In Europe not all hostels are affiliated with IYHF--in fact I think IYHF affiliates are probably in a minority. Some are quite good, while some are quite bad. Hostelworld.com offers a booking service and reviews of each hostel, and is very useful for screening the options. My experience has been that the really bad hostels tend to be clustered in large cities with high costs of living, so I tend to go for the small family-owned pensions or small hotels. Madrid has a good selection of
hostales residencias (many family-owned) just off the Gran Vía, while for Paris I can recommend the Hôtel Wilson in Asnières. Amsterdam presents special complications from a hostelling perspective--unless you make a special effort to choose "pot-free" hostels, you are liable to inhale substantial quantities of secondhand marijuana smoke. I was not picky the last time I was in Amsterdam and when I checked in at Schiphol Airport to return home, the ticket agent looked at me as if he could not believe what kind of a pothead was trying to fly.