Another thought on that, and one that drives my hotel decisions, speaking as something of a travelling salesman: a chain that owns many brands, like Hilton owning Doubletree, Hampton, Garden Inn, etc, means multiple price points but also the ability to accumulate ‘frequent stayer’ points on their loyalty system (Hilton/Hampton’s is called HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHonors). I have enough points on that system that I haven’t paid for a room in 15 years. A motel just can’t compete with that.
One place I do see those little run-down mom-and-pops all over the place, though, is Vegas. If you look at the seedy side of town, specifically between the Strat and downtown, you’ll see one every fourth building (the other 3 will be pawn shops, bail bonds, and wedding chapels… with the occasional strip club thrown in). Nobody that I know of would even consider staying at one of those for a vacation or if just passing through; they are for the down-and-out crowd (think of Nick’s in Leaving Las Vegas, or Macy’s in The Cooler).
So you pull off on a lonely exit on I-10 in the vast wasteland between El Paso and San Antonio at 10pm. Do you:
Pull into the Motel 6, and get a room that looks exactly like every room in every other Motel 6 in the country.
Pull into “Bob’s Motel”, and cross your fingers and hope the room isn’t a disaster.
Even if “Bob’s Motel” looks about as well-kept as the Motel 6 on the outside, I’ll choose the Motel 6. It isn’t at all like choosing “Bob’s Diner” over McDonalds for breakfest the following morning. If Bob’s Diner is a disaster, you are only out a few bucks for the effort.
Huh? There’s literally hundreds of them here in New Hampshire. I live within walking distance of at least a dozen. Of course, I live in a tourist town, but there are some in the non-tourist areas as well.
Centralized reservations have made a huge difference. If I’m travelling in flyover country, I want to make sure I’ve got something reserved in advance. I don’t want to chance it that the state cheerleading competition is being held in the city and I’ll be shut out of a room when I get there.
If I’m going to New York, San Francisco, or some other destination city, I’m far more likely to care about where I stay. If I’m staying in some typically Midwestern city, I want my basics and that’s it.
I used to stay in random hotels a lot for work. At first I tried a lot of no-name places for their convenience. However, it was usually hit and miss. There are some real garbage hotels out there and you don’t know until you’re standing in the room. After checking in it is a real pain the butt to check out, and messes with whatever day you’ve planned out.
I learned that I would rather drive an additional 30 miles to stay in the consistent quality of a Comfort Inn or Best Western than risk a night at some craphole. Also, as mentioned upthread it is great to collect points at such places. When you stay enough you get doubled points etc. I was earning a free night for every 6-7 nights I spent in a chain hotel. That free night was one I could use on my own time.
Yep, the old ma and pa places cannot compete-like with a giant chain like Motel 6. Whereas the smal operator can cut some corners, a chain has massive buying power and cost controls. the large chains can offer swimmin pools, cable TV, WiFi-which the independent operator cannot.
You still see a few of the old 1920’s-style cabins-but they are disappearing fast. One of them (on Cape cod) converted their tiny little cabins into condominiums!
As someone else pointed out, the small restaurant is in the same position-there is no way a small place can realize the economies of a chain. If the food isexceptionally good, they can compete-but many cannot. There was a piece in the NYT a few years ago, about the diners (mostly a NE thing). The generation that owns them is getting old-and their kids don’t want the business (too much work). So another piece of history is fast disappearing.
My parents own two independent motels and two franchise locations, so I’m somewhat qualified to answer this.
The interstate highway system reduced travel times by a phenomenal amount. It used to take several days (depending on the season) to drive from Florida to the Northeast - US 1 ran the entire length of the coast then, as now, but it was a single lane for much of its length then and even now is only two lanes for much of its length. And, of course, it’s got traffic controls. By contrast, I-95 will now get you from Florida to Rhode Island in a day, regardless of the season.
Americans have become habituated to chains in general. Motel 6 and Holiday Inn offer basically the same hospitality experience everywhere you go. While a lot of people might take a chance on dining in a strange restaurant, very few will take a chance on staying in a potential fleabag independent motel room when there’s a boring but satisfactory motel across the street.
Online and centralized reservation systems make it much easier to book a chain room in advance, and business travelers often opt for chains because of the frequent stay programs nearly all of them have adopted (eg., Choice’s “free night every time you accumulate three paid nights” thing).
Damn. I just realized that This Just In… said pretty much exactly the same stuff already.
In my town the chain motels and hotels are near the interstate, and there are still some rundown independents closer to the old center of the towns that combined to make the current town. I walk past one with my dog sometimes, and there is often a cop there. I get the impression that they are residency motels, not tourist ones.
If you look at the crime reports, the Motel 6 has a lot more activity than the Hilton - though I suppose the Hilton could be better at keeping problems out of the news.