We were on the road for twenty days for more than half of those days we stayed in hotels. Some good, some bad, some very good, some very bad.
Typically we would stop around 4pm and figure out where we would plan on staying for the night. Sometimes we could find area guides in rest areas, other times we would use our maps and travel apps on my iPad. One useful app was “the Road Ahead”.
Usually we would use highway signage identifying brand name hotels at upcoming exits. Sometimes there bill boards advertising motels. In Evanston, there was several billboards for Best Western with restaurant and bar. It was one of the really good hotels that we stayed at.
There are many nationwide brand hotels and there are some that are more regional in scope. eg. Drury Inn’s is mostly south (seen in MS, MO, and KS).
The things that we cared about were free wifi, coffee pot in room, free breakfast, king size bed and restaurant/bar in walking distance. (After driving 400 miles, I was in no mood to go looking for a restaurant.)
Very Good
Drury Inn. Had nice clean comfortable rooms. Free hot breakfast and free snacks and drinks in the evening. Free WiFi. Coffee pot in room.
Best Western, Evanston WY. It had restaurant and bar. Free WiFi. Didn’t have free breakfast, but did have coupon for free pancakes. So breakfast cost about $10 for my eggs and bacon. They had real glassware and real coffee mugs to go with the coffee pot.
Very Very Bad
America’s Best Value Inn, Memphis, TN. We ended up paying $160 for two nights. When we went into this place we should have turned around and gone out to find someplace else. First clue was we had to deal with the front desk clerk through a security screen. Perhaps one could understand at two AM, but 6pm? I don’t think so.
No wifi, no coffee pot. The free breakfast was a small cup of coffee plus a krispy kreme donut (limit two to a customer). I could write a whole post on Krispy Kreme. Don’t like them, too sweet. Okay the TV worked and it was king size bed. Side furniture was uncomfortable. Cheap junk.
The hotel once was a TraveLodge. I knew this because the logo was painted over on the room doors. We were happy to be on our way. We skipped the complimentary breakfast and had a decent breakfast at a Denny’s at a truck stop in Arkansas.
The word “value” to me means “Good stuff cheap”. In this case, the opposite was true. Cheap stuff expensive.
Good
Comfort Inn. Reasonable price. WiFi, coffee pot, decent breakfast. Not fancy but good.
Hampton Inn. West Jordan UT. Stayed for five nights in Utah. Real nice experience. Breakfast was free and decent. They responded to my complaint about the desk chair and replaced it with what I though was the manager’s desk chair. Convenient location, about half mile to Neil’s place. I would stay in a Hampton Inn again in a heartbeat.
Bad
Days Inn. No WiFi. Reasonable price. Room opened to outside corridor. Corridor and elevator were filthy. Room was adequate. Breakfast was adequate.
And finally, Las Vegas.
We ended up staying in an older hotel/casino in Jean, NV. Price was reasonable. Room was adequate. No WiFi, but they did have coffee pot.
I really abhor walking into a casino. You are looking for the hotel reg desk and all you can see is slot machines. The noise is so annoying.
Downtown Vegas doesn’t give discounts unless you stay at least three days. There aren’t any hotels without casinos. To get a hotel in CA would have been at least another 1.5 hour ride.
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Location:San Pedro, CA
calherewecome 