fuchchi

i m looking for a good hotel chain. i have heard of comfort inn and bestwestern but i was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions

Judyrem

Hampton Inn. IMO, is the one of the better moderatately priced chains chains with inside hallways and decent continental breakfasts. Comfort Inns are better than Days Inn IMO. Judy

Flyboy

Days Inn is a spotty chain. What you will sometimes see is a Holiday Inn property that is fading becoming a Days Inn for another life or situations like that. Others can be nice, but it's difficult to evaluate. I believe Best Western is more of a marketing consortium than a tightly managed chain with consistent franchise standards. That said, I find BW to be a far more reliable nameplate than Days. Comfort Inn is part of the Choice Hotels group and it maintains a relatively consistent offering in terms of building design, etc. Hampton is a member of the Hilton group; again a very consistent offering, although they are not all the same cookie cutter design.

In choosing a "chain", I would investigate groups that offer a range of properties, a lot of locations, a quality product and a good loyalty program. Examples would include Hampton as a member of the Hilton group because it provides high quality and a full range of options. Likewise, Holiday Inn is part of the InterContinental group that offers a full range, from Holiday Inn Express up to InterContinental, with Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza in the middle to upper middle range. Marriott has a similar range; the Starwood group, etc. But an AmericInn can be the top choice in some locations or even a Super 8.

Think about places you have stayed and why you have liked them. Then investigate to see if they are part of a group that is likely to fit your needs. In my own case, I concentrate mostly on three: Hilton, Intercontintal and Radisson. I can usually find one of those that fits what I need. But I also use independents in some locations where they offer the best value, as well as Best Westerns, Starwood and Marriott.

For sheer number of locations and value, the InterContintal (Holiday Inn) chain is worth a hard look for many travelers.

lindafromNJ

I have recently stayed at Westins. Since Starwood took over they are quite good, with a comfortable bed

gplimpton

If the goal is a "good hotel chain" (according to the original post), I don't think Best Western and Comfort Inn qualify. Each group (Best Western isn't truly a chain since these are individually owned and there's no consistency across the group) has some good hotels and some suspect ones.

Westin (noted above) is in an entirely different price category than BW and DI. There are some outstanding Westins and some old dreary ones. Most are well run.

It's difficulty to provide a good answer without knowing your budget range. If you want a reliably good hotel chain choose Four Seasons. There are no bad ones in the bunch.

If you're looking for lower-mid budget range hotels, Hampton Inns and Fairfield Inns are quite consistent in what they offer and are a good value.
Next step up (budget wise) are Courtyards (Marriott).
Hiltons are a very mixed bag and to be avoided IMO.
Same with Doubletrees. Many are renamed/rebranded hotels which were slipping under prior ownership. A few are good.
One of the best things to check out is hotel age. The budget hotels which are more than 6-7 years old often start to appear worn and aged.

Rachelle

We've stayed at Ramadas in Orlando and Sandusky and were pleased. Not luxurious by any means, but clean room and good rate.

ChristieP

I've had more bad luck with Ramadas and Best Westerns than any others. They are all independently owned, and many are in dire need of a renovation. I'd never stay at a Days Inn.

My favorites: Hampton Inn (as Judy said), and La Quinta.

Chele60

I've had consistently good luck with Choice Hotels in the past. However, I only book with Comfort Inn or Comfort Suites. If I'm just looking for a comfortable, moderately priced, clean place to stay for a few days, it fits the bill.

Also have had good luck with Hampton Inn.

LoisL

I've primarily used Marriott for years, initially because we had excellent service at a couple locations, and then, their point system got us hooked. Their hotels include Fairfield Inn, Courtyard, Marriott, Renaissance, SpringHill Suites, and Residence Inn, and I think I may be omitting one. They offer points for each stay, and let me tell you, they add up. We flew to Hawaii and stayed for a week and a half, and flew first class, all with Marriott points. Our trip to Australia was also with Marriott points, using extra points to upgrade to Business class on our flight.

We do also belong to Wyndham, Hyatt and Holiday Inn's programs. It pays to join any program. Most don't expire. Then, see which works best for your destinations and lifestyle.

bennie

I have never had good luck with a Best Western - but as said before they are individually owned so its hard to paint all of them with the same brush. I also avoid Comfort Inns and Days Inns. I've had much better luck with Hampton Inns and Fairfield Inns when traveling on a budget.

EmilyC

I assume that you are looking for frequent busines trips??

If so, I believe that you can't beat Marriott. I am a very frequent traveller - staying in hotels 1-3 nites per week every week. Although I have stayed in many different chains, I like Marriott because they treat frequent business travellers very nicely - upgrades, gifts, suites, extra points. They also have locations not only in most business areas, but also in vacation spots where I like to book a free week or so. Lastly, they can meet the budget of most of us - with Courtyard and Residence Inns being cheaper and full service for when you need to impress clients.

Cassandra

Have had generally good luck with Marriott and M't Courtyard, Hampton, and am discovering Baymont. ALmost as good is Holiday Inn group, who can be uneven but seem to be working hard to improve and move up the ranks. Generally avoid Comfort and Days Inn.

About Best Western -- they are mainly a reservation consortium--semi-franchise group and don't really impose or adhere to much of anything in the way of system-wide guidelines or standards. On the other hand, I've stayed in some very very good ones, esp. in Europe, and can't remember any severe disappointments.

ARKANSASNURSE

I happen to like Days Inn, out west especially, in the east they are shoddy, but have also stayed in some shoddy BW, HI and CI's. Peachtree is nice. Sheraton's try to be uppity but mis the boat. I hate indoor corridors, like to park at my door. I guess to each his own.

TxTravelPro

The only 2 "chains" that own all their hotels are Omni and LaQuinta... and I think LaQuinta is about to start franchise agreements.
For consistancy, go with Marriott brands. IMO, they have the highest franchise standards and if you are not looking for unique properties that might be just the ticket.

travlnut

marriott is probably the best reasonably priced chain. of course, the best overall chain would be four seasons.