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I average about 160 nights a year in a motel for business travel. There is nothing more negotiable than motel rates. Last spring I stayed in a suite in a 1 year old Hilton Garden Inn just outside of NYC for $135 a night.
I was planning the accommodations on an upcoming vacation and saw that the hotel prices have gone up significantly in the last 3-4 years. At a much higher rate than inflation (Which is supposed to be 2-3% a year) For example, even a simple Holiday Inn Hotel in many small or medium-sized towns is $150 before taxes.
The only affordable places to stay now days seems to be the motels. I am talking about one or two-story accommodations with the small rooms facing the outside. The rooms may be clean but the air conditioner/heater is usually noisy and turns on and off all night. The drapes are thin and with a huge spotlight shining on the motel, it is extremely bright in the room at night. The bed will be rock hard and the quality of the blankets, comforter, and pillows are poor. And because the room faces the outdoors, it can be a chilly walk to your car after leaving the room. And finally, there can be a large number of rough-looking folks at the motel because it is cheap.
Here is an example of the type of Motel I am talking about:
Even with all those challenges I may consider staying at one of these motels because the rate is only $50 vs the $150 Holiday Inn (Hampton Inn, Best Western, Courtyard By Marriott, etc.)
If your only choice was a $50 motel or a $150 Holiday Inn what would you choose?
Absolutely not. Never.
Campy motels are for a generation long gone. If my accommodations aren't better than staying in my own home, why am I going on vacation?
Those type of motels are good for when you're trying to sneak a big dog in. We used to look for them back when we had our Russian Wolfhound.
We stayed in one of those type motels. The actual was very nosy so we left the fron door open. The owners dogs were well trsined, they never entered ourvroom. However that did not stop them from throwing their ball.in expectibg us to toss it for them...
There are several places where you can check online reviews. If something is super bad, you will know about. We failed to do our homework over Spring Break and ended up in a bad La Quinta with outside access. There were homeless people around and someone who was possibly a prostitute. We checked the reviews when we got into the room and decided we should check straight back out. There was a shooting at the hotel less than a month later.
I don't have a problem as long as I know what I'm getting into. We've stayed in some of the older style motels out west. Sometimes that is all that is available. After a while you learn if you want the nicer accommodations, you better book early or look for alternative lodging like cabins or VRBO.
I often have a hard time falling asleep in 'normal hotels ' and am likely to avoid motels because of the additional noise factor you get when people are parking cars, slamming doors, etc. right outside your room door and window
I don't mind them for a overnight stay but prefer VRBO or vacasa for extended stays. Learned the hard way to check reviews even with nice properties. Having a full kitchen is nice if the trip is over a few days.
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