Consistently Good Interstate Motel Chains? (best, hotel, hotels, reservations)

[Mattie]

We tend to take several driving trips a year to visit out of state family. I keep a Hampton Inn guide in the car, because they have been consistently well-kept properties in our experience.

Sometimes a Hampton Inn is not the most convenient, or the price per night seems high compared to other locations. What interstate motel chains have you found to be reliable for a clean comfortable room, regardless of state?

[njkate]

Choice Hotels:

Hotels, Rooms, Reservations, Hotel Lodging, Motels - Choice Hotels

[stacylee926]

Choice hotels is a good one, because of the different hotels tied into it. Gives you more options.

I use trip adviser whenever I travel and never go anywhere without a reservation.

[Moonlady]

I've had good luck with the Holiday Inn chains. We use the HI Express a lot on road trips.

[Dd714]

Holiday Inn's are very very inconsistent, some being owned by franchises. HI express I've found to be pretty consistent however.

[Mattie]

Originally Posted by njkate

Choice Hotels:

Hotels, Rooms, Reservations, Hotel Lodging, Motels - Choice Hotels

Are you ok with all the individual brands under Choice Hotels?

[Mattie]

Originally Posted by stacylee926

Choice hotels is a good one, because of the different hotels tied into it. Gives you more options.

I use trip adviser whenever I travel and never go anywhere without a reservation.

The thing is, we tend to drive until we get tired, so it's hard to make reservations ahead of time (or check reviews). So, I'm looking for consistency among a particular chain's locations. We have never had a bad Hampton Inn, but sometimes that isn't the best choice for the area we are in.

[Alaskan Mutt]

If I am traveling a long distance and just need a place to stay for the night, I will often stop at a Mom and Pop type place. If the parking lot is free of junked cars and the place looks nice on the outside, usually it is ok on the inside. You can always ask to see the room before commiting to stay there.

[Samrai309]

Choice hotels main properties consist of the comfort chain, the sleep inn chain, the quality inn chain and the clarion chain. I think they also have like rodeway inns, econo lodges and a few others. When you go to their website, all the logos for the properties are on the top of the web page. Some of these properties are also "SUITE" hotels with conference centers and stuff. Choice hotel properties can be inconsistent but if you catch a Comfort inn Suites or another "suite" they are usually pretty consistent. Prices vary. Sleep inns are usually your basic property. I have never had a crappy one but you get what you pay for. They are your basic motel room. Quality inns are older IMO so once again, consistency is tough.

Comfort Inns and choice hotel properties used to be my go to property when I travelled but I agree with you that Hampton Inns are usually a safe bet. After seeing inconsistent quality at the choice hotel chains, hampton inns are now my go to property. I plan my trips as opposed to driving until I am tired so its easier for me to find better properties.

IMO, I would stay away from Super 8s as I have seen very inconsistent properties. Enough to make my experiences make me never stay there again.

If I had to pick one, I would say comfort inn/sleep inn are usually a good bet. I also would second a Holiday Inn express as a previous poster mentioned them. I have never stayed in one but my parents have a few times, and they said they were real nice.

Since you are the type that travels til you are tired, I would think big exits are safe bets for relatively clean properties. Nothing is guaranteed but if you know your general trip route, try and estimate where you think you will get or where you will get tired, and then research a couple of the bigger towns along the area you think you may get to. I am sure you can get an idea of the better options.

I like Hilton Garden Inns as well but they are not really road side spots. Occasionally you will see one if you are in a bigger metro area.

I have never stayed at these but I have heard good things about Residence Inns, Fairfield Inn and Suites, and Homewood suites.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by Mattie

The thing is, we tend to drive until we get tired, so it's hard to make reservations ahead of time (or check reviews). So, I'm looking for consistency among a particular chain's locations. We have never had a bad Hampton Inn, but sometimes that isn't the best choice for the area we are in.

I do the same thing quite often when I travel. In my experience of places to stay, so far, I've found Hampton Inn to be the most consistent. Usually Best Western has been decent, as well, but some of the places I've stayed have not been as well kept as others. Most of the discount chains are mixed from my experience. Some are decent while others leave a lot to be desired. Of the others, the "Choice Hotels" Sleep Inn hotels have been decent, but I haven't stayed in many of them, while their EconoLodge chain has been less consistent, in my experience.

My choice of hotel often has to do with my desired intentions when I stay there, too. If all I want is a bed to sleep in before I hit the road again, I'm not expecting as much as if I intend to stay for a while to take advantage of the free breakfast, use the pool or spa, and so on. When I travel with my kids, I am often looking for a place that will offer a decent breakfast, since it's usually included in the cost of the room. That saves me the expense of eating out. I also try to take advantage of the pool and spa when I stay in a place that has them.