Home base hotel!!
 

I'm helping a friend and his family plan a vacation to Orlando over Thanksgiving. They'll go to Universal Studios, then use Orlando as a base for day trips. Which hotel(s) would be affordable enough to leave empty for a night or 2 if necessary? Trips to each coast, etc. on their itinerary thus far. Thanks in advance for your help!!

Why would they want to leave a hotel empty? Why not just check out?

Orlando will be crowded and expensive over Thanksgiving. The best areas will be less crowded and less expensive.

Unless they are getting a weekly rental house or condo, there is no good reason to have a home base.

To answer your question, I'd check into hotels in the Choice group (Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, etc) if you are looking for a basic, clean, inexpensive hotel. Lots to choose from in the Orlando area and rates are usually better than other chains.

They may want to look into renting. Take a look at VRBO.com.

I use the home base hotel concept a lot on vacation. I'm usually staying free on points, but it's great unpacking just once and taking a backpack with toothbrush and change of clothes on daytrips in the car to give us the flexibility to stay overnight if we decide to.

Another reason for leaving a hotel room empty is if you're using points. Depending on the chain, it can be cheaper, point wise, to reserve an entire week, rather than two groups of two or three nights. There may also be minimum stay requirements during the holiday season.

There are a group of hotels in Orlando area run by a company "Rosen Hotels" and one of them, a Quality Inn, has an electronic sign behind it, visible from I-4. They lower the price at his 4 (?) chain hotels whatever it takes to fill them up. The one I stayed at was (I think) at 9000 I-Drive. I think Rosens hotels are mostly Choice Hotels, then a few nicer, private-name hotels. They often drop the rate to as low as $30. However, that's walk-in only. But if you walk-in to one of them that's filled enough to not be dropping the price, they'll refer you to those that are still doing the lowest rate.

Disclaimer: I now moonlight at a Choice Hotel, but in NY

This fall, Choice Hotels will be once again resuming their "Stay two nights, get one free" promotion. HOWEVER a stay will be defined NOT as each night, but one check in-check out, so leaving an empty room, or even a two night stay earns nothing, and some promotional rates do not earn credits in their "Guest Privileges" program (you have to sign up). You earn the credits to be redeemed (weeks) later, so you cannot plan on staying Mon, Tue, then a free Wed night. It's not a bad deal, but there's no free lunch anywhere.

I understand the desire not to have to pack/unpack frequently. However, if you are going to be at Universal over Thanksgiving, I strongly urge staying one night in a Universal hotel. That will give you front of the line passes for the day you check in and the day you check out. The park will be crowded, so being able to hop to the front will make the stay much, much more enjoyable.
If this doesn't work for your friends and people in the party really want to ride rollercoasters or other "big" rides but don't want to wait, be aware that you can go into a singles line and move more quickly through the line. You will not be able to sit with other members of your party. But given the fact that your face will be plastered against the back of the seat and all you can say is "EEEEHIIIAAA", this may not be a bad thing!

The "singles" line that Keysmom refers to is the best way to go. We used these lines at Universal and often walked WAY ahead of those in the Preferred ticketing lines (ones who either stay at the U. hotels or pay for the pass to move ahead). Those singles lines are the best.