Are now planning to drive from Washington DC to San Franciso. Are there any National Motel/hotel chains reasonably priced that we could use. Did similar trip around Australia using the 'Flag Hotels/Motels' and found these good value, easily accessible and clean! Thanks.

In the USA, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) and Super 8 (www.super8.com) are both reputable chains that offer clean rooms at reasonable prices.

Days Inn is another reasonable hotel chain, as is the Fairfield Inn division of the Marriott hotel family.

Beware that Days Inns and Motel 6's and such can vary tremendously in quality and standards. Fairfields and Courtyards are generally quite similar and of very predictable quality, but can be a few dollars more.

In California, another chain is the
Vagabond Inns. All have a swimming pool, in room coffee maker; free popcorn maker in lobby, continental breakfast of orange juice, sweet roll, coffee, free USA Today newspaper. They have a website with a printable $5 off coupon which you can use for each night (need a copy for each) and often SPECIAL Internet rates. One queen size bed is standard; lots of non-smoking rooms available. You must make your reservation on the Internet to get those prices.
http://www.vagabondinns.com

Have stayed in Days Inns all across U.S. They do vary a lot!!!! One at airport in St. Louis( Near a Shoney Resturant) was a dump. Newer one at airport was great.I have found the ones in South and Midwest are O.K. but not remarkable.The ones in the West are new buildings and usually first rate with lots of extras--coffee, laundry room often a pool.
Motel 6 are also "O.K." but very spartan and are the beds hard!!!Super 8 are better in comparison. Red Roof Inns are very good
A word to the wise=== Be Sure you save receipts from all motels and check your credit card bills when they come in. I have found several overcharges from Days Inn over last 2 years and took 2-3 months to get it fixed.
Hope you have a great trip

I've always found the Fairfield Inns (by Marriott) to be the nicest and most consistent of the lower priced chain motels, at least on the East coast. Also worth looking into are such places as the Extended Stay facilities. Suite hotels such as Homewood Suites, Embassy Suites, Residence Inn etc. usually have decent week-end rates -- it can be nice occasionally to have a little more room. If you're planning to visit a city and want to stay in the city (rather than in the suburbs), plan those visits for the week-ends when the rates will generally be lower. Also, for some chains it is less expensive if you reserve in advance.

Red Roof Inn is another possibility.

I like the Comfort Inns, and especially the Hampton Inns. You pay a little more than for the others, but they're much nicer, I think, for the money, and located in nicer areas than some of the other budget hotels sometime. I won't stay in a Days Inn anymore because the quality varies so much, you never know what you'll find!

We have also found that some of the motel chains vary in quality from place to place. I believe that these are individually owned or franchised and quality varies with the owner. Holiday Inns, Days Inn, Super 8, Best Western and others probably fall into this category. My experience with Fairfield by Marriott has been excellent. These are operated by Marriott with the same consistency nationwide. The Courtyard by Marriott is also a budget hotel but slightly more upscale than Fairfield. You might want to get AAA books that gives some detail on motels in the areas you will be staying in.

I haven't seen real consistency in any hotel chain. I've had great luck with Fairfield Inns until I stayed at the one near Detroit Metropolitan airport. Oh, my! Not a nice experience! AAA rated this property 3 diamonds, which I find really hard to believe.

Days Inns have their own internal rating system of 1 to 5 "sunbursts", with the consistently best inns rating 5 sunbursts. I'd think that this is an incentive for individual owners to put some effort into their properties.

If I had to choose one chain, it would be Microtel Inn and Suites. All rooms are are interior-corridor with electronic locks, space-efficient and comfortable. Most have continental breakfasts in the lobby each morning and one or two "extras" depending on the property (such as newspaper, p.m. reception, etc.). All have on-site selfserve laundry facilities. Most comfortable beds I've ever slept on. Consistently clean and well-located near Interstate highways and/or airports. Fairfields (Marriott) are also excellent, sometimes with pools, and generally cost a little more than Microtels. Super 8s are fairly consistent too, although a tad downscale from Microtels and Fairfields.

Have a look: www.microtelinn.com.

I second the motion for Microtel. They're very reasonable and very consistent in quality. If you're traveling with more than two people be aware that most or all of the rooms have only one bed. As for chains I've learned to avoid Days Inn, Super 8, Econo Lodge, Motel 6, Comfort Inn and many others because of inconsistent quality. The previous postmentioning a problem with a specific Fairfield Inn is defineitely the exception to the rule. Chains that are usually consistent and are nationwide include Hampton Inn, Fairfield, Microtel and Extended Stay America. I've stayed in all of them in multiple locations and had good experiences. Marriot Courtyards are defintiely nicer but will typically run $20-40 additional per night.

for tony