I get my Hilton Gold status from a lot of nights spent on the road, staying at Hampton Inns. I like Hamptons because of their consistency. Some are better than others, but not greatly so. I like knowing what I am going to get, and I usually avoid unpleasant surprises by staying there.

Last week, I was traveling to Buckhannon, WV. The Hampton Inn there, and my backup hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in Weston, did not have any rooms available. With some trepidation, I booked the Microtel. I paid about $40 less than what I would pay for the other places, and it was every bit as nice, if not nicer. The rooms was stylishly furnished, comfortable, and spotless. The breakfast was nearly identical (which is to say, nothing much).

Are Microtels consistently good? (The Buckhannon property is only a few months old, so that probably has a lot to do with it.) With the current nonsense going on with the Hhonors program, I am looking for a reason to switch.