Best Discount Hotel Program
 

I don't know if this belongs here but...

Soon, my girlfriend and I will be driving across the country to explore the US. So we'll be needing to stay a LOT in hotels at the Days Inn/Comfort Inn/Hampton Inn sort of level. I assume it is the best to focus on what chain?

So would would be the best chain? Do any have any particularly good airline linkups?

I am a Gold VIP in Hilton, but that doesn't get you much in Hampton Inns.

On the contrary, Gold can get you a lot at many Hamptons.

I wouldn't put Days Inn in the same level as Hamptons; not too sure of the Comfort Inn chain.

I just did a three-day drive from Buffalo to Minneapolis. It's relativele easy to lay out the route and pick your favorite chain. In my case, since I was working the Marriott Megabonus promo, I looked at everything Marriott from Fairfield Inns on up, and played with the booking engine and the various promo codes until I got what I wanted at a price I was willing to pay.

Very many Hamptons provide a nice breakfast, some provide "manager's receptions" (light dinner) at night, and with your status you might very well get a bigger room, jacuzzi suite, etc. Something the other chains don't even have.

And if you stay enough times on this odyssey (check your account for the new "rolling tier" level), you might wind up the trip as a back-door Diamond!

At that level of hotel, I'd be more concerned about the quality of the properties than the rewards. That said, I like Hampton Inns over their competition - and the little perks you get with HH Gold actually aren't that bad. Nothing sucks worse than a bad motel, and you can usually find passable Hamptons wherever your travels take you.

IMHO, Fairfield Inns are not as consistent and reliable as Hampton Inns. YMMV. Four Points by Sheraton seems like a good brand, but I don't see nearly as many of them in the Midwest and West (my primary roadtripping country) as I do Hamptons and Fairfields.

Defititely Hampton. On my big road trip I made a list of all the Hamptons and would call when I started to get tired. One time someone beat me to the last room so try to call as soon as you know how far you can make it.

The free breakfast in the Morning makes the decision easy. Plus you'll be requalifying for Gold vip next year.

Been there done that go with Hampton.

I personally like Hilton Garden Inns better than Hampton Inns and the rates are often comparable. With HH Gold, you get a free continental breakfast at HGI or credit toward a more expensive one.

There are a lot of value chains available, but, I think most people would say the best quality of the value chains is probably Hampton Inn. That said, they may not have the best reward program, if that is what you are looking for.

You might find that Choice (Comfort Inn) has a better program, with bonuses available most of the time. I think they are currently running a triple points promo or triple Southwest credits, but you might need to find something more concrete as I don't stay there much.

You could also look at IC Hotels group -- which includes Holiday Inn Express. Most of those properties are as nice as the average Hampton Inn, and comparably priced. They also ALWAYS have generous promos running, which will help you earn free nights faster.

Stevekoe

As mentioned, we are not comparing apples to apples. Hampton is in a different class than Days, HoJo's, Comfort, etc. In terms of consistency, I've found that Hampton's are among the best in the lower mid-market category; however, rates tend to be much higher than Choice hotels (e.g., Comfort, Quality, Clarion) or Cendant (Days, Ramada, Super 8, HoJo's, etc) properties.

You would be best to compare Hampton's to Holiday Inn Expresses. With that said, I've found that both the Choice and Cendant frequent travel programs are inferior to all others. Their credit cards make earning a room more difficult than at a Hilton or Starwood property. In addition, I've had nothing but difficulty waiting for points to post, or having them post as points rather than miles. In all cases, the respective companies refused to re-post the points as miles correctly. With that said, points tend to take over a month to post. In addition, Choice only allows you to redeem points for hotel stays within 30 days of arrival. This can make planning a trip several months out a challenge.

I do prefer the Comfort Inn brand over the Cendant properties becuase they tend to be a bit more up to date/renovated. One never knows what one is getting with Cendant.

Fairfield Inn's are a different story becuase you have Marriott running the show, with a descent frequent stay program. Of course, it will taek quite some time to earn a free night with Marriott if you are only staying at Fairfield's.

