I agree - I'm only at the hotel for a few hours at best! No matter where you stay, you can always work your driving time to be at the park very early, and stay very late. Some parks, of course, don't have hotels 1/2 mile or whatever away (Cedar Point for example, the only way to beat the traffic due to the causeway is really to stay at the resorts). The tip I'd give is to stay close, since that way you won't have so far to go. Any Hampton Inn would be my recommendation, since I've never found their service to be lacking and they're relatively inexpensive as well.
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Po!nt of View: A different look at Roller Coasters.
http://www.crosswinds.net/~justmayntz/thrills/