FIND HOTELS AND MOTELS
We will not recommend any specific hotels or motels. Everyone’s needs and preferences are different. Everyone’s opinion is different. While traveling anywhere outside our home state we always stay at a certain chain but that doesn’t mean you would like the accommodations. We might overlook certain flaws that other travelers would find infuriating. We’ve had bad experiences at hotels that other travelers highly recommended. As with any decision, the best thing you can do is weigh your options and make what you feel is the right decision.
Chain Hotels – Some travelers will only stay at chain hotels. Others prefer the mom-and-pop hotels because they’re locally owned by a real person and not by a multi-billion dollar corporate chain. If you prefer chain hotels, they’re not difficult to find in most areas of the country. In our traveling experiences, however, chain hotels are few and far between in the upper mid-West.
Cheap Hotels – As they always say, you get what you pay for. If you’re expecting first-class accommodations, don’t look for cheap hotels. Cheap hotels are CHEAP hotels. Do we need to say anymore? If you’re looking for a lumpy bed and warm shower, cheap hotels might be for you. They’re not for us. We want a comfortable mattress, soft pillows, and a hot bath.
Choice Hotels – Choice Hotels is a hotel network that includes several national hotel chains. We use the term hotel network because Choice Hotels does not operate any of the hotels in its network. Each hotel is independently owned and operated. This hotel network offers some of the best rewards you can find. During our two-month honeymoon across America, thanks to the Choice Hotels rewards program we racked up $1500 in free gift cards and 10 days worth of free hotel stays.
Coupons For Hotels – You know the coupons we mean. You can find hotel coupon booklets at almost all interstate rest stops. The company’s website is www.HotelCoupons.com. You can view these discount hotel coupons on your phone but most hotels will accept only PRINTED coupons.
Pet Friendly Hotels – If you’ve traveled with a pet, you already know the bad news. Many hotels don’t accept pets. Most of the ones that do accept pets charge an insane pet fee. There are a few local and national hotels that will accept pets free of charge. The best source we could find is the website www.Pet-Friendly-Hotels.net. Their directory only includes major cities but it’s a great resource for finding pet-friendly hotels.
Smartphones – Many people don’t realize that they can find hotels using the navigation on their smartphone. If you have an iPhone, open the Maps app that came installed on the phone. Type in “hotel” and see what comes up. Normally you’ll see the same results if you search for a motel but try both to see if anything different comes up. You can use the Maps app to find gas stations, restaurants, hotels, campgrounds, and so much more. Try searching for different things and see what the app can do. If you have an Android phone, we have no suggestions for you since Droids are a different breed of smartphone.
When all else fails, Google it! Google is an excellent source of information, particularly for finding hotels. Knowing how to search is as important as knowing what to search for. When searching for hotels, always include the name of the closest city in your search term. For example, if you’re looking for a hotel and the closest city is Charlotte, then search for hotels in Charlotte.