These Are The Cheapest Hotels The Girls Let Us Stay In

"McMike" (mcmike) 08/20/2015 at 11:53 • Filed to: McSturgis, tutu153, twowheelsbad, hotels, road trip

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We stayed at some quality hotels during our trip. Here they are, rated for your lunchtime enjoyment.

When I say “some” I mean “one.” We stayed at one nice hotel. The rest of them were less than $100, and consisted of tacky, worn out, roadside accommodations that we described as most of the time as, “You know, I was expecting worse.” While many have not seen a remodel since, well.. never... most were clean enough, and didn’t gross out Mrs McMike, who usually stays in four star hotels when she travels for work. These prices are for a room with two queens, three towels, and all four of us stayed in it.

As some of you know, I rode my motorcycle from !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! during the first two weeks in August. It’s only now that I’m putting all the photos together, and trying to come up with some interesting parts of the trip to share. I wrote nothing down, and only have time-stamped images and a future credit card bill to freak out about sort it out.

Some of these cities were daily targets on our route, and some fell into the “ as far as we felt like riding today” category. Once we figured out how far we were going, the girls pulled out their smartphones on the back of the bikes and started looking for Hotels. Once we found one, Mrs McMike would text her mother with the details (as she did with most of our progress) Shortly after these hotel updates, her mother would usually text back reviews, rankings, and places near by. It was hilarious, as if we had a custom TripAdvisor SMS feed. We would get off the bikes, check into the hotel, and ask “What does your mom think?”

I believe the the lowest ranking we had was 21 out of the 23 possible hotels in Davenport, IA.

We made sure we pulled the wives aside a few times during the trip and told them how proud we were for staying in some of these places that had bedspreads older than them.

So in chronological order, here are (on a scale of 1-5 white sunglasses) the hotels of our trip.

!!! UNKNOWN HEADER TYPE (MULTI-LINE BREAK?) !!!

Price: Between $75-100
Condition: 5/10
Cleanliness: 8/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot quality: 8/10
Additional comments: Mexican restaurant within a few miles, bar across the street, Wifi unsecured. We stopped in this city for a bike repair. View was the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! CRT TV

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Price: Between $75-100
Condition: 2/10
Cleanliness: 4/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 8/10
Additional comments: Had a pool, was a gross, outdated confence destination. They had simple menu and a bar inside. 30 years of dust in the bathroom fan, mold behind peeling bathroom wallpaper. Wifi unsecured. Parking lot view. CRT TV

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Price: Between $75-100
Condition: 5/10
Cleanliness: 7/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 9/10
Additional comments: Right next door to some cheesy stripmall casino that had $10 buckets of beer. Also had a Denny’s type breakfast place near by in case you work up an appitite after a long night at cheesy stripmall casinos. WiFi password of unknown age. Was not complex. Parking lot view. Can’t remember the TV.

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Price: Close to $300/night
Condition: 6/10
Cleanliness: 8/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 9/10
Additional comments: Indoor pool & hot tub. Place was full, the contenential breakfast was probably the best the most compete one we had seen so far. Wifi password changed while we were there, but it wasn’t complex. They let us park motorcycles under the overhang when it rained. Each floor had a laundry machines (which we needed) It was attached to some pizza buffet place, and had a liquor store next door, as well as a few bars to walk to. There was a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to get around the area, which was helpful. We were here for three nights. Lumber yard view. Flat screen TV

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Price: Should have been less than $75
Condition: 2/10
Cleanliness: 4/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 9/10
Additional comments: Gross. No pool. This was a time capsule from 1985, maybe earlier. I have no doubts that everything in this Motel is just as it was when it was opened. I had flashbacks of the cheap hotels Dad used to make us stay in when I was a kid in the 80s. I think my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and I were the only one that showered there. There were places to eat and drink within walking distance. Sidewalk first floor view. CRT TV

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Price: I think it was $80
Condition: 6/10
Cleanliness: 8/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 4/10
Additional comments: Breakfast was weak, hotel was really understaffed, and they had a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for guests posted in each room. Indoor pool. Nice place, I suppose. There was a Mexican restaurant around the corner for all of our evening consumption needs. Unsecured WiFi. Tractor view. CRT TV

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Price: $250 or so.
Condition: 10/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Continental breakfast: Nope
Streetview screenshot: 9/10
Additional comments: Nicest place we stayed. I’m sure they had a pool somewhere.We called in a favor from a friend that works at Marriott so we could stay downtown near Broadway. It was close, and it had !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and everything. 20th floor Nashville view. Flatscreen TV

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Price: Between $75/80
Condition: 6/10
Cleanliness: 7 /10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 0/10 - can’t even see it up there.
Additional comments: Tucked up on a obscure little hill in a obscure little town of NC lived this hotel. It wasn’t bad. No pool. It was right were we needed one to be, and it was the right price. there was nothing near by. Parking lot view of the closed restaurant that used to be there. Flatscreen TV.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

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Price: Couldn’t have been no more than $80
Condition: 4/10
Cleanliness: 6/10
Continental breakfast: Yes
Streetview screenshot: 9/10
Additional comments: Close to downtown, comfortable enough. Pool. View of the roof of some building. CTR TV.