Jerry's point about HGI's is a good one: since that's a relatively new brand, you will get a lot of clean, new buildings - in many cases priced only a few bucks above a Hampton.

Since the OP is roadtripping across the country, I assume he's doing a mix of rural/city stays, not just all rural. In that case, it's an even stronger recommendation for sticking with HHonors, as you'll probably want to "move up the chain" a notch or two in a bigger city. (The cleanest Hamptons are the rural ones.)

TTT's point about s-l-o-w earnings at Fairfields is true, but if you're going soon you could hit Marriott's Megabonus promotion, which is 5,000 points for every three stays. But given the existing HH Gold status, I'd probably just go with HHonors.

I'd highly recommend getting a AAA membership. Aside from the obvious benefits related to the roadtrip itself, it will almost always save you a few bucks a night at Hampton Inn. AAA rates are available at almost all HHonors hotels, but higher up the chain it's hit-or-miss whether it's really the best rate vs. the other promo rates available. At Hampton, it generally is the best publicly-available rate.

If going with Hampton, also get one or both of the Hilton branded no fee credit cards -- AMEX or Visa.

AMEX I think now has a 20,000 point promotion with their Hilton card.


Of course, you could always use Priceline for a number of your stays and you likely will pay much less than a chain property and if you use the EBAY portal, you can earn EBAY points that can be converted into a number of frequent flyer programs, etc., if you join points.com


Good luck!

Only caveat with Priceline is that their systems roll over to the next day at some point early in the evening. (I think it's 6PM, but unsure which time zone.) So if you want to use PL, you probably have to make your decision on how much farther to drive by late-afternoon and then give 'em a phone call (unless you happen across a WiFi zone). You can't be sitting outside a Hampton Inn at midnight, on the phone with PL placing bids. :D

Perhaps the Travel Bidding board has more specific info...

coupons
 

Since you are driving I suggest you stop at state rest areas and pick up"traveler discount guide". These contain coupons for unsold rooms, just call the hotel first to find out how booked they are and tell them you have a coupon. We travel every weekend Feb. through May and have stayed at Hilton Garden for as low as $58.00 a night. Hampton Inn is featured as well as all the others mentioned.

High Speed Internet Access = HI strength
 

I've had some bad experiences with some of the lower tier hotels (Choice & some Ramada's) when it comes to internet access. Often your only choice is a noisy dialup modem, which is almost like no internet access.

I've stayed 9 times at an HI last year (my Gold lapses this month) and the reason I chose them again and again was not the water, goodies, etc. but a consistently quiet place, breakfast, and a decent high speed internet access.

Even as a Silver, I'll continue using HI.

I have that problem at many, many fine hotels. Fortunately, this is getting better with more Wi-Fi across the brands.

Even worse is if the hotel has any kind of nonstandard PBX system. The last time I had to use dialup at a Doubletree, I was pulling 9600 baud. It would have been faster to use a carrier pigeon to check my email.

One of those chains has a 3 stays and get 1 free night or 2 stays and get 1 free night if you pay with Mastercard in a television ad. I thought it was Choice but I may be wrong.

If you like your HHonour status, Hamptons are decent and you might stay enough to renew your gold or even get Diamond. If staying at Hampton for 1 night, I found the best choice for me is .5 credit on WN under points and mile.

I think it's Best Western offering the "3 stays and get 1 free night or 2 stays and get 1 free night if you pay with Mastercard".

We've come across some very nice Best Westerns thru-out the country...it seems they often have more local flavor (sometimes that's good, sometimes not!) than the other chains. Usually the rates are very good and include some sort of breakfast. We've found the AAA tour book descriptions to be pretty fair.

We haven't seen much in the way of benefits with the Gold Crown Club...my favorite was a parking place right next to the front door at the BW in Redondo Beach along with a free bike rental!

I've stayed in some cool Best Westerns, granted mostly 10-15 years ago. That's a much more mixed bag - more of a huge collection of loosely-organized independent hotels. But if you can determine in advance where the good ones are, you can find some real gems - even in small towns.

