Would you stay in a really nice MOTEL, if one was available on a planned trip?

[fullmetaljesus]

There was this one time where we were offered the choice to get a Christmas present or have my Father in Law pay for lodging for us for the whole family (-) weekend trip the following summer.

I should have said "neither", because I'm too old to receive gifts from anyone, and too jaded to give gifts to anyone other than my kids and grankids.

Well, I told my wife that I didn't care, and she opted for the free lodging. What I didn't know was that her sister was arranging the whole thing. I've been burned by this sister thing in the past, and I should have Fing known Fing better. We end up at some $40 a night motel next to the highway. Admittedly it was pretty clean, and I wasn't afeared of getting scabies or some such. But they did spring for pool passes at the nearby Hilton. It was nice that sister's kids got pool passes, and spent most of the day in there not interacting with anyone, and nobody else wanted to go into a confined indoor water attraction. But it was nice for her kids, the only kids in the family that would enjoy such a thing.

While there were some interesting aspects to our stay at those lodgings, including an attempted shakedown by a "trucker" who "lost his ride", and a proposition by a prostitute, and a domestic situation arising at about 2am from one guy getting caught with a girl in a room that was not his girlfiend (and she was beating him like a punk, and he was taking it like a punk), in general, I would have not have chosen that as a peaceful place to lay my head down.

Funny times, right? Except there's another sister in the picture. I'm sure it was a joint decision between the two that they would find the cheapest accomodations possible. Ok, I'm still on board, save dad some money, good on'ya. Until...

I found out that the two sisters had bet each other whether or not I would stay at the motel, or move my family to the Hilton, at my expense. I was about to move to the Hilton at that point, checking availabilty on my phone with limited service. When I heard about their comments, I was livid. I'm an Infantryman. These coddled girls and their submissive husbands aren't going to make me leave. F, I should have spent the rest of the weekend in a lean-to out back of the motel.

I'm sorry to speak about your family but I feel you may agree with my assessment of... "What a bitch".

If I crossed a line with that pm me and I'll edit the post. Otherwise good on you for sticking it out to show you ain't no punk.

Considering your position on gifts I'll not mention my bday is coming up and try to shake you down for a gift.

 

[maxwelhse]

There was this one time where we were offered the choice to get a Christmas present or have my Father in Law pay for lodging for us for the whole family (-) weekend trip the following summer.

I should have said "neither", because I'm too old to receive gifts from anyone, and too jaded to give gifts to anyone other than my kids and grankids.

Well, I told my wife that I didn't care, and she opted for the free lodging. What I didn't know was that her sister was arranging the whole thing. I've been burned by this sister thing in the past, and I should have Fing known Fing better. We end up at some $40 a night motel next to the highway. Admittedly it was pretty clean, and I wasn't afeared of getting scabies or some such. But they did spring for pool passes at the nearby Hilton. It was nice that sister's kids got pool passes, and spent most of the day in there not interacting with anyone, and nobody else wanted to go into a confined indoor water attraction. But it was nice for her kids, the only kids in the family that would enjoy such a thing.

While there were some interesting aspects to our stay at those lodgings, including an attempted shakedown by a "trucker" who "lost his ride", and a proposition by a prostitute, and a domestic situation arising at about 2am from one guy getting caught with a girl in a room that was not his girlfiend (and she was beating him like a punk, and he was taking it like a punk), in general, I would have not have chosen that as a peaceful place to lay my head down.

Funny times, right? Except there's another sister in the picture. I'm sure it was a joint decision between the two that they would find the cheapest accomodations possible. Ok, I'm still on board, save dad some money, good on'ya. Until...

I found out that the two sisters had bet each other whether or not I would stay at the motel, or move my family to the Hilton, at my expense. I was about to move to the Hilton at that point, checking availabilty on my phone with limited service. When I heard about their comments, I was livid. I'm an Infantryman. These coddled girls and their submissive husbands aren't going to make me leave. F, I should have spent the rest of the weekend in a lean-to out back of the motel.

Sounds like you need to plan the next vacation and it needs to be a camping trip. Rent an RV... and some tents.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Sounds like you need to plan the next vacation and it needs to be a camping trip. Rent an RV... and some tents.

And not in a KOA or the like. Camping with pit toilets at best, or full on wilderness where you hand them a trenching tool and roll of TP when they ask where the bath house is.

