Online motel bait and switch pricing.

[SevenBizzos]

Yeah. I haven't seen a room quote for under $100 a night in ages (OK, like three years ago). Maybe I'm just too bougey.

 

[goingplacesanddoingstuff]

It’s not bait and switch. The prices initially shown are for a different date range, often the cheapest possible for any night in the next several months.

It’s confusing, but not lying.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Prices vary wildly based on time of year, etc. The OP is staying in Augusta GA in the winter. No reason to be there, so there just trying to pay the light bill. Come during the Masters and that room is $600. Any summer weekend - likely $100.

Wanna come to Charleston in mid January - nice hotel downtown well under $200. Out of town a bit maybe $100 ish. Come from March till about July - triple that.

The more touristy the place, the bigger the swing. I stay places for work that are not touristy at all and I think the rate is close to the same every day of the year.

 

[andrew_j]

Just a guess but if 50 rooms are sold at $50 average, that's $2500 gross for the night. A manager and desk clerk for 2 shifts plus 2-3 maids, that's maybe $800 labor a day. Overhead in utilities, mortgage, taxes, another $800. That leaves $900 profit for the day.

That's why I upgraded my choice from the $35 Masters Inn to this $40 Motel 6.

Looks ok to me for one night,

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That is a good way to cut costs with no furniture. Hopefully clean!

 

[John105]

Spend a little more and stay in a safer place. Some low cost motels are very sketchy.

Agreed. Personally? I like Fairfield Inn. Sure it’s a lower Marriott property but always been decent. Phila is an anamoly. By my house low $200’s. Maybe demand > supply. In the DC area and northern NJ we’ve been able to score in the $90’s which imho is a very good deal.

We have done the above in Silver Spring MD and couldn’t wait to get on the road. Lots of illicit activity happening in the parking lot.

 

[4WD]

Agreed. Personally? I like Fairfield Inn. Sure it’s a lower Marriott property but always been decent. Phila is an anamoly. By my house low $200’s. Maybe demand > supply. In the DC area and northern NJ we’ve been able to score in the $90’s which imho is a very good deal.

We have done the above in Silver Spring MD and couldn’t wait to get on the road. Lots of illicit activity happening in the parking lot.

Same with Hampton Inn - I always get a suite for what a small room cost elsewhere …

 

[John105]

Same with Hampton Inn - I always get a suite for what a small room cost elsewhere …

Actually Hampton is my employer’s preferred, and true always been fine…one time in Mississauga, I booked the one maybe 20 miles from the office, instead of the one walking distance….that’s a big town really a city in itself

 

[SC Maintenance]

Same with Hampton Inn - I always get a suite for what a small room cost elsewhere …

I was Hilton Diamond for a decade staying mostly at Hamptons, but they have really collapsed recently. My last dozen or so rooms were dirty and in many they sprayed a ton of air freshener to cover it up to the point it was sickening. Asked to move rooms but the next room was the same. I think lack of cleaning staff or just unwillingness to pay for it.

Their home2suites and Tru are newer and have been better, but you can tell they know it because there rates have been raised a lot. They used to be less or the same as Hampton but now are typically much more.

Anyway I am trying other brands. IHG has been OK. Fairfield's have been good but there are not many of them.

Wish I could find a list of corporate vs franchised Hilton properties. My guess is the corporate owned ones may be better.

 

[4WD]

Actually Hampton is my employer’s preferred, and true always been fine…one time in Mississauga, I booked the one maybe 20 miles from the office, instead of the one walking distance….that’s a big town really a city in itself

Yeah - in our system it makes a note when you didn’t accept one of the 3 best deals - my boss pays zero attention to that …

 

[4WD]

I was Hilton Diamond for a decade staying mostly at Hamptons, but they have really collapsed recently. My last dozen or so rooms were dirty and in many they sprayed a ton of air freshener to cover it up to the point it was sickening. Asked to move rooms but the next room was the same. I think lack of cleaning staff or just unwillingness to pay for it.

Their home2suites and Tru are newer and have been better, but you can tell they know it because there rates have been raised a lot. They used to be less or the same as Hampton but now are typically much more.

Anyway I am trying other brands. IHG has been OK. Fairfield's have been good but there are not many of them.