So Oppo, where do you stay when you just need somewhere to sleep for the night on a road trip? Is it better or worse than what you have seen here?

How fancy of a traveler are you?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:10

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Hey you were in my area and no Oppo meetup, I haz a sad

ttyymmnn > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:16

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I have been a member of Choice Hotels rewards program for a few years now. I have found that most of their hotels have a basic level of quality that I can be happy with, though I try not to stay at Rodeway or EconoLodge. Most rooms as we drive across the country are $70-120/night, based on location, etc. Mostly we stay at Comfort Inn or Comfort Suites.

The cheapest hotel I’ve ever stayed in was the Dollar Inn in Somerst, PA. The rooms are going for $42/night now, but I think it was $35 when I stayed there last year. It’s an older place, but it’s basically clean (the chairs are pretty funky), pretty quiet (because it’s mostly empty), and it’s got great wifi. There was a family living in the end unit, and I was serenaded by the daughter’s saxophone practicing in the parking lot in the evening, and awoken at 7:00 the school bus. But for the money, it was totally serviceable.

nermal > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:18

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I stay at the Hampton Inn in Inwood WV every time I go to Summit Point.

It’s $100 after taxes as long as you click thru from the track’s lodging page. Right off the highway and less than 20 minutes to the track, can’t beat it. Plus there’s a Sheetz right down the road.

McMike > ttyymmnn 08/20/2015 at 12:18

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$35 and a free concert! Best hotel ever.

ttyymmnn > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:22

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My brother actually found it, and we roomed together when we went to PA for our uncle’s funeral. It was okay for a couple of guys, and for that family at the end of the row, but I don’t think I’d book the place for my family.

McMike > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:23

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Nicer view.

McMike > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:25

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Had a hard time finding the lobby at this one.

McMike > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:28

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Ooops, they were $12 buckets, my bad.

McMike > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:29

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Fan and mildew content I did not share with the girls until after we left.

McMike > ttyymmnn 08/20/2015 at 12:32

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I often wonder, “how low could I go?” on a guys trip. What could you tolorate?

How many beers would it take me to sleep here?

XJDano > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:37

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I'm down the hwy from Troy, MO. Did you go up U.S.-61 ?

McMike > XJDano 08/20/2015 at 12:49

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Yes, from New London to Troy.

JustAnotherG6 > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:50

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The Drugimport (Davenport) hotel is no surprise there. That whole area is fairly sketchy as far as I’m concerned. I’m sorry you had to stop in North Platte, that shit hole is one step below the asshole of the country (also known as Council Bluffs, IA).

McMike > JustAnotherG6 08/20/2015 at 12:54

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LOL, my father-in-law lives in Counciltucky.

450X_FTW > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:56

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How about creepiest motel? I passed this place last week out in the Nevada desert, and yes it’s next to a cemetery

https://roadtrippers.com/stories/americ…

XJDano > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:56

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That's not that far, did you take mostly back roads? Do you have a google maps route?

JustAnotherG6 > McMike 08/20/2015 at 12:58

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So you know that I speak the TRUTH.

Ah Counciltucky, where the DMV requires your car has a minimum of 3 colors before you can register it.

BigBlock440 > McMike 08/20/2015 at 13:03

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On my way home from my honeymoon last year, it was getting to be 5 or 6 PM driving through Georgia or South Carolina, been on the road 8-10 hours at that point and the wife wanted to stop. We passed a bunch of hotels that advertised under $30 per night, but how bad do they have to be to be that cheap? I was tempted, but I ended up continuing on home, getting there at 11 AM.

McMike > JustAnotherG6 08/20/2015 at 13:09

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So you know that I speak the TRUTH.

I have yet to see any of this for myself. We usually stay in Omaha with her mom’s side of the family, and go over and stay one night with him.

I have witnessed CB distain, though.

I can’t blame them, though. Omaha needs someone to pick on, right?

McMike > XJDano 08/20/2015 at 13:11

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We tried to stick as close to Google’s “avoid highways” suggestions as possible. We only used the Interstate for about 30% of our trip.

Sometimes, you just need to make time, and the non-interstate route is like, three hours longer.

