Hotels and Motels

[Cybrvanr]

In my travels, I have stayed in a wide price range of inns. The cheapest, $29.95 a night just south of Florence SC. The most expensive, $280.00 a night in Times Square NYC. The difference in the rooms? ...not much, oddly enough!

I remember traveling with my parents years ago. We never stayed in anything fancy. The most fancy, the Holiday Inns, but usually, it was an independantly owned roadside inn. Dad, being in the trucking, had plenty of inside knowledge from the drivers on where the best value in motels were, and they definitely did not correspond to the price paid then, and still don't!

We actually camped out in our little pop-up camper most of the time when we traveled places, but arriving at a motel, especially a Holiday Inn was always special and fun! Seeing that big neon sign with the star on top was always great! It meant a big pool to play in, a TV with dozens of cable channels to choose from, and not having to clean up or make the bed because the maid would do that for you!

My take on it is that a HOTEL is an Inn that you access the rooms from inside corrodors, where a MOTEL is an inn where the rooms are accessable from the outside. There are still a lot of classic Motels around with the neon signs and unique appearances. Unfortunatley, they are being overcome just like the roadside diner is, and being overtaken by chains. Do you all have any interesting tales of road trips and motel fun when you were young?

So, here's my take on hotels nowadays;

Things that you get no matter how much you spend:

A room, usually in the neighborhood of 10 X 20, and about 200 sq/ft.
A bathroom, usually about 60 sq/ft with a tub/shower, sink & toilet
A basic Remote color TV varying in size from 21 to 27 inches
King bed, or two doubles
wall or window mounted heat pump / air conditioner
Lamps by bed, over table/desk, & by TV
maid service for daily guests
a telephone

Here's some of the things that you may or may not get, and price does not really make a difference in their prescence:

Swimming pools of varying sizes, sometimes indoor
CATV systems with as little as 12 channels or as many as 100
video game system that you must pay to use
a fitness center with a few beat-up cardio machines
sometimes a full hot breakfast, sometimes continental, sometimes none
A nice view or a terrible one, dependant upon location of the hotel
internet service, sometimes wireless
elevators
a cheap alarm clock/radio

Here's things that are usually better in fancier hotels:

A shuttle bus/van service
room service, at a fee
a fancy lobby
a fancy restaruant or bar on site
USA today newspaper delivered to the door
a wake-up call avaliable for a fee
bell-hop service avaliable at a fee
the gym/fitness center may be better equipped

Here's things that are BETTER in cheaper hotels:

Internet service, if avaliable is usually free
local telephone calls are usually free
many older hotels have kitchenettes with sink and/or stove
new hotels sometimes have microwaves and/or refrigerators
playground for children
windows that actually open
parking is usually free

Things I wish hotels had, and that I especially wish pricier places should have:

Better television sets with better pictures (Trinitron Wegas?)
a small HiFi sound system to play CD's, I-pod or other music on
a LOCAL newspaper delivered to my door
a small library that I can check out books at
better quality mattreses/beds
A VCR, DVD player or some way to play back camcorder footage on
A fancy shower
Fitness facilities with weight machines for a full workout (bowflex or soloflex?)
Free laundry facilites for guests
an accurate thermostat on the HVAC system
one of those neat new multi-head showers

 

[peterh770]

Hotels can be either interior corridor or exterior corridor. The latter is usually found in warmer climates.

Motels are "motor courts", typically one story affairs where you drive right up to your room. These are also usually in a "U" formation, with the pool and office in the middle of the "U".

The first Holiday Inn hotels were motor courts. Kemmons Wilson perfected the design and the "U2" was born -- a 2 story, U-shaped motor court.

Some of the things on your wish list are already reality at many chains:
A small HiFi sound system to play CD's, I-pod or other music on -- higher end chains have these. Some even give you a relaxation CD (Crowne Plaza)
A LOCAL newspaper delivered to my door -- most chains have deals with USA Today, and most travelers have no interest in the local news.
A small library that I can check out books at -- found at extended stay hotels
Better quality mattreses/beds -- Marriott, Sheraton and Crowne Plaza are all touting their beds
A VCR, DVD player or some way to play back camcorder footage on -- easy to steal, easy to break
A fancy shower -- Holiday Inn Express
Fitness facilities with weight machines for a full workout (bowflex or soloflex?) -- typical at all mid-range and high end chains
Free laundry facilites for guests -- this is a revenue center, altho' not much of one. Some extended stay brands do have free laundry and quite extensive facilities no less!
An accurate thermostat on the HVAC system -- well, we can hope!
one of those neat new multi-head showers -- appearing now at higher end hotels

 

[frigilux]

We have a new (well, newish---it was built about 5 years ago) motel in our little town called The Guardian Inn. The rooms come with attached garages! It is the coolest thing I've seen. I put friends/relatives up at the motel and they love not having to unload their car out in the rain, snow and cold. It also keeps the vehicle secure, naturally.

