Motels & Hotels along the Interstate

[Sittinginthesun]

La Quinta with the pooch, usually driving back and forth to Florida. Seems like everyone staying there has a dog.

 

[athena53]

I tend to book directly with the hotel, but especially if I'm staying more than 1 night, I'll check the prices a few times before the trip to see if the prices have decreased.

I like Orbitz for checking rates and have tried to use them for booking as well, to support the business- but last April DH and I decided to stay overnight in Paducah, KY on a trip to Myrtle Beach and booked a room. Got the confirmation, arrived at the hotel and they said they'd tried to get hold of us: it was the weekend of the Quilt Show at their museum (which we'd hoped to visit) and apparently our "reservation" got cancelled because he chain (either Marriott or Hilton) had grabbed the room for another reservation made around the same time. Sure enough, there was an e-mail sent to me from Orbitz, cancelling the reservation about 15 minutes after it had been confirmed. We ended up making a reservation an hour past Paducah and doing more driving.

Now I book directly with the hotel.

 

[NW-Bound]

When we travel I use Hotwire.com and opt for three stars or higher...

I used Hotwire before and for the most part I was pleased with the hotels. We stayed at a 4 stars hotel in San Diego for the price of two.

Can you book a same day stay on Hotwire or Priceline?

Yes, you can...

Thanks. Just did some checking out of curiosity, and I like what I see. Will remember to do this when we go on the next road trip. Without the RV, that is.

 

[HFWR]

I know lots of people, including family members, who will not go on a road trip or go camping without a gun. And they wouldn't want to leave it in their car overnight.

Hopefully they're familiar with the gun laws in the areas they are visiting, otherwise they might end up with free lodging...

 

[Walt34]

Hopefully they're familiar with the gun laws in the areas they are visiting, otherwise they might end up with free lodging...

That is very definitely the case in MD.

 

[MRG]

That is very definitely the case in MD.

Few folks who were legally bringing firearms home got sent to NJ. Wasn't a good time for any of them.

 

[braumeister]

Another thing I look for is a hotel that's not terribly tall.

I was asleep one night last year in a 3-story brick hotel when we were hit by a 7.1 earthquake. The building swayed like it was made of rubber -- more than anything I experienced while living in California years ago.

Impressive enough for me, but there was a modern steel and glass hotel just half a block away and I remember thinking how grateful I was not to have been in it.

 

[Bamaman]

In our ER, we seldom travel except going overseas. But after 36 years of intensive business travel (4 nights most weeks), I know where to stay in the cities we visit, and I know which cities have more favorable room rates.

My favorite booking service (worldwide) is Booking.com. I will filter my room search by price--lowest to highest. Then I look for properties on the lower end that have customer ratings substantially better than others in the same price range. I've never been disappointed. And I never pay for the room when making the reservation, even if I have to pay a slightly higher rate. At our age, you never know when a health issue may pop its ugly head.

 

[akck]

We normally overnight in Seattle, staying with my sister. One time we couldn't get a hold of her and other family members weren't picking up either. So we ended up on Priceline and took an express deal for a 3.5 star hotel for $69 plus tax ($85 total). Ended up in a Crown Plaza across from the airport. It was a very nice hotel that normally charges about double what we paid. So, I'd recommend Priceline express deals for the star level you're comfortable.

Oh, my sister forgot her phone and circled around several times hoping we'd see her before going home to get it.

 

[Ronstar]

We stay at a lot of interstate hotels/motels on our road trips. I start with trip advisor, and find a hotel with decent ratings and a decent price. Usually ends up being a 2-3 star. Not picky about the chain.