Based on your experiences, do you agree with this report? Which hotel chains are your favorites?
Drury Inn & Suites is the best hotel chain!
2 Likes
During my working Career, I stayed at a lot of Marriott Hotels and gathered a lot of points. All were good.
With those points we stayed at Marriott Budget Brands… Fairfield and Courtyard also good. We liked the Fairfields best… fewer points and free breakfast!
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I also stayed at a Hyatt. They were offering a special weekend at any Hyatt if you had 6 stays. I asked if I could get credit for 2 stays if I stayed the whole week. NO!!!
So for 3 weeks, it was Monday Night at Hyatt, TW back at Marriott and Thursday at Hyatt. We enjoyed our weekend in San Francisco… then!
Hyatt is similar to Marriott but with fewer hotels… tougher to amass points.
2 Likes
Wyndham… surprised they did that well.
They have a lot of scuzzy brands that were not that good in their prime. Days Inn was never great. LaQuinta started out good but went downhill fast. IMHO, Wyndham should start a new company and move their best or worst hotels to it.
I used to love LaQuinta when they were independent. I stay in one in Pinellas Park, FL when I visit my cousin in early March. The franchise owner managed it before and now. I asked him how Wyndham was doing. He told me he was not happy with them at all.
My go to is Best Western.
It has been a while, but I do not ever recall staying at a BW that had Interior corridors.
BTW, I use to prefer parking right outside my room.
But see the security and value of Interior Corridors even if check in/out requires more effort.
Actually, the BW’s I have stayed in all have interior halls. I’m often on my motorcycle (Harley) and I always request a room I can look out to my bike. BW’s usually have a breakfast, some better than others. The one I stay in in North Myrtle Beach is my favorite, right on the ocean, great breakfast and one block from a classic Irish Pub with Guinness and Shepards Pie!
We like/enjoy Hilton, Marriott, IHG & offshoots of those big brand Hotels. Wyndham Time Shares are nice & in great locations but definitely need to improve their hotel lines. Low budget hotels are exactly what you get for low budget prices but with all due respect not everyone can afford higher priced stays but at least some lower budget priced hotels are decent & clean. Thanks Clark for that review!
I agree. However, Drury’s are available only in limited areas.
Yes. Worse than a hostel or luxury
Hello,
Yes, your hotel rating seems right although there can be exceptions (better or worse) in any chain. BTW, I am a member of many hotel chain’s points program.
I particularly want to comment on how to get the best price. I have found I always get the best price by going directly to the chains website or by calling the motel/hotel directly.
Here is how I do it.
First, I go to Trivago.
I can quickly find hotels in the area I am going to along with pricing from several third party sites.
Google Maps is also pretty good for searching hotels and pricing.
Then I go to the chain’s website to compare. Usually, it’s the same as or less than the third party prices.
If the third party site is cheaper, I call the motel directly. They almost always will match or beat the third party price and I still get my chain’s points. In the rare times they don’t, I have tried the third party booking. They can add “no-service” fees, taxes, etc that put the price right back up to the chain’s price!
I also get a 10% senior discount. Just about every hotel offers several discount types, military, AARP, AAA, etc.
I have tried the “blind booking” from third party sites and every time the price has not been lower than I would get with my 10% senior discount. Also, with “blind booking” I have run into fee add-ons, no cancellations, no refunds, etc.
While you may occasionally find a better deal with third party bookings, overall I feel my process is less hassle and I get the best deal.
Thanks for all your insight. I have been subscribed to your e-mails for years. And, I listen to your radio show whenever I get to areas that have it (often Quincy, IL). Sadly, no one carries your show in my area (St Louis)
Johnny G.
A lot of hotels are franchises, and I’ve found that there can be a huge difference between two hotels in the same chain (and at the same level), depending on the owner of a specific location.