 

[maxwelhse]

And not in a KOA or the like. Camping with pit toilets at best, or full on wilderness where you hand them a trenching tool and roll of TP when they ask where the bath house is.

Bonus points for selecting the perfect location at the perfect time too...

 

[firecadet613]

Damn. Looks like I miss out on quite a bit of excitement staying at the Hamptons and Hilton Garden Inns!

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Sure. I stayed in a kitchy motel on Route 66 in Kingsman, AZ for the nostalgia/fun factor. My advise is to check out reviews on Tripadvisor, Google reviews, etc. and to take a look at the area with Google Maps prior to booking. A not insignificant number of those places have become short term housing for people who are a step away from homelessness. Lots of drug use, petty theft, sex work, etc. Anywhere that advertises monthly rates, eject.

Usually the worst part of a cheap motel is the people who stay in cheap motels. I've stayed in some sketchy places over the years, but I'm willing to pay a higher rate for the reduced chance of having my truck broken into or having to shoot some MFer trying to rob me in the parking lot these days.

What he said. Last summer I took the lady friend up to Traverse City for a getaway. Booked the Baymont because I'd had good experience with them in the past. What a **** hole. I did some research, and started using Hiltons, and their associated hotels.
We also learned to just check the online reviews from a couple of different sources. That is usually a moderately reliable indicator of quality and cleanliness.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Back to the O.P., I'm not sure about location, but I'm pretty certain that a motorcourt type of motel with modern amenities would do pretty well. Seems to me the biggest predictor of success is cleanliness. And ultimate responsibility for that falls on the ownership of the motel.

 

[Leo]

One summer I spent a couple weeks traveling the South East. I made it a goal to stay off the Interstates and avoid big chain establishments. You could still see what things used to be like. I drove past many of the old time, locally owned motels on State highways that had been closed for a long time. I was able to find enough open ones to stay for the whole trip. Some were clearly first class in their day. They would have he pool and a nice restaurant right on the property. Some were pretty run down. I remember a Shamrock Motel that still had black and white Post Cards available with a '52 Dodge and a '54 Fairlane in the parking. This was in the 1980's

I also ate in locally owned small town diners. Met a lot of interesting people. Many shared stories of when they traveled by motorcycle. Some had advice, like where law enforcement was using radar at the edge of town. Some told about something interesting to see nearby, or a really scenic way to the next town.

I have many times pulled the Iron Butt 1000 mile day jamming hard down an interstate. I have been coast to coast, Canada to the Gulf, on a bike over the years. The year I stayed off the Interstates is still one of the most memorable. I am glad I had extra vacation time that year

 

[DoggyDaddy]

The little "old-timey" motels always held an attraction for me. But yeah, they have to be well-kept and clean. As long as that condition is met, I don't care if the carpet and furnishings are "less than new".

A buddy and I went down to the St. Pete Beach/Clearwater area of Florida back in the early 2000's and we stayed in a little beach front motel with the courtyard and pool. It looked like it was straight out of the 60's (and may have been), including the furnishings. But it was clean, and it was cheap and right on the beach. We enjoyed it. But then again, we spent our days on the beach and really just used the room for sleeping and it was fine for that.

Those little places, with names like "The Pink Flamingo", or "The Sand Dollar Inn", etc., just bring a sense of nostalgia back to me. A reflection of simpler times for sure.

 

[Bugzilla]

Usually the worst part of a cheap motel is the people who stay in cheap motels.

Like with public transportation, the transportation isn’t the problem!

 

[eldirector]

We have stayed in several small-town motels over the years. Most are crap. Haven't been updated since built, and minimum maintenance.

Someone mentioned cabins up-thread. That's been our recent go-to. That, and VRBO. More $$$, but fewer bed bugs.

 

[two70]

It depends on the situation for me. When on vacation with my wife we typically stay in chains while traveling but are more likely to stay at privately owned hotels at our destination if it is a good deal. Besides safety, location and value, I like a place that I can check out and book online.