Wish I could find a list of corporate vs franchised Hilton properties. My guess is the corporate owned ones may be better.

We have a brand new Home2 … I put our visitors there often …
(Don’t have a spare BR) …

 

[GSCJR]

Mississauga

...is a big city, drove through yesterday, almost too big now.

 

[y_p_w]

The more touristy the place, the bigger the swing. I stay places for work that are not touristy at all and I think the rate is close to the same every day of the year.

Near convention centers can also have huge swings depending on whether there’s a major convention going on. My family stayed at a hotel near a convention center once, and it was pretty cheap. It would have been maybe double if there was a major convention.

There was a touristy place nearby. This place tended to get more business than tourist traffic for some reason.

 

[Speedbird001]

I've traveled a good bit. I STRONGLY suggest NOT using any 3rd party sites like Travelocity to book air or hotel if you can in any way avoid it. For maybe 5-10% you are giving up a lot of options and protections. I have seen it many times; problem with the facility, room not available, weather related overbooking (The previous occupant could not vacate, they can not force them out = no room for you). The people who booked with a 3rd party were left out to dry; told to contact them and good luck. Those that booked directly with the airline or hotel were immediately accommodated (Marriott put me in a nearby property, nicer room for the same price. Jet Blue put me on another carrier). Also, much more freedom to change or cancel in most cases; Bonvoy (Marriott) is great about this.

I do use those 3rd party sites to research options, but actually book directly, 100% worth it for me.

 

[John105]

I've traveled a good bit. I STRONGLY suggest NOT using any 3rd party sites like Travelocity to book air or hotel if you can in any way avoid it. For maybe 5-10% you are giving up a lot of options and protections. I have seen it many times; problem with the facility, room not available, weather related overbooking (The previous occupant could not vacate, they can not force them out = no room for you). The people who booked with a 3rd party were left out to dry; told to contact them and good luck. Those that booked directly with the airline or hotel were immediately accommodated (Marriott put me in a nearby property, nicer room for the same price. Jet Blue put me on another carrier). Also, much more freedom to change or cancel in most cases; Bonvoy (Marriott) is great about this.

I do use those 3rd party sites to research options, but actually book directly, 100% worth it for me.

Yeah we booked $4700 worth of airfare with Travelocity even paid more for cancelable and with United not cancelable. I’m sure there is fine print if any error we’re not responsible. BUT on United website price was higher. A couple problems 2 scary friends said ooooh you left out middle names doesn’t match your passport you can’t fly (totally untrue) but we didn’t need changes so all worked out. I too would avoid 3rd party sites unless significantly cheaper. In our case about $400

 

[Graham Piccinini]

I had a better luck finding a nice Airbnb on short notice, cheaper and bigger than a hotel room.
I also have no problem sleeping in the car. When I go back to working long shifts - I'll probably just DIY a quick camping bed setup on the passenger side of my Vibe, and window shades/vents.

 

[slo town]

My sons gave me a Storyworth subscription. This is an excerpt from the book I wrote about my life, this experience being in 1996 when I road my bicycle across the continent for the second time. I'll never forget my hotel room in Chattanooga...

"There are some things in life that deserve special mention. My hotel room in Chattanooga is one of them. Never in my life have I stayed in such a dump. The nearly thread bare carpet was filthy with large stains. The bed was crap, the nightstand was crap, the lamp was crap, everything was crap. The shower tub was so discolored with years worth of black grime I actually wore my sandals when taking my shower. On top of that there was a huge hole in the wall below where the faucet was. I could see inside the wall into a big, dark cavity. And here’s the best part, I was on the second floor! Exactly where does the splashing water go when a person takes a shower?

Riding a bicycle 1,000 miles per week for 24 consecutive days requires proper hydration. I’d down water all evening long before finally going to bed. Consuming this much water caused me to pee – and pee all night long. One thing I’ve always done, even in the nicest hotels, is to spread out a clean hand towel on the sink counter. I don’t like my personal hygiene items touching foreign territory.

