Hotels and motels

[Monkeyleg]

For the last couple of months, I've been having to travel to Atlanta twice a month to see a doctor. I've been here many times before. And, of course, I've traveled a lot over the years. So, I've stayed in a lot of hotels and motels.

I'm often taken aback by how little you get for some high-dollar rooms compared to how much you get in some low-dollar rooms. I know that it's location, but that's not always entirely the case.

I'm staying two nights at a Marriott in the Buckhead (read $$$) area of Atlanta. I booked the room on Priceline, and bid $75 for one night for a $220 a night room. Then I realized I needed two nights, and there wouldn't be time to change hotels in the morning. The best I could get was $181 for the second night. So, with taxes, I'm at over $300 for two nights. That doesn't include $32 for parking and $13 for WiFi.

I had asked for as quiet a room as they had. The power went out in the entire hotel last night for two hours (not their fault), so I went to bed about 11 pm. I woke up to a noise at 3 am.  There's air handlers right outside my window and, at 3 am, they sound like jet engines. I could hear the toilet flushing in the next room as clearly as if I were in that bathroom, and the guy kept going every 45 minutes or so all night. I didn't sleep at all after 3 am.

The room itself is nothing to write home about. I've had rooms that were better here in Atlanta for $75 after an online discount. I've had rooms in small towns and cities for $50  without discount that were better.

There's one place I stayed in Elk River, OK that was $19 a night. The room was great.

My ex worked for a travel agency in the 1980's, and we got a free weekend at the Continental in Chicago. The hotel was over $300 a night back then. It had a wet bar, TV's and phones in every room, fresh flowers and chocolates when we arrived, and a tray of strawberries and cream delivered to our room in the morning. Leave your shoes outside your door in the evening, and in the morning they're there professionally polished. That's swell, but $300 a night? It's probably double that now.

The amenities are a nice touch, but I'd rather have a place that's quiet so I can sleep, and at a price that doesn't make me gag.

[K Frame]

As long as there aren't bedbugs crawling around, pubes (or worse) on the sheets, and a dead hooker under the bed, I'm generally pretty happy.

[KD5NRH]

As long as there aren't bedbugs crawling around, pubes (or worse) on the sheets, and a dead hooker under the bed, I'm generally pretty happy.

So a dead chick under the bed is OK as long as she wasn't a hooker?

[K Frame]

Sure, why not.

[230RN]

double post

[Brad Johnson]

Seems like the middle-ground abodes are generally the most consistent. Plus, they are usually more conveniently located, easier to navigate internally, and generally more focused on getting the basics perfected rather than seeing how much foofery they can pile on to "enhance your stay".

I also have a problem with a place charging extra for basic amenities when they're already getting super-premium room prices. An additional $20-50 for internet access in a $350/night room? Nuh-uh, chief. If that wasn't bad enough, restaurants in most of these places command ridiculous prices. I stayed in downtown LA two years ago and got popped $12 for an 8 oz glass of orange juice and almost $20 for a simple 2-egg breakfast. Nope.

I like being within 50 feet of my room when I get out of the car rather than having a five minute walk or a $15 valet charge sraring me in the face. I likd a clean, comfortable room with a big TV and an ice machine right around the corner. I like a hot breakfast buffet and being just a few blocks (or complimentary shuttle ride) from my destination. I like places with regularly-policed franchising requirements for room cleanliness. You can keep your Biltmores and Ritz-carltons. I'm a solid Holiday Inn Express type.

Brad

[230RN]

Wife1 and I stayed at the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park in the "old section."  Walls were 100% transparent to sound waves.  Couple in next room didn't realize it.  We were too tired to match their vocalizations and thumpings and bumpings and other joyful noise.  Finally became sleepable at about 1:00 AM.  Would've been OK if it weren't for them.  Steeped in history and all that.

Enjoyed looking at an original Stanley Steamer automobile in the lobby, though.

Best place we ever stayed was the Breckenridge Broadmoor*in Colorado Springs. I think they may have renamed it or something because I can't find a link to it.  Great restaurant there called the Penrose Room.  Great food, great service.  Even the assistant waiters had assistant waiters.  Drop a spoon and somebody would teleport to your table in 126 microseconds and catch it before it hit the floor.  Then his assistant would have a new spoon on your table in 327 more microseconds.

Well, exaggerating, but that's the way it felt.

I have a story about stealing stuff from them, but that can wait.

Terry, 230RN

Slip of the brain there.  Thanks for the correction, Brad Johnson.

[Brad Johnson]

Best place we ever stayed was the Breckenridge in Colorado Springs.  I think they may have renamed it or something because I can't find a link to it. 

Terry, 230RN

It's called the Broadmoor now. Bigtime "destination" type place.

