Are hotels just to sleep at?

Yeah, it is.

We've been touching each other's germs and things for years, and it usually makes us stronger. Sure, I use Purell each time I sneeze (but that's to stop from spreading my germs around) and after I touch someone's keyboard or mouse, and I'll use cart wipes at the store if they're available, especially during sick season, but I'm not dousing myself in it every 5 minutes.

As long as you're washing your hands every once in a while, like after you use the restroom and generally before you eat, I don't see the need in being that much of a germophobe.

Stayed at a Hampton inn a few weeks ago, and they put a card on the bed letting you know that the bedspreads were washed before each check-in. First I've seen that.

I'm convinced all this anti-bacterial crap is making everyone less immune and sicker.

If any of you touch money, all the rest of this is useless anyhow.

I think all of the touching of queue hand rails more than exposes us to enough grossness.

You ain't lived until you've licked a queue handrail.

Lots of interesting viewpoints.

For me there's still the "length of stay" factor. If I'm literally checking in, falling asleep, waking up and checking out, than I'm not concerned about the quality of the accommodation. Motel 6, Red Roof, whatever's cheap and convenient is fine.

But if I'm staying in a hotel for a couple of nights or longer, than I have higher expectations.

I tend to put remotes in my mouth. I must have every disease imaginable.

You might be dead!

I stayed in a real **** hole near Carowinds on my drive moving to Orlando. Really crappy, and questionably clean. I don't sleep well in those situations.

That place is a dump now. Used to be nice in the 90s. I wish CF would buy it and remodel it.

But I think they have other hotel plans. Add in that the Mexican mall is getting torn down for a Cabellas and Carowinds should be on the up and up in the next 5 years.

Is this the part in the script where someone is supposed to spout off the "if Carowinds needed a hotel" joke?

Lord Gonchar said:

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.

I have stayed at a fair amount of Courtyards over the years, and have also stayed at the Motel 6 in Huron, Ohio (I can't speak for other Motel 6 franchisees though). I love brands in the Marriott family, because even their "budget" brand, Fairfield Inn, often provides a great value, and a level of service that I consider higher than I would normally expect in that type of lodging. I like Courtyard because it is like a hybrid hotel. It has features I like from both budget, and full service hotels. Free internet, affordable food, and slightly higher end amenities. While I do enjoy the comfort of higher end/full service hotels, I don't like having to pay extra for internet, and I don't need room service and help with my bag(s).

However, a quality budget hotel/inn, like the Motel 6 in Huron, still gets high marks from me. The property in Huron uses some innovative methods to cut costs, while still providing clean and comfortable accommodations. Furniture is basic, and the rooms have laminate floors. This helps make them easier to clean, thus cutting the time needed per room for housekeeping. This hotel was relatively clean, and was much more comfortable than one would expect. In addition, the employees were great.

Overall, so long I am getting a good value, the hotel is clean, and meets my "needs" for a given trip, I am ok with staying at a budget property. While I prefer a Courtyard, sometime a Motel 6 meets my needs better.

-Sam

Good post in general, Sam.

Want to touch on this:

Avalanche Sam said:

However, a quality budget hotel/inn, like the Motel 6 in Huron, still gets high marks from me. The property in Huron uses some innovative methods to cut costs, while still providing clean and comfortable accommodations. Furniture is basic, and the rooms have laminate floors. This helps make them easier to clean, thus cutting the time needed per room for housekeeping. This hotel was relatively clean, and was much more comfortable than one would expect. In addition, the employees were great.

I'd like to point out that this Motel 6 was recently renovated and rates this upcoming summer are $52-$65 on weekdays and $95-$115 on weekends.

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.

Exactly what decade are we in here, I haven't seen a $30 hotel room since the '90's, I generally pay $60 - $120 a night depending on where I'm staying. The last trip I took I think I got a Motel 6 in Los Angeles for $55 a night.

rdngmikey said:

Exactly what decade are we in here, I haven't seen a $30 hotel room since the '90's...

