I read on a travel web the Comfort Inn and Motel 6 were both rated high for on the road reasonable and clean lodging. We usually stay at the Comfort, but never have tried Motel 6. Any Opinions???

I have stayed in two...one very good experience...one, not so good, so I would say it is a "hit or miss" situation. The "good" one was quite a bit off the interstate; the "not so good" was almost adjacent to the interstate. Proximity and traffic noise was not the problem...there was just a lot of noise with people coming and going all through the night and early morning at the 2nd one.

We stayed in a Motel 6 (in Connecticut) once. Room was shabby and smelled funny - awful. Wouldn't think of walking on the carpet with bare feet. The bathroom wasn't clean. In the room next to us were EIGHT young folks who arrived with a trunk full of "provisions" (beer, chips, the works) and partied all night with a very loud getto box or something with the TV blaring at the same time. When we called the front desk clerk, he advised there was nothing he could do about it. We were too polite to call the police, but should have. This was the one time I decided to book "economy" so we could stay longer. Never again!

P.S. I wrote to the local manager of that particular establishment, along with the national office. Received no response from either.

In San Antonio, a private non-smoking inn was changed to a Motel 6 & it is very nice. You have to book about 4-6 months in advance because it is clean, neat, centrally located downtown & inexpensive.

In San Antonio, a private non-smoking inn was changed to a Motel 6 & it is very nice. You have to book about 4-6 months in advance because it is clean, neat, centrally located downtown & inexpensive.

I agree with the previous posts - my experience has also been mixed. Unlike Donna, the ones I stayed in were generally quite clean but a few of the locations were very noisy, in part probably due to the building construction (I often stay in hotels close to the highway and noice is not always a problem). The sheets, towels etc. are a bit cheesy relative to slightly mor pricey "budget" chains such as Fairfield Inn. If you're just loking for a place to get some shuteye before hitting the road again they're generally okay but I've had somewhat better experiences with Comfort Inn.

You get what you pay for. Cheap accomodations generally translates into not so desireable surroundings. Motel 6 was supposed to have gone through an upgrade program a couple of years ago. Don't know personally as we stick to the more upscale places.

We generally prefer NOT to stay at the Motel 6- even the ones that have been recently renovated just aren't as nice as something only $10 more per night. My pet peeve is when the sink is in the same room as the shower, and Motel 6 always seems to have this layout. I'd stick to the Comfort Inn!

We've also had excellent luck at Marriott's Fairfield Inns. Excellent rates, meticulous housekeeping, really nice rooms.

I stayed at a Motel 6 several years ago and would NEVER stay at another one. There were cigarette burns on the sheets, holes in the bath towels, and hairs (I won't say from which part of the body) in the bathtub. They may not all be like that, but I'm not taking my chances.

Sorry guys, but for us the motel 6 is the best place to stay. The recently renovated one are as nice as a Best Western for half price. We travel a lot across USA (see our web site : www.pimico.fr/ab ) and we went 10 times in a Motel 6 during the last 5 months. When we don't go to motel 6 because it's full we go to Super 8 Motel.

Like Polly I have stayed at two. One near St. Louis was quite nice. The other was in an Atlanta suburb. The room wasn't very clean and people were coming and going making much noise at all hours.

However, when I got back home, wrote Motel 6, explained my dissatisfaction and received a prompt refund.

gmd

We've stayed in Motel 6 dozens of times but ONLY when on a road trip where we were trying to make major time getting somewhere (not a lesirely vacation). The ones we stayed at were basic places right next to the interstate highways and the thing that draws us often is 1.) they are the cheapest chain for sure 2.) they are all over the place so many exits have them 3) they allow dogs with no extra charge and as we always travel with our 3 dogs that is a plus.

The metion of Super 8 motels as a good alternative causes me to recall a forum thread from last year. The gist of it is this: If you are looking for consistency in a budget motel chain, whereby a fairly strict set of standards is maintained at ALL locations, you must determine whether the chain of interest is comprised of corporate owned locations or if it is a "franchise". The franchise operations, in theory, must adhere to certain standards in order to fly the "flag" of the parent franchising company. In reality, these independently owned operations can vary wildly in quality. Motel 6, Super 8, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Holiday Inn and others are franchises. This accounts for the contradictory experiences we read on this post and others. Specific chains, such as Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn and others are all corporate owned and tend to be virtually identical in qaulity at all locations (within reason). If staying at an independent, try to determine whether a particular location is recently built or recently renovated. This will increase the likelihood that it will meet your expectations.