JustAnotherG6 > McMike 08/20/2015 at 13:17

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Just take Broadway from Omaha into the heart of it all. Passing by the Laundromats and Adult Bookstore mere blocks away from the High School should be enough to win the title. The overall sense of blight throughout the area just puts the finishing nails in the coffin.

And your right, the fat kid (Omaha) usually finds someone to lash out on.

XJDano > McMike 08/20/2015 at 13:28

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That makes sense.

Do you have a radio for the long rides?

Mine came with an aftermarket system which doesn’t work, and I’m thinking of installing a marine receiver in case rain. I wouldn’t mind jamming out after a few hours, but I wouldn’t just putting around town.

Opinions?

Round headlight enthusiast > McMike 08/20/2015 at 13:37

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I once stayed in a weird Indie motel in Huron, Ohio, after visiting Cedar Point. It was the stangest place I’d ever stayed at, because the decor hadn’t been updated since the late 70’s, but everything was kept in immaculae shape. Cleaner than most chains, yet hopelessly dated. No Wifi, CRT TV, etc..

Felt like staying at your grandmother’s house. Which was quite nice in a sense.

McMike > JustAnotherG6 08/20/2015 at 13:42

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He lives on Lake Manawa, so it’s probably a different demographic than one might usually find.

We usually just go over the bridge, stay on the highway, over to his place. (looks at map) I guess I’ve never really seen Council Bluffs.

Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection > McMike 08/20/2015 at 13:45

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True Story:

There used to be a bar on main street in Bryson City - right next to a rafting company and some touristy place. My friends were in a band that played that bar twice. We brought a whole contingent of white trash from Mooresville and Statesville, NC both times.

Both times we were asked to leave the town and never come back by police.

McMike > Round headlight enthusiast 08/20/2015 at 13:49

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LOL, like Grandma’s

My buddy is a general contractor, and he was dating the fixtures and commenting on how out of code everything was now.

He came out from one bathroom once and said, “You have GOT to see the heat lamp on that ceiling!”

JustAnotherG6 > McMike 08/20/2015 at 13:55

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Consider yourself lucky. However, if you are looking for cheap records (vinyl) Kanesville Records in down town CB is the place to go. Absolute tenement of a building. Looks like it is weeks away from falling in on itself and the heaps of everything everywhere inside does nothing to change your mind. They have some spectacular records there (as well as cassettes and comic books and good only knows what else) for dirt cheap. Last time I was there they wound up letting us take a copy of “The Wall” for nothing. We usually sped $20 - $30 there and walk away with 10-15 records.

McMike > XJDano 08/20/2015 at 14:02

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I usually have headphones in that are connected to my phone so I can listen to the navigation. I have music on my phone, but I don’t listen to music unless I’m by myself.

While it’s impossible to have a full conversation at speed, I still like to be able to be able to speak to and listen to Mrs McMike if needed.

I also don’t want to install anything on the bike. There’s very little a phone can’t do these days. Navigation, MP3, stream music. Hell, you can also take selfies with it on the road.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > McMike 08/20/2015 at 14:29

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I stayed one night in a Motel 6 in Salt Lake City for around $30. Around 10:00 or so I already had the lights off and there was a knock on the door. I didn’t know anyone in town and had a cell phone so anyone who needed to get in touch with me could have called directly. Plus I hadn’t bothered to call anyone to let them know where I was staying. I snuck over to the door and looked out the peephole. There was a guy about 6’2”, 250ish pounds who looked pretty rough just standing there looking around waiting for me to answer. For what felt like an hour I stood there peering out the peephole and holding my breath so he wouldn’t hear me. After an uncomfortable amount of time (like 5-10 minutes) he finally decided no one was in the room and left. I stood there for quite a bit longer before sneaking back to the bed where I laid awake for most of the night before leaving ASAP in the morning.

Since then I’ve made a point to stay in hotels that have the room doors open to an interior hallway.

You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much > 450X_FTW 08/20/2015 at 14:39

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Holy crap, that is clearly the hotel that they used as the basis for a multiplayer map in COD: AW. Check out the GIS results for COD:AW sideshow . It was weird clicking on that link because as soon as I saw the pictures it was a total deja vu moment just from seeing it in game.

Turns out they officially claim that the Clown Motel is the inspiration.

JEM > McMike 08/20/2015 at 14:58

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Can’t remember if it was Memphis or Nashville, but in one of those places I decided to stay in a $30 a night place when there were a number of $40 a night places available.

Never. Again.

I slept in my sleeping bag on top of the bed and was still sketched out.

I will say that the best thing to do on road trips is to stop at the information plazas right over the state line and grab one of those booklets with the coupons for cheap hotels. Sure you can google stuff on a smart phone but sometime its just a lot easier to have a few options printed in front of you.