What motels do you stay in?

I travel frequently, and have stayed in a variety of motels, some good, some awful. But I find that overall, my very favorite is the Hampton Inn.

I have never been dissastisfied with a stay at ANY Hampton Inn, and I've stayed at many. The rooms are always clean and comfortable, the staff pleasant, and the free Continental breakfast is always plentiful and convenient.

Right now I'm bummed because all the Hamptons around Cedarville,Ohio are already full up for when my son graduates from Cedarville University in June. We've also stayed at nearby Holiday Inns and they've been fine, though.

Anyway, a definite "thumbs up" to the Hampton Inn.

Elizabeth

[ March 23, 2002, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: elizabeth ]

 

We also do quite a bit of traveling. It is not so much the name of the hotel we look at now, as the answer to some questions. Here is what we have learned to 'demand.'

1. Non-smoking for that room since the last paint job (having some rooms designated 'non-smoking' just for the duration of our stay has been a nightmare experience).

2. Access to external air via a window or air conditioner (the lack of this in large hotels is another way we have found ourselves breathing second-hand smoke all night long -- I remember one night trying to put the sheet to my face so I could breathe THROUGH it all night long!)

3. Computer access -- due to my husband's work.

4. A cafe or restaurant in the hotel or within a block. Taco Bell for breakfast or dinner just doesn't cut it for us!

We have been amazed at some of the rotten rooms in some 'fancy' hotels and how clean and nice the rooms can be in some 'cheap' ones. It's often the other way around, as would be expected, but after some travel time we have at least learned to ask for air to breathe!

 

I travel a good bit as well. Hampton Inn, hands down. A distance second is Mariott Courtyard.

Joshua

 

When my family and I travel we usually are going to visit family or friends and we stay with them. I have never been much on motels. When we are going to a motel I bring sheets, blankets and pillows from home. I would have to agree with some of the others that have posted and say Hampton Inn was the nices one. It was clean and neat but I still brought my own bedding. I guess the cleaning ladies that I was alittle strange but that's okay.
~Sheila~

[ March 23, 2002, 11:28 PM: Message edited by: Sam ]

 

If I have to be there more than one day, Radisson. If it's just one night, I'm happy if it has a bed, lol.
With one exception...got a cheap motel room in Atlantic City and, well, whaddya expect?? Ha! YUCK! I won't go into detail on that one.

Best time: I think it was a Holiday Inn at Windsor, they had a Godiva store downstairs.

And probably the best one otherwise was this little motel by Niagara Falls, where the owner was just a sweetheart. He gave me an awesome price, (we were staying a few weeks, and he only charged what would have been an average one week) it was superclean, huge room, and he took pictures and talked to us and we got to be friends. Odd note on that trip, with all the seeming INS problems lately. I also met someone through witnessing/conversation at a restaurant who started coming to visit us, who turned out to be an illegal citizen from China working with a friends id until he saved up enough money to get his citizenship in the US...he wanted to go to college here. *sigh* Bet you anything he got it...

 

super eightttttttt has my date.

 

I travel on business frequently, working for a bank, and they give us a list of hotels they recommend, mainly for a combination of comfort and economy, but also for convenience of location.

Normally, if I can find a Hampton Inn or a Holiday Inn within a couple of miles of where I am going, that's where I'll stay. Some of the newer Holiday Inn Express locations are really nice and reasonably priced.

On a pleasure trip, my wife and I usually like to soak up a little more "pampering" so we try to find a Hilton or Marriott nearby.

 

I like Motel 6 or Red Roof Inn. I did have a rough night at a Motel 6 in Florida one night. It was extremely hot in my room, and I asked for another room, since my A/C seemed to be on the blink. The desk clerk said that there was nothing wrong with the A/C, because it was the water-evaporation type type of cooling system and it just didn’t perform very well when the humidity was high. A lot of motel guests there had their doors open, trying to get their rooms cooled off. I had to go to Wal-Mart and get a fan just to get comfortable enough to sleep. It puzzled me why a Florida hotel would use that type of cooling system, since humidity is usually high all the time there.

Another fond hotel memory: in the early 70s, I was a lowly Army private, so when I would get leave to go to Arkansas to visit my girl friend, I would stay at an old two-story hotel near the train tracks in this small town. I would get the most expensive room there ($2.00 a night). What made it cost so much was the fact that it had it’s own private bathroom. The less fortunate guests there had to share a bathroom in the hall. There was a long, narrow window above the door which stayed open so that the attic fan out in the hall could pull in some fresh air through my open window facing the train tracks. That squeaky old attic fan would lull me to sleep at night. Oh yeah! Those were the days!