One odd thing: The place looks like it never has customers since there isn't a parking lot full of cars.

 

[petek]

I've stayed at plenty of motels, hotels and cabins when I do the cross country trip every year or so. I could care less really about fancy lobbys and rooms as I usually don't spend much awake time in the place anyways. Since I don't make plans and just drive I just find a place that looks fairly decent and that's that. I've never yet had a stinker. Often it's a Super 8 or AmericInn because you know what to expect and they're reasonable. Some of the Super 8's are basically painted cinder block walls with the derigeur "motel furnishings" I kind of like finding the old 50's type mom/pop motels in small towns, they're like stepping back in time with the dated furniture, bathrooms etc, an airconditioner stuck in a window, that sort of thing, and they're hardly expensive.

 

[Cybrvanr]

and the nice thing about those mom & pop hotels is that you can actually understand the clerks at the desks because they speak english! I enjoy the studio plus / extended stay hotels, they're pretty nice. Super 8 motels I've found are frequently very well maintained and clean. I haven't seen any Guardian inn's around. I bet they look like a neighborhood of townhouses more than they look like a motel!

 

[whirlcool]

There was a place in I think it was Rapid City called the Star Motel where each room was a house in a subdivision. The entire subdivision was the motel. It was up on a hill overlooking the city. That was waaaay back in the late 60's.
I have slept inn thousands of beds over the years and stay in a wide range of motels/hotels, whoever gives our companies the best rate is where we go. Some of these places are actually very nice, some are not so hot. There is one Marriott in particular in a BIG west coast town that looks nice in the lobby, but the room usually has tattered furniture and it usually is 250-300 steps from the elevator to your room! When I first started my job, our Chicago layovers were at the Palmer House, now they are in a motel on Manheim Rd near the airport.
But I think that the Marriotts have the most comfortable beds. I was in one where they had a little sign stating that the bedding in your room was for sale, just check with the front desk, and sure enough you could buy the pillows, comforters, and even the matress if you wanted!
Here is a trick I have seen done in motel rooms. Just leave a
yellow post it between the sheets down by the bottom with your initals and airline and date when you checkout of the hotel. If housekeeping changes the sheets the note will be removed. If they just make the bed, your note will be there for the next person. I have come across a few notes in my various stays! I go to the front desk and ask for a bedding change. They usually ask how do I know the sheets have been "used". I just hand them the note and they never question my request!

 

[jasonl]

Vintage motels

I like the ones from the 50s. We have one here in Opelousas that's still up in business, but I have no idea what condition it's in other than I know it's old. New Orleans had quite a few really cool ones along hwy 90 (Chef Hwy) such as the Orbit and some others. Of course, run down by now and probably destroyed by the hurricane.

In a vintage motel you get
A rusty toilet
A broken tv
A squeeky bed
stained carpet
and
the girl of your choice (so it's not so bad (ducks and runs))

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

I have to say that I am a bit of a hotel snob. I don't want to pay over $100 a night or anything, but I sure as heck don't intend on staying in some roadside motel unless absolutely necessary.

I work at the Pointe Hilton at Squaw Peak here in Phoenix in the maintenance department (which is also in charge of renovations, capital projects, and interior design), so I know what resorts/hotels should have and what they should not have.

Considering the hotel I work for is actually a resort all the rooms are accessed from the outside. There aren't really corridors here because we are spread out. We have two seperate four story buildings here for guests and then we have casitas which are two story condos equipped with carports.

We offer miniature golf and a water park at this resort, but our sister resort has a golf course and we offer free shuttle service between the two resorts. Also we have a daycare for extremely young children and another daycare for slightly older children that has a playground area. We have two restaraunts on property as well as a lounge area per building and another in the water park. We also have an actual ice cream store as well. Each building also has it's own swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi. The casitas has two locations for swimming pools, jacuzzis and saunas. Aslo, we have a full-size fitness center (and the machines are new) and you can book time with a trainer if necessary. We also have a full-size spa and salon, so you can get massages, pedicures, manicures and what ever else or you can have a massage in your suite if you so desire. We'll send and receive faxes for (for a fee) and print boarding passes out for you for free. And we also have two business center, but only one is 24 hours. And finally, we have staff here 24 hours a day which includes maintenance, housekeeping, security, bell desk, front desk and the operators. So if anything were to come up, all you have to do is push a speed dial button and someone will be able to help you.

