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I spend about 12 nights a month in hotel rooms for business travel. I have a strong preference for the Hilton and Marriott brands. I think they offer the best value and like their loyalty clubs.
I tend to stay at Hamptons, Fairfields, Courtyards, and Hilton Garden Inns, but I also very much like the Homewood and TownePlace Suites. They are not "7-9 stars out of 10" as someone implied earlier. Out of five most are three stars. If you want four, you'll need to stay at a full service hotel such as Hilton and Marriott, and for five stars you'll need to stay at a Waldorf Astoria or Ritz-Carlton. But three stars is still clean and comfortable.
As a business traveler, I need an Internet connection, breakfast I can grab quickly with at least some protein (stale donuts and cold coffee don't cut it!), a hair dryer, interior doors/halls, and a super clean room.
Hampton's new program changes out all of the sheets AND duvets between every guest, that in itself has found me leaning towards them more and more. Also the new Hampton's have step in showers with doors in place of slippery bathtubs with clingy shower curtains, another plus. But Marriott's are 100% smoke free across all brands, and that is a huge plus for me.
I'm not a big fan of the Choice brands, I've stayed in a few that were really run down. Same with Ramada, Best Western, and Holiday Inn. If you complain about a Comfort Inn, it will fall on deaf ears. Call Marriott with a legitimate complaint about a Fairfield, and you'll be refunded your nights stay at the minimum. (Haven't had to do that for years though.)
Motel 6, and I'm not even joking. Always cheap and under appreciated.
I have had pretty good luck staying at Motel 6's located along the interstate. But then I do have pretty low standards. One's located away from the interstate have not been as good.
If you want a real eye opener, try staying in hotels in rural Alaska. If there are two beds in the room, you best pay for both beds. If you don't, chances are good you will end up with a roommate once the bars close.
"Pet friendly" generally translates to accidents in the hallway and hair all over the room, not to mention the fleas.
My preferences on the economy side are Laquinta and Baymonts.
I am so tired of the Fairfields as the older ones were very poorly designed and the buildings are literally falling apart. Fortunately, they have sold off 20-30 of the older ones.
Is there a Hampton that is under $100/night. Ditto for the Drury properties.
In certain states, especially the upper Midwest, the Extended Stay America are actually quite good. Ditto for the Candlewood Suites.
Country Inn and Suites are also generally pretty good.
At the lower end, most Super 8s in RURAL areas are usually very reliable.
Without doubt, the most consistent is Holiday inn Express. I've never stayed in a bad one, ever. Sure, Hiltons are nicer but who wants to pay $175 for a room!?
Super 8's can be exceptionally nice or more often they're a convert and that's always bad. Once in awhile a Motel 6 is nice, but in my experience, they've reeked of pet urine and are noisy.
"Pet friendly" generally translates to accidents in the hallway and hair all over the room, not to mention the fleas.
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My preferences on the economy side are Laquinta and Baymonts.
Baymont rooms feel really crowded to me, and LaQuinta are way to hit-or-miss for my tastes. LaQuintas are often in seedier areas and more than a few of them have exterior corridors with is a deal killer for me.
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I am so tired of the Fairfields as the older ones were very poorly designed and the buildings are literally falling apart. Fortunately, they have sold off 20-30 of the older ones.
You definitely need to be careful with the older properties of ALL chains. There are some terrible Hamptons near Atlantic City and up in the Boston area.
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Is there a Hampton that is under $100/night.
I just stayed in two brand new ones in Western PA last week for right around $100 a night including tax for a gorgeous king room with a flat screen, minifridge, microwave, coffee maker, and very comfortable desk and work chair.
If cost is an issue,and you aren't worried about amenities MOTEL 6 will, and does keep the light on for ya. In many years of Interstate travel, I have been let down exactly twice, or about 2% of the time and both times they gave me a different room, or a refund. Price range is $89 on the high side for a suite, and routinely $29-54 for a queen bed.
Motel chain quality tends to deteriorate over time. What was once good is now unsafe and dirty. I don't know why that is, but over my 30+ years on the road, I've seen it happen time and time again. Days Inn, Super 8, Motel 6, Ramada, Econolodge and Holiday Inn, among others, have been affected by this progression from choice stop to "have to" case. It all depends upon how rigorously they enforce their standards and why they lighten up on that over time is a mystery to me, though I suspect it has something to do with cost pressures on the owners.
The point is that just because you once had a good experience at a chain does not necessarily mean it will stay that way. Be alert, be flexible and be willing to try another place when it starts to go down hill.
Right now, I prefer Hampton Inn's and will chose one over any other chain if it's available. Sometimes, it's a little overpriced, but it's always clean and their comforter's are like magic sleep machines.
I also like any Marriott, but never stay at them now as a form of protest. The entire chain went non-smoking and, even though smoking room availability is not a deal breaker for me, their casual disregard for 25% of potential customer's reveals a lack of concern for their patrons which I just won't support. If they don't want my smoke-stained money, I won't spend it there.
Hilton's are generally good enough to warrant a try and so are Wyndham's, if I'm looking for a more upscale place to spend a few days.
One place I've found you can never go wrong is any casino hotel. No, you don't have to gamble if you don't want to, but I've yet to find one that isn't clean and moderately priced and the casino facilities usually offer any other services you like.
If cost is an issue,and you aren't worried about amenities MOTEL 6 will, and does keep the light on for ya. In many years of Interstate travel, I have been let down exactly twice, or about 2% of the time and both times they gave me a different room, or a refund. Price range is $89 on the high side for a suite, and routinely $29-54 for a queen bed.
The last time I checked into a Motel 6 was in Nashville a few years ago and I checked right back out. Not only was the room filthy and the door lock was busted, my fellow "traveler's" were of such a sort that I felt compelled to slip a pistol into my pocket just to unload my baggage. It's extremely low rates are attractive to those who are...shall we say...up to something and just need a place to crash for a few days.
Another time, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, I was about 5th in line to check in behind a group of Hispanics, all of whom paid for their rooms with fresh, hundred dollar bills. I was actually surprised that the drug task force didn't raid the place before I left the next morning.
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One's located away from the interstate have not been as good.
