Are hotels just to sleep at?

^^Im aware of that, however Im going to eat breakfast no matter what. If it is in the hotel it will take me 15-30 minutes to do so, if I have to drive some where its going to take me 30-1hr 30 minutes to do so once you factor in the time, ordering, and waiting for food and a table. Its a huge time saver, and worth it personally.

Here's a little trick I use when I find myself in a room with thin walls (You can hear the people in adjoining rooms (TV Broadcasts, Snoring, etc)). Go into the reatroom and turn on the ventilation fan. The "White Noise" it creates will neutralize the sounds coming from adjacent rooms, and you'll get a good nights rest.

I might still go to a dive motel if I'm arriving after midnight (like say, crashing after an out-of-town concert), but these days I try to go 3.5 stars or above. If I'm at an amusement park all day, especially in the heat of the summer, I need some degree of creature comfort at the end of the day.

I once made the grave mistake of choosing a Days Inn on Sand Lake right near I-Drive. Sounded like a great location, near all the fun! The rate was cheap, and after all, I'd be gone all day and would just need a place to sleep. Right?
The room was awful, the curtains didn't shut all the way, the door wouldn't lock every time, I laid awake most nights listening to WHATever was going on out there in the first floor outdoor hallway. I'd hear someone approach my door over and over and shove something under it, and when I'd get up in the morning there would be a stack of menus from Chinese joints and bad pizza. The traffic at night was so bad I resorted to walking to McDonald's, that awful Popeyes, or further up the strip for something nicer. (Panda? Golden Corral? The other McDonalds?)
Ugh. Lesson learned. Now, if I'm staying off-property somewhere I go no lower than Holiday Inn Express and choose one off the path with more of a resort atmosphere.

The only ("cheap") off-property place I really enjoyed, was the Wyndham on I-drive. We got that super cheap during IAAPA in 2003 or 2004. It was way nicer than I expected, and the property was beautiful.

I'm really sold on the on-property hotels at WDW. The benefits totally outweigh anything else.

I've seriously considered that Wyndham before, but after my experience with I-Drive traffic I've been reluctant. One end of the Drive is certainly better than the other, though.

The hotel you choose is your home base for the time you are there. It is not home.

Maybe not, but we really do prefer the condos to a hotel with a bed or two.

For me, I think there are many variables that come into play when choosing hotels. Length of stay is big factor. Breakfast is not big issue. If we can find hotel much cheaper without breakfast, we have travel microwave in car and cooler. That saves loads of cash. Can be a hindrance lugging around at times. So every trip is different for us. Parking / walking is another thing we look at. If we can get a place within walking distance for less, we might go that way.

Once we went to Orlando for a week. Stayed on I drive and walked to Universal each day. Took about 25 minutes. But not bad. Room was about $30/night. They also provided shuttles once per day to Universal, Disney, and Sea World.

Cedar Point is always different for us. Love staying on property. But, sometimes we ask ourselves "do we really want to pay that much extra for it when they are sub-par rooms?". Sometimes, we will share with others and split costs. But, many times we opt to stay off property and save.

Road trips are different. Then we use the "we are just sleeping there" mentality. One nighters are just that. No need for any additional perks. Just check-in/sleep/check-out, period. Just last month, we went out west to California. We stayed at about 7 different hotels. That trip, we did opt for the hotels with breakfast, so we could eliminate the microwave from car. Since we had the baggage and the cooler.

At the Bates Motel, they treat you like family... :~P

The only things I require is that the room is CLEAN, has hot running water, and no bedbugs! Everything must be in working order as well! Free Wifi and a free breakfast are nice as well but it's not an absolute deal breaker. I also like to stay at campgrounds from time to time. Although I like the cabins, I have no issues staying in a tent as long as there is electricity and clean bathhouses.

I have no problems staying at Motel 6's, Red Roofs, Super 8's, etc. as long as they are comfortable. I like CHEAP, but not TOO cheap. I don't need the frills or extras.

