Motel Reviews

[gsjay]

I'm working on some travel plans for the upcoming riding season and searching for some motel rooms.

I've been using Tripadvisor to review the motels but I'm not 100% comfortable with the reviews. Don't know if I believe them!

Anyone have any experience with TripAdvisor? Suggestions for other sites?

Thanks,
Jason

[widebmw]

I have had good luck with the TripAdvisors reviews but you do have to discount some of the reviews.
Some are too good and others are too bad.
I have seen horrible reviews on places I have stayed that I thought were great.

Remember that we are on motorcycles some things matter more to us than a family in a car.
I go into Google Earth and look at the motels location and parking lot.
I don't want to be on the street or on a steep slope.

[kantuckid]

The above is correct. You have to sift throught the idots to get the real picture. Once a pattern is there you have the bigger picture& tripadvisor has more reviews so the weight of many ='s real info. You also might consider using the points from staying in a brand name of ldging if that suits you & you want to save $.

[birdmanbmw]

I'm working on some travel plans for the upcoming riding season and searching for some motel rooms.

I've been using Tripadvisor to review the motels but I'm not 100% comfortable with the reviews. Don't know if I believe them!

Anyone have any experience with TripAdvisor? Suggestions for other sites?

Thanks,
Jason

I do a lot of reviews for Tripadvisor - mainly because I am honest and hope to bring up the level of useful info- at least for the places I visit. Suggest you all do reviews- at least the really good and really bad places you visit.

Bottom line- I do use Tripadvisor a ton -- and find the overall reviews useful.

[Jon]

There are not many around the country but I always like to stay at Embassy Suites.

[Newstar]

I've found trip advisor to be fairly accurate. Basically, throw out the best and the worst and make a decision based on the rest of the reviews.

[32232]

I got tuned in to Trip Advisor when my riding partner used it to book our accommodations for our Trans-Labrador Highway trip. Every place we stayed at was a winner. They were all all non-chain motels.

If you evaluate the ratings with a critical eye, is is very useful. I set a 90% positive rating as my cut-off point. I've been using it for a couple of years and haven't been disappointed with any place selected through Trip Advisor on that basis.

[birdmanbmw]

yes, trip adviser or Google ratings are usually pretty good.


... And yes, Just like the big chains, they can be great and well cared for, or dirty and run own.

.

I would change this to say "...Just like SOME OF the big chains, they can be great and well cared for, or dirty and run own..."

I find some big chains to be very reliable and consistently up to my standards. The smaller private motels dramatically increase your chances of the *unknown*.

My solution to avoiding trouble is to ask to see a room- before paying. My parents did this when I was a kid- as they could only afford the cheapest/run down places. Doesn't always work in these days of internet reservations, but I have walked away from a couple of dumps...

[KJ6OCL]

yes, trip adviser or Google ratings are usually pretty good.





Well just like their hard working rich cousin doctor, they are willing to work endless hours for little reward in order to build a better life. And yes, Just like the big chains, they can be great and well cared for, or dirty and run own.

Their culture generally provides close family support to help relatives, and their brethren, just like the Amish, an for that matter people of Hebrew faith seem to have the same sense of community, to better the whole (look at bankers and accountants).

The BEST tell for a chain or a mom and pop is landscaping, fresh flowers and well kept shrubs, means they care and take good care inside and out, weeds, trash an un-kept grounds, means you better sleep in your riding gear.

+1
And, self employment is often easier than fighting prejudice encountered, trying to get ahead in other employment opportunities, IMO.

[amiles]

Has anyone here ever tried to/succeeded in getting a look at their prospective room prior to paying? It seems that it is "not done". I wonder if a bold customer might be able to do this.

Usually, not always, the ambiance of the lobby will give you a pretty good idea of what you will be facing in your room.

[KJ6OCL]

I have on a couple of occasions. One time I did not end up checking in. The other time I ended up staying and was pleased with everything.

[hlothery]

The idea that the mom and pop motels of the old days were all wonderful is a fantasy.

Check with Norman Bates, if you don't believe it.

Seriously, though. I always stay at a few national chains like Holiday Inn Xpress, La Quinta, etc. We even have a La Quinta card which gives us a free night after so many stays. I am rarely disappointed, and get a free breakfast to boot. My brother-in-law, however, only stays at the old style mom and pop places, and he claims also to be rarely disappointed. YMMV.

[glwestcott]

I like to take my trusty credit card and stop at what looks like it might be good when I feel like stopping. Usually works out with a decent room. I do have my trusty iphone as well and so can use a hotel app when I am in a place with several options to see what the relative prices are like at each before I go in. Don't know about others, but I hate planning beyond some general idea of where I might want to be going - subject to change if some road looks appealing of course...

[Jogitu]

I book through Kayak but I use Trip Advisor for reviews. That being said Trip Advisor can turn you on to places not listed on Kayak. It can be hit or miss on reviews as some just don't have enough. Anybody that has a bad experience will tell more people than the happy ones, so keep that in mind. Kayak has reviews as well but not as many nor as in depth. If I am headed for a city and can't get a place where the reviews are good I pick the major chains. I always and mean always check the bed for bed bugs before unpacking. Pull the sheets back and look at e mattress. If they have bed bugs the blood spots will tell the tale.

[PGlaves]

Voni and I usually travel for about 5 months each summer. We ride our motorcycles, usually a bit over 20,000 miles on those trips. We often camp. Sometimes we stay in motels. When we do it is because of circumstance - bad weather, bad weather forecast, crappy camping area, etc. We usually spend most of our time in the U.S. and Canadian west. We always look for a decent "mom and pop" first and then will pick a chain if we need to.

All we usually want is a clean room, clean bathroom, decent towels, and quiet. No high school bands or debate teams running up and down the halls at 2:00 a.m. We don't care about an on-site restaurant, lounge, casino, spa, or bookie. We prefer ground floor rooms with parking by the door.

We judge motels based on their appearance and cleanliness, their friendliness, and the neighborhood in which they are located. We tend to look in small towns and almost never in big cities. If they have bars on the office and a little slide through tray for keys and money we'll ride miles to avoid the area.

We don't care if the owner is Indian, Asian, Redneck, Scandinavian, Polish, Irish, or African provided the place is clean, safe, quiet, and not run down. Paved parking is nice, but not always there is some small towns.

Voni reminded me once: "We're just getting a room for the night - not buying real estate.