# The decline of the motel **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [May 16, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642 "2024-05-16T17:14:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/61 "2024-05-20T12:40:55Z")
Probably just moved a couple blocks away to be next to another motel. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/62 "2024-05-20T16:41:32Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > They were independent motels built more than 50 years ago and later acquired by the parent company that holds the rights to the Rodeway Inn name. It looks like Rodeway Inn is part of the Choice Hotels group now; I’m guessing it’s their lowest level brand. Looking at Google Maps, there just so happens to be a Rodeway Inn across the freeway from the old Foothills Motel. If you go back and look at the older Street View imagery, it looks like it was a Quality Inn prior to 2018. It looks like a perfect example of a property being “downgraded” to a more budget level brand as it ages, like @kanicbird mentioned back in reply #1. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/63 "2024-05-20T17:05:46Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > The two I’ve stayed at are so disgusting, and seemingly teeming with criminals that it’s hard to view them as having a brighter past. To be fair, the bad experiences I’ve had with motels have been in cases where they were picked more or less at random instead of researched beforehand. - I took an el cheapo bus tour from Toronto to Chicago and our hotel reservation in Indiana was cancelled (overbooked due to a Notre Dame football game, I think) which left the tour organizers scrambling to find any accommodation. We ended up staying in a pretty seedy motel overnight. - I went with a friend to Chicago on a different occasion and we stopped for the night at a random motel. Again, it was pretty seedy and it had people yelling in the parking lot at night. There’s even a song (in French) about stopping at a crappy motel because you’re too tired to drive any further: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TJH719GWjXo/hqdefault.jpg "Bleu Jeans Bleu - Motel Motté - (Clip officiel)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJH719GWjXo) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/64 "2024-05-20T17:29:14Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > There’s even a song (in French) about stopping at a crappy motel because you’re too tired to drive any further: That’s exactly how I ended up at the Billings motel. Seatac was a friend’s choice due to the “cheap airport parking”. Amazingly, I’m still friends with him. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/65 "2024-05-20T19:52:25Z")
I can think of a couple of old-school car-to-room motel-style buildings I’ve stayed in in just the last couple of years, on trips to Utah and Arizona. Both were part of a larger complex with other types of rooms also available; bungalows at one advertised as a resort, roadside novelties like Airstream trailers and faux tepees at the other. When I was in Williams, AZ, for the Grand Canyon, the stretch of old Route 66 through the center of town is _filled_ with old-school non-chain neon-bedecked motels that seemed to be going concerns. Back in the early 2010s, I was in southwest Michigan and booked well in advance a hotel room in New Buffalo in a modern chain hotel. But when I got there, they wouldn’t honor my (prepaid!!) online reservation because it was made under the previous owners. 🤬 As a “workaround” they offered me an ancient park-at-your-door motel right next door that they just happened to own. 🙄 (They charged me for the replacement room, leaving me to try the online booking firm for a refund of my prepaid reservation.) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/66 "2024-07-01T01:33:30Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > On my last trip my collecting “theme” was hotel/motel cards. I picked up a couple dozen, I’ll post a slideshow here after I get them scanned. Well, a month and a half later, I summoned up the motivation to get them scanned and uploaded. [Here’s the google photos album](https://photos.app.goo.gl/oYWmzm7HEoCo8Snq8). ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/67 "2024-07-01T02:02:51Z")
thx, I applaud your resolve and dedication … loved the one that looks like a prison 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/68 "2024-07-01T03:02:03Z")
I had one of these experiences a few years ago in an Independence, Missouri motel. Did not have a baseball bat but I slept with my cane by my bed. Partying all night long outside the door. The room was probably one of the worst I had ever stayed in. Bathroom fixtures broken, door lock not working correctly, and a weird smell. But we had driven all the way from Pittsburgh and were too tired to go elsewhere so we endured the night. Never trusted online reviews after that experience. Reviews were almost all top tier. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/69 "2024-07-01T03:44:00Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > loved the one that looks like a prison 😉 The Ambassador? ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/70 "2024-07-01T03:52:52Z")
