BigLar,

What's with the loyalty to the lowest end brand? Did you do a web search filtered just for Fairfields? Don't get me wrong, I regularly stay at Fairfields, and generally find them perfectly comfortable, but sight unseen, and at a similar price, would always take the Courtyard. As VA1379 pointed out, there's a Courtyard nearby offering the exact same published rate for a single night stay. If nothing else, you would have a different manager to take a stab at negotiating a long term rate. Moreover, there's a Residence Inn on what appears to the same block as the Courtyard. While the daily rate is higher, the brand almost guarantees they'll negotiate with you, and a quick check of a 30 day stay revealed a significant discount off of the nightly rack rate. I don't know you, and don't care what you do, but considering one of those options seems like a sounder plan than finding "a cheaper Fairfield 50 miles away and finish(ing) out the Megbonus promo".

It sounds like you've found the Motel6\Fairfield option a good one for long term stays, so more power to you, but I would strongly recommend considering the Residence Inn solution if the price is similar. I'm currently in an RI on a three month project, and I'm very pleased to have the extra room to spread out, the kitchen, etc. That's a personal taste issue, though, so whatever floats your boat.

Now that I'm done beating up on you :-), I will relate a similar experience. A sales manager at another Residence Inn near my current project (near NYC)flatly refused to negotiate a 60+ day rate. Again, it was a RESIDENCE INN. There were no issues similar to the recent thread on discouraging long term stays. It was just an issue where she said her hotel had a high occupancy and she didn't need to come down on the rate. She was pretty self-congratulatory about it as well. I pass by fairly regularly, and she's right, her hotel is largely full - 4 nights every week. Presumably with much higher turnover and the associated housekeeping and administrative expenses. I understand hotels don't always come down off of the rate in order to preserve pricing, but it amazes me how some can be so dense about business decisions. I certainly wasn't the guy in the back office, and I suppose there could have been other issues that I wasn't aware of, but given the conversation I had with the sales manager, I doubt it. Another property worked for the business, offered a fair (though certainly not rock bottom) rate and got a 90-120 day quiet, no-turnover block of business for their trouble.