 

A good experience: I have a good friend I visit in Jackson, TN, and 3 of the last 4 times I have gone up there I have made my reservations at priceline.com, and each time I got a room at the Baymont Inn. Very friendly staff, all the cable channels I need, and a free continental breakfast to boot.

A bad experience: On my recent Spring Break, I spent 4 nights in Greensboro at a Motel 6. The 2nd night I was there I was having problems getting into my room; my card was not working. I went to the front desk 3 times, and the 3d time I went there the night auditor got really impatient with me. She went with me to see what could be going wrong; my card worked that time, and she walked off saying "Jesus Christ" in a very sarcastic tone. I complained to the manager the next morning, and got a gift certificate good for one free night at any motel 6.

 

Over the years I have stayed in many different motels. Some were chosen out of desperation (only one available). The most expensive was Comfort Inn in Allentown, PA $90.

The cheapest was in the 70s and 80s Motel 6 $9.95 if you wanted a wake up call you rented an alarm clock for 50 cents and black and white tv was a buck, but it was clean and quiet. The one we stayed at wouldn't rent to school groups as they tended to be too rowdy.

Comparing so called luxury hotels with moderate chains I prefer the chains, with Comfort Inn and Super 8 our preference.

We stayed in the Radisson last week, as that is where the meeting was. It was overpriced, and the first night our heat didn't work the alarm clock couldn't even get an AM station. On the other hand the Comfort Inn in the same city, where we usually stay is clean, everything works when you check in, and most of all there is a complimentary breakfast, the price is about half of Radisson.

We have also stayed in Country Inn Suites, Hawthorne Inn in Seattle (very nice), Select Inn, and various non-chain inns.

We prefer a motel w/o a pool as we never use, it and it just adds to the cost, but not always. By the way be careful of pool side rooms, one time a company I worked for placed us in pool side rooms thinking it was a treat. Well it was noisy and at 2am some guests decided to have a pool party. They were escorted out, but it was still a sleep disruption.

Stayed in a Holiday Inn and the local high school had their prom in the ballroom below us, at a Ramada we had court side room and the wedding guests across the way would take a fresh air break right outside our window and wern't very quietly conversing.

It is because of these experiences we are turnd off premium motels and prefer the moderate ones, without lounges and pools.
Ernie

 

I use Priceline.com with much success, or stay at the economy chains (Motel 6, Super 8, etc.). I just can't justify spending $80 or more a night at a hotel. Of the slightly more than economy rates, I like Jameson Inn, Ramada, Comfort Inn, Red Roof Inns.

 

I noticed that Sam said she brings her own linen to motels. I can understand why, because there has been more than one time that I checked my motel linen and could tell that it hadn't been changed since the last guest used it. I always check my linen and call for fresh linen if I have any doubts about it. Before I check out, I always strip my bed, wad the linen up in a big ball and throw it on the floor. At least then it will be easier for the maid to use clean linen than to untangle the big ball and reuse the old stuff. It does me no good, but it will at least give the next guest in that room a fair shake.

 

If anyone is planning a trip to Memphis--a word of caution. The Motel 6 close to Graceland is a nice inexpensive place, but I would not recommend it unless you want to be woken up at 4am by FedEx jumbo jets.

 

I cannot say enough good about Hampton Inns. We recently took a road trip to CO and we only stayed at Hampton Inn. The average price was $75.00 per night. The breakfast alone is worth staying at Hampton Inn. Besides, on the door keys at Hampton Inn, it specifically states, "If you are not 100% satisfied with your stay, then we don't expect you to pay!" Now that is what I call a great guarantee. Hmmm....just reading over this post, maybe I should go to work for Hampton Inn.lol

 

Best deal I ever got: Went to Louisville, KY to perform a wedding. Got a large room with couch, full amenities at a Radisson for...$15 bucks a nite, including tax! Priceline.com works if you're willing to risk waiting close to when you want the rooms.

 

Saggy, how do you manage to stay at the same motels I've stayed at??? First it's the Baymont in Jackson, TN--and now the Motel 6 in Memphis near Graceland(and FedExLand ).