Hotel chain reviews: Comfort Inn hotels
While the Comfort Inn hotel chain is not in the class of five start luxury hotels, the price and the overall value make up for the lack of sheer luxury. Owned by Choice Hotels International, the same corporation that owns “Clarion”, “Quality” and “Econo Lodge”, the Comfort Inn chain is one that can be both respected and counted on to provide a certain level of service for a price that generally ranges from $100 to $150.
Being a business traveler, I have had occasion to stay in many hotels, some good and some that I wouldn’t take money to stay in again, but I can say with all honesty that the Comfort Inn chain is one that can be counted on to provide hospitality, comfort, upgraded decor and stylings. I stayed at a Comfort Inn located in Florida most recently, and this hotel was not only centrally located, but the staff was friendly and accommodating and the rooms were delightfully appointed and very clean. I enjoyed the wireless Internet access and the fact that there was a decent sized meeting room so that my group did not have to leave the hotel to conduct business.
My wife and I have stayed in Comfort Inns across California, most recently in San Francisco, and while they are not the most “upscale” of accommodations, there has never been a time when we felt unsafe, uncared for, or as though we were staying in a “dirty room”, rather we have always felt comfortable. In San Francisco, the staff was most accommodating, providing my wife with a map to a location in Marin County, some 1 1/2 hours away so that she could meet a friend to go horseback riding. They also recommended several really great restaurants and pubs in the area that we greatly enjoyed.
Overall, this chain is one that I would certainly recommend to anyone, business travelers or vacationers alike. You might not find yourself in the lap of luxury, but you will certainly enjoy your stay.
Hotel chain reviews: Comfort Inn hotels – Part 1
Comfort Inns are what I consider “middle of the road” hotels. They are not extremely luxurious, but they are also not extremely expensive. I have had occasion to stay in several Comfort Inns over the years and have found them to be both affordable and comfortable.
Recently, my husband and I visited a Comfort Inn in San Francisco, California. We arrived a little late in the day, and we found that our reservation had been slightly messed up (they had us booked for two double beds instead of one Queen). The young man behind the desk was quick to remedy the situation despite the fact that the hotel was nearly booked. I was very impressed with his professionalism and his desire to make us comfortable.
Concerning the properties, they are generally very well cared for, updated frequently and maintained with the utmost attention to detail. Guest rooms are usually complimented with nice linens, bedding and entertainment systems (televisions, cable with pay-per-view, and often gaming systems for the kids). I have not stayed in a Comfort Inn that has not had a nice pool and spa that have been well kept and clean.
When it comes to affordability, this hotel chain is one of the best for what you receive. Typically, Comfort Inns range in price from as low as $95 to upwards of $180, depending upon the location and the time of year, but they provide services that are very well matched to these prices.
The next time that I take a vacation and plan to stay in a hotel where I can enjoy comfort, cleanliness and a wonderfully helpful staff, I will most definitely consider a Comfort Inn!
Hotel chain reviews: Marriott hotels
My husband is a frequent business traveler, and I on occasion (as often as I can!) tag along for a nice, relaxing vacation paid for on his company’s dime, so I have had occasion to stay at many different hotels. I’ve stayed in Marriott owned hotels from Maryland to Florida and all the way back to California, and I have to admit that they are one of my favorite hotel chains.
First, Marriott hotels have a very good “rewards system” which gives the traveler ranking that allows for upgrades, discounts stays, etc. This program has served my husband and I well, as we recently visited a Marriott hotel on Marco Island, Florida and received a beautiful ocean view room because of this system when we had originally booked a more basic “garden view” room. I, of course, was delighted with this upgrade, and this wasn’t simply something that happened once, it happens quite often.
In addition, Marriott hotels are in general very well maintained and luxurious. While they are not considered the “highest scale” hotel chain, they have all of the amenities that make for a wonderful stay for both business and vacation travelers alike. Typically, Marriott hotels have very nice pools, which are spacious, well maintained and landscaped. Most Marriott hotels also have very nice athletic facilities, which provide guests with state of the art machines, dressing rooms, etc.
As far as guest rooms are concerned, Marriott hotels generally have very nice bedding and linens. Personally, I love a hotel that has plush towels and comfortable pillows and blankets. I have never been disappointed when it comes to what is available at the Marriott hotels. In addition, the rooms are generally spacious and the amenities, including desks, couches, tables, etc., are typically modern and consistently upgraded.
The staff at most Marriott hotels are a cut above the rest. On our recent trip to Florida, I had occasion to interact with both the concierge and the bellmen several times and found them to be most helpful. This is something that I have noticed in all the Marriott’s that I have stayed in.
Overall, this hotel chain is of the highest quality for what it is, a business class, luxury hotel. I definitely plan to stay in Marriott hotels for years to come!
Hotel chain reviews: Best Western hotels
The world’s largest hotel chain was begun in 1946 by hotelier M.K. Guertin, and named for it’s California origins. The Best Western Hotels now boast over 4200 separate properties around the world, with 2000 of them here in the United States.
They continue to offer the same comfortable and safe environment that you would expect from a Best Western, but because of their independent nature, each property takes on the look and feel of their surroundings. Many of the California properties have a spanish mission feel about them while properties in New York have more of a sophisticated nature.
If you happen to be in Vienna, Austria the Best Western was once named the Hotel Tigra. It has been noted to have Mozart as it’s guest in the summer of 1773.
Best Western operates as a non-profit membership association, in which each franchisee acts and votes as a member of the association.
