Are hotels just to sleep at?

1EyedJack said:

It does not matter if you paid $30 or $300 for your room.

Oh, it matters.

But like I said, if you feel that the only difference between these:

Motel 6 West Gate
Motel 6 East Gate
(sorry, you didn't specify which)

and this (the top rated chain hotel in the same area):

Embassy Suites Orlando

is the price, then there's not a single thing I could ever say that would convince you otherwise...and that's ok. It works for you. That's why the Motel 6's of the world exist alongside the Embassy Suites of the world.

I've stayed at that Embassy Suites. $50 a nite thru hotwire.

You're a stud.

Interesting perspectives, and I certainly respect everyone's views.

While nowhere close to the 1%, I guess I am fortunate to be able to afford to stay in some decent lodging upon my travels, so I do. I just struggle with spending a ton of time "nickel and diming" the lodging portion of my vacation, for really not much benefit, in my opinion. While certainly not reckless, it is totally worth it to me to spend an extra hundred bucks a night to stay in a property that is more upscale in nature. Perhaps it is ego.

I recently stayed at the Polynesian for around $400 a night; the most I'd pretty much be willing to pay for a hotel room, unless my company pays. I was very happy, and I could certainly have saved a ton of money staying at the Pop Century. However for this stay, it was a great option and I was very happy with what I got…considering that other than a bigger room, and upgraded bathroom soaps, and on the monorail, it really wasn't much better than the Pop Century. But again, I was satisfied so I guess that is all that matters.

For me, I am not that worried about grinding out every "value" penny out of my folio. I like walking into a decent property knowing that I am going to have a good stay, and for me, my stay is as much part of the vacation experience as any other component.

I guess it comes down to "each his own"...

1EyedJack said:

If you used a UV light and saw the stuff they find on EVERY sheet and bedspread, you would sleep in your car!

I bought an indoor sleeping bag just because of this. I take their pillows off and sleep with my own pillow, and I sleep on top of the jizz-stained (can I say that here?) bedspread in my sleeping bag. I also check as thoroughly as my ability and knowledge allows for bedbugs before I place my bags on the bed or floor.

I once stayed in a hotel room with my mom, aunt, and cousin. They thought that I was crazy, and I kind of grossed them out when I bluntly told them why I didn't want to use the hotel pillows. My cousin and I actually went to Walmart that night to buy some cheap pillows for everyone. lol

I wish I could say I'm surprised, Krause. :)

That's why I don't stay in cheap motels anymore.

I grew up in the woods with no electricity or running water; After our place burned down in forest fire I lived in various places including many Roach Motels, the same places they stick sex offenders after they get out of prison. I joined the Navy at 18 and lived on ship for 3 years. After I got out of the military I bounced around a lot, I lived with drug dealers, on couches, in some of the cheapest apartments that I could find and for a year I lived out of the Baker Hotel in San Francisco, it was a bed and a sink, no bathroom, no kitchen, no heating or A/C. There were 2 bathrooms on the floor and 1 shower(half a door to the inside, open grated window to the outside).

After living in some of the places that I have I am practically immune to many of the things that others might find intolerable, such as noise, bad location, old and worn location.So when looking for a Hotel to stay at I go cheap but decent, preferably I'll stay at one of the cheap national brands, Motel 6, Super 8 or Days Inn. I am rather fond of Days Inn; Nice, clean, comfortable and affordable.

If that were the case, I'd make sure I could always stay in a nicer place. I'm not settling just because I used to have to.

Let me ask a question; What is the difference between a $3.50 can of Nalley chili bought at a high end grocer and $0.88 can of Nalley chili bought at a discount grocer?

Answer: Nothing, the difference in price stems from supposed service that is provided with the higher price.

Living in all of the lower end places that I have hasn't caused me to settle for less, I have stayed at some high end places, which has led me to an understanding that there is very little difference between rooms that can vary greatly in costs. Living where I have has simply desensitized me from some of the perils of low cost hotels, the largest probably being noise, which has little effect in my ability to sleep.

Many of the price differences that I have seen traveling include; Location, places that are near attractions generally run higher, even if there not any nicer. Proximity to noisy areas such as freeways. Proximity to high end retailers and restaurants. Of course you can't forget Brand Name, you can pay an extreme mark-up simply because a place is owned by a certain group.

