Road Trip - suggestions re hotel bargains
 

We (Mr. & Mrs. M.) are planning a road trip thru 19 mid US states - from our home in Northern California thru Denver, etc. and up to Canada as far as Niagra Falls and back down thru Kentucky, Tennessee, etc., Texas, Arizona .... and home - whew - no definite plans, but have in mind some of the cities and attractions we definitely know we want to see. (N.Falls, Chicago, Graceland, Grand Ol Opery, Memphis, Knoxville, Oaklahoma City,.......!)

We took a road trip to the Florida Keys a few years ago, and at that time we found a great deal with the Choice Hotels - stay 2 nights and get one night free - that promotion is not available any more.

We're looking for a hotel chain or ? that offers some kind of bargain - i.e., gas discount or room deal of some kind. We will take advantage of AAA and/or Senior discounts where offered, but would like to find a specific hotel chain that might have some kind of a special for fall travel. We estimate about a 4-6 week holiday.

So, if any Fodorites know of a U.S. hotel special or any tips - we would welcome your comments - thank you - PortDane

Expedia's running all kinds of last minute hotel deals and I'd sign up for email alerts for certain cities - I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting good deals.

Sheri - thank you - we'll check it out - portdane

Call in at tourist offices, or even gas stations and pick up the books of coupons - you can get some fantastic bargains at good motels using the coupons - far better than the AAA/senior discount. Pick up different books - some have the same motel for different prices.
We used these when we drove rte 66 and again in May when touring AZ/NM.

Starwood Hotels (Sheraton) is having a program like that, but ends Sept. 28.

http://www.starwoodpromos.com/summer...language=en_US

It seems lots of their programs end in September. Keep an eye out for their new promotions:

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...FERS#listOffer

I think Holiday Inn is offering a $50 gas coupon/rebate, but am not sure of the dates. When we traveled cross-country, the Holiday Inn Express chain was our favorite.

Red Roof Inns generally have very nice rooms and they have a loyalty program. Plus, their website will show you hotels along your route when you plug in start/end points. But free night certificates are mailed to you after a few weeks' processing time; they're not in a form that that you can use immediately (like Starwood points, for example). So it may not work for your trip.

The "free gas card" promotions I saw on Expedia and others this summer required prepayment of the room with no cancellations, so that's not flexible at all.

The very best rates can be found using the Interstate coupon books you can pick up at rest areas and restaurants along the way. Just stick to the known chains. A $29.99 un-named coupon hotel .... well, just avoid those. I got to stay in one of those this summer (NOT MY CHOICE!) ugh. It really was smelly and disgusting.

Also try www.roomsaver.com for printable coupons, then compare those to the ones you pick up along the way, I think the booklets may have better offers than online coupons. Another similar site is www.interstatetravelbuddy.com

Have a great trip!

Wow - great tips - thx so much - I was not familiar with the coupon books at gas stations/tourist stops - we'll check it out - also the hotels suggested - thx again - portdane

We have not found a specific chain that offers the best value in such a large part of the country. We usually shop around on the computer and end up at any one of several chains - while one may have the type promotion you mention, it may still not be the best bargain. I have not found the bargains others mention at tourist office and gas stations - tried it a few times and hotel was either really sketchy or I could have found a better or same price thru other means (AAA, website, etc.)

Since you seem to be an expert at road trips, I hope this is not redundant - but things like free breakfast and free parking can go a long way towards offsetting the seemingly higher price of a certain hotel.

Since you mention choice hotels, they are offering, on their website, triple points for stays in the fall - that should come close to the promotion they had (and we have used) before.

Have you considered getting an affinity credit card that earns multiples of points if you use it to charge stays at that chain - Best Western is advertising one with no annual fee.

Have a great trip.

Have you ever looked at the Travelzoo website?

to Gail - thx for your advise - we will check out Best Wstn - also, Princess, we do get Travel Zoo, but I haven't really looked at it re hotel bargains - we got an email from them today - I'll go back and open/read - thx again - portdane

This might not work for you, but the last 2 times I've moved 1/2 way across the country, I booked my hotels thru Priceline on the day of my travel. While we were on the road around noon time, I would call my brother (who is a PL veteran) to let him know whereabouts we were, and he would book a hotel on PL for me at a town/city couple of hours' drive away. Of course, I didn't earn any points for staying at these motels/hotels, but the rates I got were just unbeatable (eg $52 for La Quinta in AL; $58 for Radisson in NC; $63 for Hyatt Regency in NJ; prices included all taxes and fees).

If you have no definite plans in mind then you should not be making reservations. Those are plans. If you have a definite idea of a stopover then by all means call ahead and book your room.. We found that most motels/hotels that give rewards like free gas require the rooms be booked in advance thru a central 800 number.. We just got back from a 9 week jaunt of 9.5K miles thru this wonderful country of ours and stayed at at least 40 different motels. We just stopped when we felt like it. Motels abound through the country side. The only minor problems we encountered were in Vernal UT and Woodward OK, there is an oil boom going and the oil field workers have taken most all the rooms.... Another thing, ask to inspect the room prior to registering. We have found out over the years you cannot tell the quality or cleanliness of the room from the outside, doesn't matter what name the motel/hotel carries. Many non-smoking rooms reeked of smoke and many smelled of pets. A few we walked away from or ask to see a different room..

We have a LaQuinta Quest Rate program membership that greatly reduces rates on available rooms whenever we use it. I don't know if they are still enrolling members, but it is worth looking into.

Check out the Roomsaver booklets, often found at interstate rest areas and visitor centers. Best deals are generally mid-week, but a lot depends on the lodging location--airport locations can get really cheap on the weekends.

They also have a web site--roomsaver.com--and you might check it before you leave. Print some out that look like possibilities. If you use 'em, great. If not, nothing lost.

Three thoughts:

1) Sign up for a hotel rewards program such as Holiday Inn's Priority Club. Most of them offer bonus points for new members, and you can accrue point for free nights as you go. Same goes for a hotel-affiliated credit card, but that depends on how much you want to tinker with your credit :)

2) Buy an Entertainment Book for your hometown (normally I'd say for your destination, but you have so many!!) -- they have hotel discounts that can be used nationwide. I've never used them for hotels, so can't attest to how good the discounts are, but many people swear by 'em. The later in the year you buy, the cheaper the book itself is, but it's almost always under $35.

3) Priceline the day before you arrive, as another poster suggested. This works best in major cities and tourist-friendly sites; not so much in Podunk and East Bumble ;)

In the event that there are no promotions to take advantage of: My DH needed just a place to spend the night on the way home from a trip recently and stopped at a Microtel. Very inexpensive, the room was basic but clean and an OK continental breakfast in the morning. He said the beds were surprisingly comfortable. It was about $30 cheaper than anything else at the particular exit for that night...just a thought. I just checked their website and they have a 'stay 9 nights get the 10th free' promotion. They also have AAA and AARP discounts.