Brad

[MillCreek]

^^^ I have stayed at the Broadmoor a couple of times while speaking at medical meetings there.  I found out to my chagrin that you need to make advance arrangements to tour NORAD and you cannot do it on the spur of the moment.

[KD5NRH]

I found out to my chagrin that you need to make advance arrangements to tour NORAD and you cannot do it on the spur of the moment.

Sure you can; you just have to be really sneaky.

[230RN]

They used to have a skeet or trap range there, too.  Don't know if that's still "operational."

[vaskidmark]

IIRC we discussed this before.  Membership in the chain's affinity club can get you some perks or at least some nicer level of service.  So can asking up front for specific rooms - away from elevators, away from air handler equipment, away from the vending machines.

There there are

http://mentalfloss.com/article/50569/10-hotel-secrets-behind-front-desk

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2012/12/18/how-to-get-the-best-hotel-rooms-and-service/

http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/hotel-and-b-and-b/get-the-best-hotel-room

And on and on and on.

My takeaway from all that is that after you search all the discount aggregators you should call the hotel itself to see if you can get close to the discount price, make the front desk person want to be nice to you (the tip handed over before anything is asked for/given), and refuse to take sight unseen whatever they want to throw at you.

$75/night for a $220 room + $20 to grease the skids is still over half off.  Another $10 after seeing the room to add some additional upgrades (comped wifi, parking) still leaves you at half price.  Heck, you migt sweet-talk them into comping the adult channels, too.

One thing I have learned while travelling with a wheelchair is not to demand sympathy.  If all the "accessable" rooms are taken I may be able to get the chair through a regular doorframe.  (Heck, I know going in I can.)  But I have also learned not to try starting a pity party but to see if the hotel/motel and I can work something out.  I look like I'm giving up stuff, they bend a little, and we all feel better.

There is a difference between cheap and inexpensive.  Often they do not come at the same price point.

stay safe.

[Monkeyleg]

I always ask for a room away from elevators, ice makers, etc. I think they figured they had that taken care of, but didn't realize how loud the air handlers are.

I just found out that the internet connection isn't $12.95 for my two-night stay, but $12.95 per night. And the valet parking (there's no self-park) isn't $32 for the stay, it's $32 per night.

Also, there's nothing on regular TV, so the only choice is On Demand at $18.95.

So...the total is going to be $364.85 for two nights, plus tax. I could get four nights in my usual hotels for that price.

To add insult to injury, the hotel plainclothes security guard is about as stealthy as an elephant. He should get his wardrobe ideas from "Serpico" instead of "Columbo".

[Ben]

On the Internet and TV, a better option is Netflix on your laptop, and if you have a smartphone, tether to that for Internet. If you have a minimal data plan, maybe think about bringing DVDs along with you so you don't eat into the plan. Regular web browsing email doesn't use much data. Or at least watch online if you buy the hotel wireless and don't pay for pay per view.

Otherwise, are there motels similar to Best Western Plus near where you need to go? They always have free Internet and breakfast. That's about all I stay in anymore now that I can't get a fed.gov discount on lodging, and I find them to be well maintained pretty much across the board.

[Scout26]

Last year while Robert and I were re-creating Sherman's march we pretty much stayed at Comfort Inns (and their sister properties).  All the rooms were clean and quiet.  I don't recall any noises except the Friday at the one in Charleston when it was raining and the some young kids were running up and down in front of the doors (probably because mom and dad were tired of them bouncing off the walls in the room.)

Again, get hooked up with a chain.  If you are going to be going consistently, then you want to become a regular.  Most offer fairly decent discounts (Comfort was doing the stay 2 nights and the 3rd one is free last summer).  IIRC, I was paying $65-$75 a night per room, which worked out to ~$150 for every three nights.   We just needed a place to lay our heads and me to hook up my dialysis machine.   I had been doing the Hotelsdotcom thing, but Comfort Inns kept coming up as the cheapest in all my searches. So I signed up for their rewards program.   In fact we stayed a Comfort Suites in Suffolk, VA, that was very, very very nice.  Softest beds and pillows I've ever slept in.  I think we paid $75 for that one.  That's what got me to join their rewards club. 

[Marnoot]

I always ask for a room away from elevators, ice makers, etc.

I always do that when I travel for business, and they almost always just end up putting me by something unexpectedly loud instead. The last time it was some sort of air handling equipment like your experience. Time before that, I was in the last room at the end of the hall, nice and quiet, except for the heavy metal self-closing (and how!) door for the staircase. I'd just nod off to sleep, then WHAM!!!, repeated through most of the night.

[AJ Dual]

Being "a regular" doesn't always mean the exact same chain, often several chains are all under one corp. umbrella and share a rewards/points system.