With my toothbrush and toiletries nicely organized on a towel on the countertop I went to bed. During one of my middle of the night pees I walked to the bathroom – in my sandals of course – and turned on the bathroom light. Greeting me on the countertop were two dozen cockroaches scurrying all over my toothbrush and other things. I remember making a mental note, 'Scott, be sure to wash your toothbrush before using it in the morning!'. I remember going back to bed and wondering whether or not cockroaches were crawling all over me while I slept. I couldn’t wait for morning to arrive."

Scott

 

[John105]

My sons gave me a Storyworth subscription. This is an excerpt from the book I wrote about my life, this experience being in 1996 when I road my bicycle across the continent for the second time. I'll never forget my hotel room in Chattanooga...

"There are some things in life that deserve special mention. My hotel room in Chattanooga is one of them. Never in my life have I stayed in such a dump. The nearly thread bare carpet was filthy with large stains. The bed was crap, the nightstand was crap, the lamp was crap, everything was crap. The shower tub was so discolored with years worth of black grime I actually wore my sandals when taking my shower. On top of that there was a huge hole in the wall below where the faucet was. I could see inside the wall into a big, dark cavity. And here’s the best part, I was on the second floor! Exactly where does the splashing water go when a person takes a shower?

Riding a bicycle 1,000 miles per week for 24 consecutive days requires proper hydration. I’d down water all evening long before finally going to bed. Consuming this much water caused me to pee – and pee all night long. One thing I’ve always done, even in the nicest hotels, is to spread out a clean hand towel on the sink counter. I don’t like my personal hygiene items touching foreign territory.

With my toothbrush and toiletries nicely organized on a towel on the countertop I went to bed. During one of my middle of the night pees I walked to the bathroom – in my sandals of course – and turned on the bathroom light. Greeting me on the countertop were two dozen cockroaches scurrying all over my toothbrush and other things. I remember making a mental note, 'Scott, be sure to wash your toothbrush before using it in the morning!'. I remember going back to bed and wondering whether or not cockroaches were crawling all over me while I slept. I couldn’t wait for morning to arrive."

Scott

This reminded of way back when, when I lived in a SRO in NY. Elements of filth, robbery, illicit activity, noise, sirens, the street. All rolled into one. As they say, builds character.

Edit this is how things looked

 

[Pablo]

Bedbugs!

Shank to the ribs!

 

[Zee09]

My sons gave me a Storyworth subscription. This is an excerpt from the book I wrote about my life, this experience being in 1996 when I road my bicycle across the continent for the second time. I'll never forget my hotel room in Chattanooga...

"There are some things in life that deserve special mention. My hotel room in Chattanooga is one of them. Never in my life have I stayed in such a dump. The nearly thread bare carpet was filthy with large stains. The bed was crap, the nightstand was crap, the lamp was crap, everything was crap. The shower tub was so discolored with years worth of black grime I actually wore my sandals when taking my shower. On top of that there was a huge hole in the wall below where the faucet was. I could see inside the wall into a big, dark cavity. And here’s the best part, I was on the second floor! Exactly where does the splashing water go when a person takes a shower?

Riding a bicycle 1,000 miles per week for 24 consecutive days requires proper hydration. I’d down water all evening long before finally going to bed. Consuming this much water caused me to pee – and pee all night long. One thing I’ve always done, even in the nicest hotels, is to spread out a clean hand towel on the sink counter. I don’t like my personal hygiene items touching foreign territory.

With my toothbrush and toiletries nicely organized on a towel on the countertop I went to bed. During one of my middle of the night pees I walked to the bathroom – in my sandals of course – and turned on the bathroom light. Greeting me on the countertop were two dozen cockroaches scurrying all over my toothbrush and other things. I remember making a mental note, 'Scott, be sure to wash your toothbrush before using it in the morning!'. I remember going back to bed and wondering whether or not cockroaches were crawling all over me while I slept. I couldn’t wait for morning to arrive."

Scott

Sounds like the Econo Lodge in Palm Coast

 

[SC Maintenance]

Sounds like the Econo Lodge in Palm Coast

Yes, there is definitely a hierarchy as the properties get downgraded. They may start as a Hampton, HI Xtpress or whatever. Then they will be dumped and purchased by econo lodge or maybe days inn or rodeway. When even they won't bless the property anymore they go to independent / cash or by the hour OK.