Most of the other traveling I do is for hunting and then I typically stay wherever I can find a place within a reasonable drive of where I'm hunting. Often there isn't a lot of choice, though they are usually in fairly safe, more rural areas. Any shady characters would have to be REALLY desperate to brace my hunting partner and I. I have been on a couple solo hunting trips to far northwestern Nebraska and stayed at an old fort converted into a hotel run by the State both times. It's an interesting place but would have preferred a better option since they had no AC and the beds were really small. I stayed at the only other option around one night when the Fort was booked up and while it looked clean enough, it had the distinctive smell of rodents in the room. I was more worried about 4 legged critters interrupting my sleep than 2 legged ones at that place.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Would I stay in a really nice motel? Maybe.

But these days, in most of the country, "really nice motel" is kind of an oxymoron.

We're chain-stayers for the most part. If we can, that is. Our October trip will be in a large cabin in a "fishing camp". I know it's already not going to be fun because I'll have to sleep in a full-sized bed for a week. That's not so bad for many of you. But I'm 6'2" tall. My wife is 6'1" tall. We're not bean-poles, either. A full-sized bed is OK for most of you little people, but not for us. I'm thinking about going ahead and ordering a queen-sized Aero Bed and having it shipped to my wife's aunt's place so it'll be ready for us.

Anyhow: With enough diligent researching; one can generally tell which chain places are good and which aren't so good. Sometimes I wonder how certain brands are able to keep their branding, actually. I try and always read through the Google reviews as well as Trip Advisor. And do my best to look at the "traveler photos" vs. just the ones by the establishment themselves.

 

[Drewski]

I’m afraid that’s a quaint, bit of nostalgia from another time, and that time ain’t coming back. I remember being a kid in the 70’s and staying at perfectly acceptable motels on our budget trips across the country. But there were still more than vestiges of self awareness, self respect, consideration, aspirational behavior, and just plain old courtesy on the general population, I’d say. It had less to do with class and wealth than it did to some semblance of societal propriety and a vague awareness of the golden rule.

I’ve since traveled hundreds of thousands of miles both for business and pleasure, and I’ve stayed in m/hotels from Australia to Zurich and Arizona to Washington, and (despite corporate’s bulls**t woke politics) I don’t think i’ll ever stay anywhere besides an airbnb or other private lodging. I don’t remember the last positive experience I had at traditional lodging. Inevitable mistreated rooms, noisy late night neighbors, sketchy situations, and overall heightened tensions vs relaxation is the rule these days, IMO.

EDIT: Yes of course there are exceptions, and for the most part, staying in public lodging in foreign countries can be a substantially different experience. Room size aside, lodging in Japan has always been pleasant for example. But with all the China flu shot buffoonery involved with travel these days, I don’t see my family crossing international borders anytime soon.

 

[IndyTom]

A few years ago I had planned a trip with my son to Cedar Point and just wanted something midway (or closer to Sandusky) so I didn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn. For whatever reason, everything was either full or way more expensive than I was looking to spend except for a motel outside (past) Toledo. We get there and it doesn’t appear to be in the worst part of town, but the place is also clearly old. I check in and am handed a physical key, something I haven’t seen for a hotel room since I was overseas. We go to the room, close the door and notice the nice gap with just a smidgen of the deadbolt going into the jamb. The room doesn’t stink or appear to be dirty, so we propped the chair up against the door knob and called it a night.

Since then, we just get up early and drive from home to the Cedar Point parking lot. Not that it was a terrible experience, but it didn’t save us that much (since we still had an hour or so to drive in the morning) and sleeping in a strange bed is never as restful as sleeping at home.

 

[walleyepw]

Typically stay in the IHG chain of offerings. I build loyalty points and when accumulated present a savings by free or reduced rates.

 

[Bill2905]

Wife and I always stay in the modern chain hotels, usually Hilton properties, whether on a planned trip or not. When I take motorcycle trips with two buddies, we don't usually reserve ahead so we occasionally end up in a small local place. Most have been fine for what we need, a shower, a bed and clean.

My worst experiences have been with national chains where the property is old and dirty.

 

[wcd]

Well late to the party but here is my take. I would rather stay in a clean roadside place versus the Four Seasons. I was in Florida right around the time Ivan went through and work had put us all up at The Four Seasons, yeah tax dollars hard at work! It was awful I never felt so out of place in my life.

 

[chocktaw2]

Nope, I only stay in the main stream stuff and won't stay in a room that coat less than $135 a night bc I'm kind of a princess.


However when I was on the road with a band we stayed in all sorts of ****** places. I had no control over that so I rolled with it.

Roll with the changes, make a good song.