Seriously, I'm at a loss. You just asked what the difference between a Nalley can of chili and a Nalley can of chili is.

What's the difference between two identical cans of chili?

And that somehow applies to why there's no reason to spend money on totally different hotels?

Two identical commodities compared to two different services?

What's the difference between WDW and SFA? They're both just amusement parks with rides.

At the very least this has opened my eyes as to how many different ways people rationalize hotel choice. It's very fascinating.

Seems like people ok with lower end rooms have a very utilitarian sensibility about them. A car is just a means from Point A to Point B. A hotel room is just a place to sleep. A $10 coffee maker will make coffee just the same as a $200 Keurig.

Again, it's hard to argue. But if you live your life anything beyond the most pragmatic, utilitarian levels, it's pretty easy to see the appeal in things that go beyond getting the job done in the cheapest, most efficient fashion.

rdngmikey said:

I have stayed at some high end places, which has led me to an understanding that there is very little difference between rooms that can vary greatly in costs.

Again, this is so fascinating to me because my arguement for higher end places would be almost exactly the same line:

I've stayed at some low end places, which has led me to an understanding that there is a big difference between rooms that vary in cost.

Another thing I wonder is exactly what prices we're all talking here. There's certainly a point of diminishing returns. The curve levels off on the highest end. At that point you're paying for intangibles.

But if you're trying to tell me a $30 Motel 6 room is as nice as a $150 Courtyard room, flat out - you're full of it...or clueless. It may be good enough for you, but it's not the same quality...and there's no arguing that.

Again, being too close to the industry by marriage, I have no idea how somewhere can even charge $30 per room and stay in business. Hell, I couldn't even rent you a bedroom in my house for $30 a night and make it worthwhile.

For what it's worth, if a hotel room is just a bed and a shower, the back of your car parked at a truck stop will accomplish the same ends for free.

LostKause said:

I once stayed in a hotel room with my mom, aunt, and cousin. They thought that I was crazy, and I kind of grossed them out when I bluntly told them why I didn't want to use the hotel pillows. My cousin and I actually went to Walmart that night to buy some cheap pillows for everyone. lol

Hey, Krause, did y'all use the t.v. remote while you were there? They say that's where the jizz has taken up residency these days.
Think about it...

New hotel game - find the jizz!

It's more fun if your a hider than a seeker though. ;)

The last hotel I stayed at was Motel 6 in Huron (near Cedar Point). I thought it was kind of strange that they made a really big deal about the remote being germ-free, or antibacterial, or whatever. The remote was placed in a cardboard box that held it upright and printed all over the box was an advertisement about how special the remote was. The remote itself was all sealed inside plastic.

Now I have an idea of what they were getting at. Thanks. lol

I DO wash me hands about once ever 20 minutes though, so at least I have that. lol

Yeaaaah, they're on to us, finally.
Where I stay in Branson, near SDC, was the first time I ever saw the 'sanitized' remote. It's flat with soft buttons. Easy to wipe, I guess.
Like the senior citizens who pack that Best Western would even think of....

Oh, never mind...

See, that says so much to me on so many levels.

At Motel 6 they're trying to point out and convince you that their remotes are clean.

But do you think the girl making minimum wage and being allowed 15 minutes to clean the room really wipes the remote down in any meaningful way or that she just tosses it in the plastic and slaps it onto the preprinted holder?

Compared to a 'higher-end' place where the housekeeper makes $10 or $11 an hour and gets twice as long to clean, which remote do you really think has a better chance of having been cleaned?

I think the fact that they have to make a big production abou the remote being clean speaks volumes about the product and expectations. Maybe instead of taking the time to deliver the pomp and circumstance, they should just be taking that time wiping down the remotes?

I work with a guy who once decided to put the remote in a plastic bag, so he didn't have to touch it, and he left it in the middle of the bed when he went out for the day, forgot about it.

He came back, the plastic was gone, and the remote was wiped down and placed neatly back on the bedside table.

Imagine the thoughts going through that housekeeper's head. :)

When did we become so bizarrely germophobic?

It was an odd phase in his life. He had read an article that said it was the germiest place in a hotel and it freaked him out. After that little episode, he realized just how silly he was and never did anything like it again.

It's an odd phase in society right now in general.