As for inside, all suites have a standard living room, bar area/kitchenette, vanity area, bathroom area and then bedroom with adjoining patio/balcony. The casitas come with more.
We have mini-bars that are stocked with snacks, drinks and emergency kits in case you forgot something at home (like toothpaste). We have two 27" flat screen T.V.s, video game systems, DVD players that can be rented, free local calls, roomservice, high-speed internet access, new mattresses (yes we are advertising them), MP3 compatible radios, free newspaper, free laundry, multi-head showers, digital thermostats for HVAC, wake-up calls are free, bell desk service is free (though you should tip if they are good), oh and parking is free.

Now that I sold my resort, I'm not sure if I covered everything, but I guess one could always ask me.

This is why I'm kind of a snob when it comes to where I'll lay my head. I know how hard this resort works to make sure the guest is happy. I also know how hard this hotel works to have a clean environment which is a lot more than I can say for some of the smaller motel chains. In my opinion, the old adage of "You get what you pay for" really comes to mind when you pick where to spend your vacation.

 

[dalangdon]

After 15 years in the hotel business (I escaped five years ago) I have to admit I'm a sucker for a big downtown fancy hotel, and will shell out a few - but just a few - extra bucks for some chandeliers and marble.

But I also have a soft spot for folksy motels, especially if they have a cool neon sign out front.

The one thing I can't stand are the boring airport and convention hotels. I worked at a few of those (Minneapolis Marriott City Center and Seattle Sheraton) and I know what goes on "behind the scenes". Just butts in beds - no pizzazz ;-)

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

Ugh, yea. A lot of those airport/convention center ones are horrible.

I stayed at a Hilton airport in New Jersey and it was a joke. The Hilton airport here in Phoenix isn't anything to write home about either. But the Hilton San Diego airport hotel is gorgeous!! I would most definitely stay there again.

 

[Cybrvanr]

Yep, those airport/convention center type places are what I end up in most of the time. They charge some INSANE rates for what amounts to nothing more than what I'd get at the roadside inn a few miles down the street. Usually when I bring this to the attention of the company, I'll book the hotel the next time, and either save the company some money, or get them a better value!

Sounds like your place there BrownEyedGirl is pretty nice! You've hit just about all the stuff on my wish list! I don't mind paying more for stuff like that. The biggest problem is the hotel ratings in magazines and on the net don't say anything about suff like this that really makes the stay great. Resorts however are usually a little bit different from business hotels too though. If that kind of thought went into a business hotel, the place would be booked every night!

 

[petek]

Regarding the room rates and we all know that not everyone pays the same rate for the same room depending on how they booked it, who they are, who they work for, blah blah blah. When my company pays I don't care but when I'm on a road trip on my own coin I do. Since I seldom almost never make reservations and just show up at the desk you're a big target for the full meal deal but I always ask for the corporate rate and 9 out of 10 times you get it just for asking, much less than their first quote. Since I work for a large corp anyways if they do ask for proof I just show them my employee id, but like I say most times they just ask for the company name and go ahead and give you a more reasonable rate.
On many of my "road trips" home I used to take my dog Bob along with me and I was never refused a room either which is pretty nice.
Here's my favorite hotel,, can you name it?

 

[dalangdon]

Fairmont Banff

Love those old CP hotels! I've stayed at the Hotel Vancouver and Royal York and they are all wonderful places. The hotel that I spent most of my career at, the Olympic in Seattle, is now a Fairmont, and I couldn't be happier. They are a classy company.

 

[veg-o-matic]

Anyone ever stay at the Brown Palace in Denver? Oooooooh. For some reason, we got a 9th floor room, which was super deluxe; turndown service, mint on the pillow, bedtime snack left by housekeeping, a gal named Betty who showed up every day to change the flowers in the bathroom, rose on the pillow next to the mint. Art Deco furnishings, more pillows that I knew what to do with...

Would have been a great place for a seduction (nobody could've resisted that room.) Alas, I was there with a colleague, so I couldn't take advantage of the surroundings.

Hey, I need all the help I can get!

veg

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

Well cybrvanr, the best rates are during the summer when they are about $98, of course you'll have to put up with 110 degree weather (if you're lucky)!

Yeah, some business hotels really don't put a lot of effort like resorts do.

But if you ever find yourself in San Diego, I highly recommend the San Diego Gaslamp Hilton (not to promote Hilton, it's all I've truly experienced) it's a very nice business hotel. I'm sure the downtown Hyatt and Marriot are really nice too.

Veg, now you can plan ahead for the future with that room!

 

[jasonlsangel]

Jas, you didn't think I would catch that? I'm shocked.

 

[jasonl]

LOL

I wondered if you would. Just kidding of course.