I tend to stay in http://www.starwoodhotels.com/, and of the bunch, "Aloft" can be inexpensive, if you can stand the ultra-mod neo-60's hipsteresque decor. However, being so cutting edge at least means "new", which unless it's someplace "historical" is usually your best indicator of having a clean-ish room experience.

I don't care how thorough the housekeeping staff is, and even if they have the most aggressive deep-cleaning schedule in the industry, if the place hasn't been re-done in the past 2-3 years or less, or wasn't built brand new, the place that hasn't been re-done since the 80's or even the 90's is going to look tired and gross.  

I'll have to go back and check, but the room I got at Le Méridien for next week in SF is... uh... $530/night. And that's the "company preferred" hotel with the pre-negotiated business rate. But hey, that's how they roll. And I keep the "points".  I could never afford that on my own, cost more than the week-long on-property mid-grade Disney trip for our family of 6... So it's nice working for a place with a travel/expense policy designed by the millionaires who started the company, or are partners in it.

The sucky part of it is that they never considered the peons may not have the liquid funds on hand, even if it's getting reimbursed within a week or less...  

[41magsnub]

The sucky part of it is that they never considered the peons may not have the liquid funds on hand, even if it's getting reimbursed within a week or less...  

Yeah, that is tough sometimes.  My company is doing their best though, we now direct deposit the expense "checks" as soon as they are approved.

We also will do hotel reservations on the company card, the employee still does the security card swipe with their own but ultimately the billing is to the company.

[Brad Johnson]

When I was doing the "pay up front then reimbursed" travel thing I got a Holiday Inn Express credit card. Good points and an automatic room upgrade when you book through it. I also started running all my monthly payments through it and paying it off every month. Points build up quick. I've stayed many a free night with those points.

Most major chains have a credit card offering. If you travel a lot it's worth considering.

Brad

[Monkeyleg]

The problem with chains is that they can run hot and cold. There's a La Quinta in my home city that's really nice, and a bargain at $60, with multiple rooms and such. Other La Quinta's I've stayed at have been total dives. Others are nice but outrageously priced.

I got a Comfort Inn here in Atlanta on special for about $80, and it was nice. Their regular price is $120+

[cambeul41]

I remember best, and judge today by, the places I stayed when I was much younger and even cheaper. In perhaps 1959, I went to Denver for a judo tournament.  The host team made arrangements for us in the Silver Dollar hotel at $1.25 each. Not the best part of town, but I was sleeping anyway and a Japanese restaurant was within walking distance. 

In about 1968, I drove with my then wife and three college age nieces from Chiangmai, Thailand to Penang, Malasia.  We always stayed in the very best accommodations (except in Penang). Typically, a room for a night (yes, one room for the five of us) was $5. I remember it as a great trip – except for the fear of terrorist ambush in southern Thailand. 

In any case, I am still rather easy to satisfy in terms of accommodations and very easy to horrify  in terms of cost. I let my wife (current edition) choose our accommodations and expenses now.

[Scout26]

Again, you are going to the same place twice a month.  Pick a chain, (Comfort seems to have nice, newer hotels) and sign up for their rewards plan.  If you know when you are going, weeks and months in advance, you might/should be able to work out a deal with them. to stay at the same place and even the same room.

It's not like you are traveling to a different place each day...


Also, I hope the reason you have been going to Atlanta isn't something serious.

[Monkeyleg]

There's a couple of hotels here I like, but they don't have any sort of membership or repeat customer discounts. They're regularly $120+,  but on Priceline I can sometimes get them for $75.

I just realized this morning that the room has just one bath towel. One. All together this room is going to cost me nearly $450 for two nights. At regular rate it would be well over 600. I wonder what the suites with ample room to move cost.

I wouldn't have needed two nights, but it is an infallible truth that beautiful women are genetically wired to never be on time. They must just take it for granted that guys will wait.

The doc isn't for anything serious. Well, serious to me, but not serious serious.

[230RN]

away from elevators, away from air handler equipment, away from the vending machines.

Learned:  and the tennis courts and swimming pool.

[Tuco]

priceline

That's the mistake.

Use priceline to locate the inn with available rooms on your needed dates.
Call the inn directly, and ask them what they can offer. Tell them what you want or need. Ask about preferred pricing or other discounts. Don't mention priceline yet.

See what they offer, compare apples to apples, and decide.
 If you really want the room, ask if you might get a better deal on priceline.

Hotels pay a premium to be listed on priceline. A portion of your low low price is lost to priceline as commission.All well and good, but you as well as anyone should recognize the value of eliminating the online price fixing middleman and the potential savings to be had dealing directly with the supplier.

This strategy was suggested by an innkeeper near a major tourist attraction and confirmed with the desk clerk at a business class chain hotel.  It works for me.