1. I'm just going off of what 1EyedJack was saying he paid for his room in Orlando.

2. I confirmed it out of curiosity here on the Motel 6 Orlando-Kissimmee Main Gate East site. Seriously, check the rates. It's literally $29.99!

^If your prices are THAT low, you should seriously consider renting them by the hour...

Well now we are getting to the meat of the topic. I'll stay at the cheaper places, but to me, a cheaper place is $50 to $100 a night. To someone else, $30 might be the cheaper place.

Lord Gonchar said:
2. I confirmed it out of curiosity here on the Motel 6 Orlando-Kissimmee Main Gate East site. Seriously, check the rates. It's literally $29.99!

God knows I love a bargain, but a $30 motel room? I'd shy away from that.

Just to add to this topic but I recently stay in Branson for a $21 a night Hotwire Hot Rate for my recent SDC Visit. I ended up in the Outback Roadhouse Motel. It's an OK Hotel with a the typical amenities including a decent breakfast with some hot items like Biscuits and Gravy and Scrambled Eggs. The Hotel is on the strip and Hidden behind their Outback Pub and their Outback Steak and Oyster Bar. The room was kinda noisy as the walls and the floor in that building was paper thin and didn't block too much sound from a noisy neighbor or from the Music from the nearby Pub. The hotel staff was very friendly. I had ways of dealing with that problem as I always sleep with earplugs so it wasn't too much an issue for me. Outside of that it was OK.

A interesting tidbit about that Outback area in Branson. It used to have it's own amusement rides there featuring at times a maze which was later replaced with a Sky Coaster and Bungee Jumping. They no longer have those but the rest of the deals are still open there.

All in all I felt I got a good deal. As for Motel 6, I really don't want to stay at one of their hotels ever again since they wouldn't do anything about a noisy neighbor banging on my walls and holding a party until 4 AM at their St. Louis Hotel near I-270 and I-70 on the West Side of town. Not to mention their Check In process sucked horribly. (That hotel is no longer a Motel 6 but my mindset from that horrible experience has me bad mouthing that brand)

Other brands I sometimes grumble over is Days Inn which can be a crap shot on quality. You sometimes get lucky with them or get a horrible experience.

As for other hotels on Branson. I got a very nice room for less than $30 a night with excellent breakfast, very comfortable beds, very clean, and very friendly and very helpful staff on Priceline. That hotel is list as 2.5 stars but it feels like a 4 star to me at a very good price. I haven't been able to that same hotel on Priceline since the Spring but I hope to get it again sometime. I always look at those 3 hotels and ACE Region 18 uses their Sister Property the Branson Towers Hotel for their room block. That Hotel is called the Amazinn and Suites and their sister properties are the Branson Towers Hotel and the Angel Inn. I have yet to stay at Branson Towers but I stay at the other 2 and they are both very great. The rooms normally run for around $55-$70 a night so getting less than $30 a night is a real bargain.

I typically hotwire rooms for $50-$70. And in that range I'm most often at a Crowne Plaza. Offer not valid in Pigeon Forge, Myrtle beach, or Sandusky.

In Atlanta I'm usually at the CP or the Hilton downtown depending on the time of year I go.

I stayed at an Extended Stay America hotel once on a visit to Kennywood. Everything was fine till check out when they tried to charge me much more than the rate I'd booked online...and the guy at the counter told me how angry it made him when "you people" try to get away with "ripping" him off.

To their credit, I sent an email to the corporate website when I got home and the manager of that property responded the same day with sincere apologies and an offer for a free night at an ESA property.

About a year later, I booked a room at an ESA hotel in Ohio... got grief from the person at the hotel desk when I called to confirm the reservation (I'd missed their completely unmentioned deadline to confirm reservations) ....and when we finally arrived at the hotel, at an admittedly late hour, the only staff on duty were two housekeepers, one of whom had locked herself out of the hotel.

I've not stayed at one of their hotels since.

Anyways. $50 a night is the lower end of my price range. Motels with rooms under $50 make me wonder how, exactly, they're offering such a low price.