It's VERY important to do your research! You can always find good deals for some very nice places, even if you are on a limited budget like I am. A little extensive research will go a long way! And don't always trust the brochures or websites. I've stayed in some pretty terrible places just because I liked the price and believed the nice photos on the motel's website.

Customer reviews are far more honest and valuable. I am a huge fan of Trip Advisor, among others. And your friends (especially the ones that travel often) are the best resources of all!

-Tina

Almost every time I go to WDW, I stay at the Motel 6 right outside the front gate. Sure, I can stay at more expensive places, but why? When I am there, I do not even turn the TV on. I am in the room 6-8 hours a day/night, at which time I am either sleeping or in the shower. When the parks are not open, I am hanging out at Old Towne, out exploring, eating or something. I only go off season (when kids are in school) and Motel 6 only charges $25 a night for a very clean room with good hot water and about as close as you can get to the property with out staying on the property. Plenty of food and shopping options right there as well. The expensive hotels are like valet parking at Cleveland Hopkins airport. $25 a day to park, when the economy lot is extremely close and offers shuttle bus service for like $8 a day. Again, Why? Not being a tight a&&, but I would rather give the money I save to a charity or see it go for something useful instead of making a large, rich corporation richer.

That's hard to argue with.

I always think of it this way - if you're the type of person that's perfectly fine in a $25 hotel room, you're never going to understand paying $150 or $200 for a room.

With that said, for the life of me, I can't understand how a $25 room is even remotely profitable without imagining things that give me serious heebie jeebies.

I've stayed in $400 rooms before... and the difference in what I was paying for was pretty obvious to me. That's not a typical thing, more for honeymoons and really important dates, but I always feel completely taken care of in those situations.

For that price I would hope that you were completely taken care of, and not just by your date!

It's hard being the 10%.

I'm lucky to live with someone who's spoiled himself rotten.

I consider myself a budget traveler with high standards. I generally book via Priceline.com, but try to do some research prior to booking.

I have gotten some amazing deals via Priceline, ranging from budget inns, to upscale downtown hotels. To me, the brand of the hotel and the "star level" aren't as important as quality and value. Also important are my needs on a given trip.

I've stayed at the Super 8 near Knoebel's and gave it a great review on TripAdvisor. It was no frills, but it was clean, had a friendly staff, and was perfect for our needs. Also receiving a great TripAdvisor review was the Motel 6 in Huron, OH. No frills, but clean, and with good service for the price. Value is where these properties shined.

While I enjoy properties like Marriott and Hilton, I tend to prefer their mid-priced brands. The reason is due to the higher end hotels often charge extra for things like wifi and parking. Intercontinental's Holiday Inn Express and Crowne Plaza also rarely seem to let me down, where Holiday Inn (positioned in between the other two) has been hit or miss over the years.

Overall, what is most important to me is value. Am I getting a good bang for my buck? Is the downtown (or other nearby) location worth the extra cost on a given trip? I like to take these things into consideration before booking.

-Sam

When I travel with the family beyond a weekend, a Residence Inn has become our default choice. For us, we need something that is a home away from home. For those who don't know, a Residence Inn room is usually a suite with a fully functioning kitchen. It's sort of the best of both worlds where we can still travel on a budget, yet get some level of comfort that you can't get at a cheaper hotel. When we stay at one of these for a week, we can go food shopping and not have to worry about the expense of eating out or relying on room service every night. For anyone traveling with young children I'd highly recommend it.

For the times I travel alone, sure a cheap hotel is just a place to sleep. That's not to say there's a huge difference in comfort. I'm amazed at how differently I shop around for places to stay when family is involved.

~Rob

Like I said.... I sleep and shower in the room. Do not even have time to turn the TV on. From all the reviews I have seen on shows like 20/20 and 60 minutes. It does not matter if you paid $30 or $300 for your room. If you used a UV light and saw the stuff they find on EVERY sheet and bedspread, you would sleep in your car!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/BusinessTravel/story?id=4269295

Probably shouldn't put that light in my car, either...