My (anecdotal) data is a decade out of date, but when I worked as a construction inspector, I would often get sent out of town on a 1 day job that turned into a 2 week stay, where I’d have to find a motel, and buy some clean clothes, since I hadn’t even packed lunch. Motel 6 was always decent. Someone else in this thread mentioned Red Roof, and they were always decent, too.
You could wind up at a Holiday Inn that was hosting the “Drug Dealers’ and Hookers’ Convention”, and pay 3 times the price for your unpleasant 6 hour (including sleep and shower) stay, but that was rare. Only once, in fact. The bad ones were usually the “Mom and Pop” ones, not affiliated with a chain. The bad sign was the (grossly overheated) waterbeds, and the mirrors on the ceiling. You’ll only stay at those for 1 or 2 nights. You won’t stay a 3rd. You will be looking for somewhere else, the next morning, as you are trying to find the jobsite. If you didn’t find one, you will be looking on your way back, as you are also looking for somewhere to buy dinner. And a new, clean, shirt and pair of pants. And a better Motel… or anything remotely resembling one.
What I find amazing is the total randomness of it all.
Take your basic highway interchange with three budget hotels. One gets the hookers and drug dealers, one gets the truckers and professional travelers, and the third gets vacationers looking for a cheap night on the road. Then go to the next exit. Same three brands, but their clientele is totally switched.
I think the hotels should do a better job of branding. “Want to have a drunken hookup? We’re cheap and discreet!”
Definitely Super 8. Most of them have rooms that are on par with mid-range or higher hotels and almost always have breakfast included. They are nearly everywhere too. I often travel with a pet, and since pet policies differ between Super 8 locations, only stay somewhere else if the policy of a specific location prohibits pets or else charges an outrageous pet fee and I don’t fee like sneaking my little dog in.
My parents used to swear by Days Inn when I was a kid because they were so consistent. (And usually had the Tasty World restaurant on the property). 30 years later I learned my lesson when I traveled back to my hometown for a HS reunion and chose to stay there for four days or so.
I swear this is not an exaggeration - 100% no hyperbole. There were boogers wiped all over the walls, BLOOD spatters on the lampshades (BLOOD), cigarette burns on the nightstands, etc despite it being a supposedly non-smoking room, NO shampoo/conditioner. One squeasley bar of soap between both the tub and sink. Astroturf-covered sidewalks right outside the room so that whenever you turned on the A/C you got a burst of 30 years-worth of funky barefoot and wet mold smell. The kicker was when on the third day I was there they inexplicably started to do heavy construction in the room next door (Sawing/hammering/ripping shit off the walls.) Plus they advertized free wi-fi and there was no hide nor hair of it. The room smelled so gross that all my clothes were so permeated with funk that I actually had to wash them with a Downy ball full of Febreeze when I got home.
Oh yes, I reviewed the hell out of that place on Hotels.com
Last time I stayed at a Motel 6 in Davis, California, a bat flew out of the air conditioner. It flew around the room. I freaked out…almost stepped on it. Opened the door to let it fly out, b/f hid in the bathroom. I called the front desk, and they said meh…we get bats sometimes. Stupid Motel 6!
Motel 6 is hands down my favorite. I’ve never had bad luck with them, and some are more than nice. Such as the one near LAX. It often transpires that my international flight lands at LAX too late for a connecting flight to my final destination, so I always stay there. The neighborhood is rotten, but Motel 6 has a free shuttle between it and the airport, and their security staff are good. Nice little bar downstairs, plus an okay restaurant. Even stayed there for a few days with the wife during a trip to LA one time, and also the Motel 6 in Anaheim near Disneyland. Have stayed in them elsewhere. Excellent value, and I’ve personally never seen one without a TV or other standard amenities.
I also agree that Days Inns can vary widely in quality. The best one was in Clearwater Beach, Florida, where a swarm of flying termites suddenly emerged from some crack in the wall.