Budget Travel - Best Value for an inexpensive hotel with b-fast in the US

I travel often on my expense all over the US (small towns & large). Would like a decent bed with continental b-fast included. Since money comes out of my own pocket, I had like to keep expenses to a minimum.
I am open to all hotels & all categories: Motel 6, Days Inn, La Quinta, travelodge, best western...you name it

What are my best choices for a low priced room with b-fast included & spread all over the US?

The problem with many of those hotels you listed is that their can be a great deal of variation in the quality of a single brand, as many are franchised.

Hampton Inn is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head that includes a breakfast at all locations, in the included price.

Hampton Inn is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head that includes a breakfast at all locations, in the included price.

I am not only looking for a complimentary b-fast but also an inexpensive stay. Infact, I can always grab some b-fast from McD if I can save up on the hotel. A good night's sleep is a must, b-fast is optional...Thanks

Hampton Inns offer the best combination of room comfort, a decent breakfast, and price.

Hampton Inns offer the best combination of room comfort, a decent breakfast, and price.

Another vote for Hampton Inns for combinated value, but it may not be the cheapest option around the town.

If you're just looking for a place to lay your head, I'd check out the Cendant properties - they're almost always the cheapest ones in their markets & are generally clean & safe (with the exception of some, including the Knights Inn/HoJo's Vegas Airport). Note that a lot of them don't have things like free wireless internet. I've found Fairfield Inns, Hampton Inns, SpringHill Suites, and surprisingly enough, occassionally Super 8's have had good service, good environment, decent enough breakfasts (with the exception of the Super 8 unless you like thawing danishes & cold cereal for b'fast) and decent prices.

Now, as this has nothing really to do with the purpose of this forum, I'm going to move this to the Budget Travel forum.

Thanks!

bhatnasx
Mileage Run Moderator

Hampton Inns offer the best combination of room comfort, a decent breakfast, and price.

I would say so too, and consistency, I think. Hampton Inns in smaller places are reasonably priced, maybe not to Motel 6 levels, but you get a significantly better experience than Motel 6 as well. In some areas they can be a bit overpriced, though.

My main suggestion, though, highly recommended if you're in the right part of the country, is Drury Inn. This chain is 100% company owned and operated and has gone above the others in the little extras always get included in your rate: an hour of long distance each night from your room phone (in addition to always free local calls), a couple free cans of soda in your fridge (fridge and microwave soon to be in every single room), free evening beverage reception, hot foods at free breakfast, etc. http://www.druryhotels.com/about_spserv.cfm Most of these properties will compare in price and general feel to a Hampton. (In fact, this company now operates a few Hampton franchises as I recall.) These are likely to be more consistent than anything else out there and really perfectly fit the idea of "best value" in my opinion. (No connection, btw, just impressed by how they operate.)

I agree with the previous posters on Hampton Inn and Drury. I've also had luck with the Baymont Inn and LaQuinta hotels for good breakfast. If you are able to secure a good rate at an AmeriSuites Hotel (if there are any left after the Hyatt Place conversion), they have a very good breakfast as well.

May not be the lowest budget but Holiday Inn Express is always clean, the room entrances are indoors, they have a really good, free breakfast included, and they have free internet as well. I was always able to find one on my 9 day drive from California to Washington, DC. I'm now a huge fan...

... check out the Cendant properties - they're almost always the cheapest ones in their markets & are generally clean & safe (with the exception of some, including the Knights Inn/HoJo's Vegas Airport)

I agree with you bthanmax that the Cendant properties (http://) offer often the best deal.

Did you have yourself safety problems in the Las Vegas hotels? Only with Knight and HoJo or also at other locations?

Prices varies for different places. However, Hampton Inn has always been
a great value for us. Plus, the breakfast is truly a breakfast, not just a
cold, overly sweet, and full of calories danish. Don't forget the points...

We did recently had the opportunity to stay at a Comfort Inn (no Hiltons
available), and were very pleased with it. Rooms were okay, and breakfast
was more than just a danish. Of course, they are probably all franchised,
so each experience at property will vary.

IME if your travelling all over the US then you will need to rely on several brands for the best value. Their are some smaller regional chains in certain parts of the country that offer excellent value as already mention. For larger chains with excellent value I have had very good luck with Trip Rewards and Choice Privileges brands. Ultimately a good travel agent or local experience from the location you are staying are going to probably be the best way to find the best value.

Check Choice Hotels. Comfort Inn, Quality, etc. You can always call them up to inquire about the breakfast.

My wife, son, and I recently stayed in a Comfort Inn in Orlando, FL for $40 a night and they had an attendant serving hot made-to-order waffles, bagels, cereal, juice, coffee, sweet rolls, etc. Hard to beat that deal.

And they have a decent frequent stay progam, especially if you get their Visa card.

www.choicehotels.com

If cost is the primary concern, buy yourself a box of breakfast bars to keep in your suitcase for breakfast, and use priceline's name-your-own price feature to get your hotels.