To find out more about Best Western Hotels visit their home page at www.bestwestern.com
Hotel chain reviews: Red Roof Inn hotels
If you have been driving day and night, you have stopped for coffee to try to prop your eyelids open, you’re driving with the windows down and the radio on to help keep you awake, yet none of that effort keeps you from weaving on the highway, it might be time and chance to spend the balance of the night at The Red Roof Inn.
As you check in you will realize the starkness of the place. it is bereft of imagination. Actually, The Red Roof Inn might even be a good case study for the definition of un-imagination. It is a few dollars cheaper than the Holiday Inn, so if you’re going to spend the time with your eyes closed, you may want to save the money for an Egg McMuffen in the late morning when you wake up. Hurry out of the Red Roof Inn though, because it isn’t a resort, it isn’t a place you want to be with your eyes open. It is for hard core sleeping only.
My stay actually did amaze me. It was as we were coming into Phoenix a few years ago, we just wern’t able to get all the way to Tucson in one shot, so we broke up the drive by pulling into the Red Roof Inn.
A few years back I remember I m making plans to stay in Irvine California for some business reason, and a friend I was staying with was going to make a reservation at the Red Roof Inn because it was convenient. I told him to wait until I had checked hotwire.com. When I did, I couldn’t believe it, I was able to get a four star room at the Crown Plaza for LESS than the going rate at the Red Roof Inn! It pays to shop around! We stayed in this lavish room, it was almost a dream, what a stark contrast to staying at the Red Roof Inn! Walking into the marble pillared foyer of the Crown Plaza for less than the Red Roof Inn almost made me feel like I was breaking some law…I felt like such a bandit. But they called me by my last name, and thanked me very much! Wow! I love sitting in lavish hotel foyers like the Crown Plaza. Sitting around at the Red Roof Inn gives a person the feeling of a loser. ‘Where did I go wrong?’ you will ask yourself as you hang your head in dejection. Life is too short to spend it at places like the Red Roof Inn.
Ok, now for a little rant. Now I am sure that there are stark, unimaginative below minus star hotels in Europe. But I have traveled extensively in Europe, yet never once have I had to stay in a bland, unimaginative place like the Red Roof Inn. Over there, every place has some unique character. The Red Roof Inn had the character of a Post Office.
But if you’re driving through the USA, and you fail to plan, it is possible that to save that extra ten dollars from some other miserable place like the Budget 8 may be worth it. Especially if you’re only there to do some hard core sleeping. In that case, keep your eyes closed, hurry up and get to sleep. It could be murder on your self esteem.
Hotel chain reviews: Holiday Inn hotels – Part 2
Taking A New Look At Holiday Inn Hotels
It seems somewhere along the way Holiday Inn became associated with cheap and therefore low quality hotel. This is not the case today! Although their prices are still reasonable, I have found the Holiday Inns and Holiday Inn Express hotels to be just the ticket. You’ll find that you, too want to give them a second try if you haven’t in a while. I have stayed at several in New York State, Oregon and California in recent months and really enjoyed the clean and comfortable rooms. On all of these occasions I was also able to enjoy a much better than average complimentary breakfast.
I find that I can trust the Holiday Inn name over competitors at equal or sometimes greater star ratings. If you are price shopping, you will most likely find that the Holiday Inn is a mid-range hotel and for my money so worth a few extra dollars over the lower priced competitors. It’s always nice to stay in total luxury, but we can’t always afford to do it. The Holiday Inn will make you feel like you are still having a good stay away from home without haunting your credit card bill for months on end! It also pays to check out their room photos and details with the on-line search engines for travel such as Orbitz and
Expedia – but that is another article!
Hotel chain reviews: Motel 6 hotels
Motel 6 is the classic, no frills motel chain that was founded in 1962 in Santa Barbara, California. The first Motel 6 in Santa Barbara charged just $6.00 a night with the philosophy of “Clean, comfortable rooms at the lowest price of any national chain.”
Now part of the Accor brand, Motel 6 continues to grow and currently has more than 840 locations with over 87,000 rooms in the United States and Canada. Motel 6 is now the largest owned and operated hotel chain in North America. The good news is they are everywhere. And while the days of $6/night are long gone, they still are the lowest national chain rooms you’ll normally find one in town.
What you get is minimalistic, cookie-cutter facilities that are dependable for their inexpensive prices and over all value. Every room has a bed that is moderately comfortable and complimented with basic furnishings, livable but nothing to make you want to stay away from home for. Normally there is a small TV bolted to the wall, a basic motel-style bath and that is your room. The Bellagio this is not, and you’ll never want to stay for days or weeks on end here. No restaurants will be on property, though some budget eateries are almost always close by.
This minimalistic approach is embraced by the chain and their humorous spokesperson Tom Bodett. He is known in commercials to list the things he doesn’t need at a hotel stay, such as sewing kits, bathrobes and chocolates on your pillow. A typical Bodett commercial says something like, “But, I’m happy to report you still get nothing you don’t need at Motel 6, and, therefore, you don’t have to pay for it. I don’t need valet parking. If I can drive the old crate 300 miles to the hotel all by myself, I can certainly handle the last nine feet to the parking space.”
There is nothing like pride at being cheap.
One issue stems form the fact that Motel 6 employees are some of the lowest paid workers in the hotel industry. Most places are excellent but customer service and reliability can be a hazard at some locations. Still, for someone on a budget. and wanting a clean place they can depend on, the local Motel 6 normally fills the meager bill of the cost conscious traveler.