jep … ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/71 "2024-07-01T06:42:13Z")
I spent a couple of weeks at the Ambassador in 1979 or so while training to manage a migration to a new computer system at IBM. Whether due to the miasma of the RFK assassination or the decline of the general area, it was obvious to me that whatever glamor the place had had in the past (the Cocoanut Grove was once a gathering place for the Hollywood élite), was long gone; it wasn’t a dump, but it was well on the way. I wasn’t surprised when it closed ten years later. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/72 "2024-07-01T07:24:46Z")
> [@Ellecram](#): > > I had one of these experiences a few years ago in an Independence, Missouri motel. Did not have a baseball bat but I slept with my cane by my bed. > > Partying all night long outside the door. The room was probably one of the worst I had ever stayed in. Bathroom fixtures broken, door lock not working correctly, and a weird smell. But we had driven all the way from Pittsburgh and were too tired to go elsewhere so we endured the night. > > Never trusted online reviews after that experience. Reviews were almost all top tier. Was this a chain or an independent hotel? Also, were the reviews the ones posted on Google Maps? ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/73 "2024-07-01T11:17:03Z")
It was one of those chain establishments that one doesn’t expect the best luxury from but not this! I can’t recall which site we read the reviews on but most likely Trip Advisor or Google. The trip was 2021. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/74 "2024-07-01T13:23:38Z")
Route 1 north of Boston still has quite a few classic motels, certainly from the 50s. Despite being some insanely valuable real estate. There always seem to be police cars at them ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/75 "2024-07-01T16:08:44Z")
What a coincidence that this thread got bumped yesterday, the same day I checked in to this place. [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53828529314_bae2043cc6_b.jpg "Untitled | Matt Wilda | Flickr") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/66423490@N08/53828529314/) This motel was suggested by someone in my LA trip planning thread. It opened in 1958 if I remember correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/76 "2024-07-01T16:36:57Z")
I remember I once stayed at a shitty Motel 6 where at exactly midnight I heard someone “trying” every single one of the doors including mine to see if it was unlocked, which was completely dumb because I’m pretty sure all motel room doors auto-lock for exactly this reason. Though I’m morbidly curious what their plan was if the door actually opened but their were people inside. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/77 "2024-07-01T21:06:31Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > There always seem to be police cars at them There’s a significant %of rooms with a body concealed below the mattress\*. \*urban legend with some actual cases; just not 40%. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/78 "2024-07-01T23:04:38Z")
I don’t know what they’re like where you are, and some of the posts in this thread seem like nice places. But here in Boston they are some combination of: Drug dens Brothels State-sponsored housing (ie, they need to get an abuse victim out NOW) I’m really not joking. And since places like this: > **[★★ Avalon Motel, Early, USA](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/avalon-motel.en-gb.html?label=gen173nr-1FCAso7AFCDGF2YWxvbi1tb3RlbEgzWARotAKIAQGYAQm4AQfIAQ3YAQHoAQH4AQOIAgGoAgO4ArPtjLQGwAIB0gIkNmU1ZjlkYmMtM2I5Mi00M2QzLWIxYTMtM2I2NTM2MzE1OGM42AIF4AIB&sid=da319c2d6b11a719b7af9fd34635715f&activeTab=photosGallery&dist=0&keep_landing=1&sb_price_type=total&type=total&)** > > Avalon Motel is located in Early. This 2-star motel offers a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi. The motel features family rooms. Can house all three at once, it’s simultaneously funny and sad. Click the link for pics. I couldn’t get this to work as I wanted, but I wanted the Google Street View of either the Avalon or Chisolm’s, both of which capture something special about these Boston area institutions. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2024, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/79 "2024-07-02T00:54:47Z")
A motel in Montreal just made the news for being involved in sex trafficking and drugs. “Where $45 bought a four-hour stay and $40 allegedly bought a bag of crack cocaine” is a great selling point. > **[Police say owner of Montreal motel was implicated in drug trade, sex...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/trafficking-ndg-motel-st-jacques-1.7246313)** > > The owner of Motel St-Jacques, a 31-room guest house located on a dead-end street in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce where $45 bought a four-hour stay and $40 allegedly bought a bag of crack cocaine, profited from the prostitution and drug trade that took place... ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2024, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/80 "2024-07-02T11:03:26Z")
Motels are MUCH better if you are traveling with a dog. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642.md?page=5)