You can often get decent hotels on priceline for well under $50/night (all-in), which I doubt if any of the other hotels in this thread can match. Sometimes they'll even include continental breakfast, but if not, you'll have your breakfast bars. The downside to Priceline of course is that you don't know which particular hotel you'll get until after you've paid, and it's nonrefundable, so if your travel plans change a lot, it might not be the best thing for you. But it's definitely the cheapest way to go if you use it right.

See biddingfortravel.com and betterbidding.com for information on past successful bids. BFT is a bit more popular (i.e., the info is a bit more comprehensive), but the mods there can be snappy and their search feature is grossly inferior to BBs.

Agree with Themicah. Save money with PL or Hotwire, use the savings for b'fast. In some cities you can get surprisingly good hotels (Hilton/Sheraton/Wyndham class) for $50 or less on PL (eg, Dallas), YMMV. That's less than the typical La Quinta.

A few years ago my bride and I were returning from Durango, got really tired and made an unplanned stop in Espanola, NM. Picked the Super 8 because of the "free breakfast" sign. The next morning we discovered a loaf of grocery-store-brand white bread with toaster, a sack of powdered-sugar donut gems, and coffee. No juice, no fruit, no cereal. We went to McDonalds.

Priceline is often a good way to stay in a large city (either downtown or suburbs), but it's not always going to work in small towns. And of course you have to be sure of your plans before using it, else the savings goes out the window when you waste bookings. And so on.

I use it a lot, but my parameters are different. I'm usually trying to get 4* (by Priceline's rating) hotels downtown in large cities for reasonable sub-$100 prices. (What is "reasonable" varies by season and city.) Priceline excels at that. There are other times when I would choose not to use Priceline. On a weekend visit last fall, I was thinking of using Priceline to get a room in Columbus, Ohio. But after studying the zones again and figuring the possibilites, and finding a rate at a suburban Drury Inn for $50 or thereabouts, I decided to just stay at Drury instead.

I was impressed with Drury Inn, for $60 or so a night they serve a full breakfast with eggs and sausages. They also have free (bad) beer and junk food at 5PM

Wingate Inn, where they are offered, is a business-oriented Cendant brand that I have been pretty pleased with. It has a good breakfast, free internet, and is usually $20 or so cheaper than a Hampton Inn in markets where they compete.

The downside is, it's a newer brand so there aren't as many of them yet, and there are a lot of places which simply don't have one. You also are highly unlikely to find them outside major metro business areas.

Stay away from cendant properties! :o :td:
I used to be an EXTREMELY Loyal Ramada Club then RBC Elite then whatever and now Trip Rewards customer. I racked up over $1,000,000.00 in points and stayed all over the country with rates from $15.00 to $99.00. I remember in the late 90's when more pakistannis and indians started operating the brands that the quality went through the floor. It went from great breakfasts and fresh squeezed orange juice to maybe a donut, maybe a bagel, maybe cereal, maybe coffee, maybe fresh, etc... (you get the idea). I then starting having to complain through a bullet proof glass window about a room that had not been cleaned, toilet furnished with crap, wet towels, beer bottles in room, linens nasty and not changed, etc... to have a clerk tell me on more than one occassion that the owner does not care. They had something in common (last name Patel = indian word for inn keeper). Started avoiding those thanks to the Ramada guide telling the managers name. They got wise to that and started picking up different last names, but not any better service. Super 8's are roach bug motels and most of the other cendant properties are as well. :mad: If you are looking for a place to take your one night stand or lady of the night, these properties might fit your bill perfectly. You might not catch anything from the room that you would not catch from the girl. :D Otherwise go with a brand that has consistency, quality, inspections and good service and food at a fair price. HAMPTON INN.

Marriott's Residence Inn and Courtyard properties usually offer free hot breakfast and some offer afternoon events. The Residence Inn in Naples, Florida had a breakfast with waffles and BBQs in the afternoon. You can usually find a good for them on PL.

...Did you have yourself safety problems in the Las Vegas hotels? Only with Knight and HoJo or also at other locations?

My experience:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5373568&postcount=11
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5375760&postcount=17

Choice offers a few good options. Sleep Inn is the cheapest. They are relatively new, but the rooms are small. The included breakfast, which is at every property, is decent.

The other Choice brands, you have to try to stay in the newer properties to get good value.

Choice does also have a decent rewards program.

In general, Knights Inn is suitable only for truckers. It's the only national chain which might be WORSE than Motel 6, on average.

Hampton Inn is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head that includes a breakfast at all locations, in the included price.


I agree with Hampton Inn. I haven't stayed at any of the hotels in the OP--not that regularly anyway. The Hampton Inn is great--consistent too!

Within the Marriott chain of hotels, the Fairfield Inn meets your needs.

I think the best bets are on Priceline and the 2 1/2 star properties. These are usually at the suite hotels which come with breakfast on PL and usually free internet in the room.

If you're driving and you plan on stopping when you get tired, go with Super 8. If you know where you're going to be, 2 1/2 star on Priceline and use the savings to eat at the restaurant of your choice.