And when you hit a bad one run for the hills :( :eek:
A new meaning to the word bad.
And rest assured Best Western will tell you to have better luck next time should you have problems.
But thank you for your helpful comments.
I'm talking no AC during the summer,massive cob webs,odors,awful linens,
insects,dirty rooms,and prices comparable to the majors.One had better do their research in advance. I was also told by one hotel elites get nothing but points f we decide the rate is high enough.
No thanks :p

Scary

I agree with the poster who said the Choice Hotels brands tend to be significantly cheaper than the Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn and Best Western motels. I'm planning a roadtrip to the southwest and can usually get a Comfort Inn or Sleep Inn for about $60 with some modest AAA discount, whereas the more expensive "midpriced" chains seem to be in the $90 range. AAA, which tends to "overrate" Comfort Inns IMHO, tends to award them 3 stars, although sometimes only 2. You also usually get an extended continental breakfast at Comfort Inn. I've also noticed that the Choice Hotel promos tend to get you rates comparable to "mom and pop" properties, which tend to be even more modest in quality.

Obviously, none of this is as good as a priceline rate, but you usually can't get priceline if your travels take you to smaller towns -- especially those beyond the interstates. Since I'm used to staying in 3 star and 4 star hotels through priceline for much less than 90 bucks, I can't bear to pay that for a Holiday Inn Express! Choice Hotels, regardless of their frequent traveler program, is likely to get more of my business.

Hampton Inn or HI Express are the best choices
 

Hi Clipper12, welcome to FT. I second your opinion about the discount guide. These coupons will beat any AAA or AARP rate. This free Hotel Discount guide has a green cover. It is also found at most Denny's and some IHOPs. You can find out more at www.travelerdiscountguide.com. I would recommend sticking with either HI Express or Hampton Inns. Both have high speed internet for free. Hampton Inns will give HH benefits, regardless of the price, but IC properties may not if the coupon price is below the hotel's threshold for PC benefits. These coupon rates are also based on availability and may not be available on certain days. I wasn't able to score $49 Hampton Inns in the Nashville area Wednesday because they were fully booked. I am writing this from a Hampton Inn & Suites in South Bend, where I have a suite that I was able to get for the decent price of $74, since coupons were not available. I am working on my Diamond recert between IC promos for PC points. tbatty, if you travel after May 1, you may want to look at the benefits you can get from multiple nights with the IC promotions. See the IC forum. I have stayed at other chains, but quality and service are inconsistent. See the Wall St. Journal yesterday for an article about bed bugs at Days Inn properties in Canada and NC. Another reason to stay with an upper end budget hotel.

Outoftown

I second that. Both have consistent quality, and they are located almost everywhere. HI Express is normally my first choice due to their massive promos and easy status attainment. You really should check out their board (Intercontinental).

When you write "Discount Hotel" programs, I immediately thought of TripRewards & Choice Hotels - for Choice hotels, they often have promos where if you stay twice, you get a free night - and if you're driving cross-country - in all honesty I don't recommend necessarily focusing on one particular chain.

I've traveled all aroudn the US & even drove cross-country & back twice in one summer - from what I found from that experience is that when you're traveling like that, you don't want to blow the cash on the room, but on the adventure. If you look up any of the towns that you're planning on sleeping in - you can check the prices of Fairfield Inns, Hampton Inns/HGI's, Comfort Inns, etc - and you will probably find that 9 times out of 10, the Hampton Inns & HGI's are the most expensive, followed by the Fairfields, and the Comfort inns, etc.

My recommendation (as someone who's done this a few times before & is a super-budget traveler) - forgo the bigger name hotels while traveling - the highlights of the trip shouldn't be the room you sleep in, but the adventure you have. Invest 200 bucks & buy 2 sleeping bags & a decent tent. Spend at least 30-40% of your time in campgrounds (you can find camping practically anywhere west of the Mississippi) & you can do it cheap or free in most places. When you need hotel/motels, join TripRewards & Choice's program & try to stay with those places in transit stops (i.e. places where you're just staying to spend the night, not necessarily explore the towns) - when you go to bigger cities, then, maybe look for the Hampton/HGI's & Fairfield Inns - but don't get them in the city, get them in the suburbs - i.e. to stay at a select service hotel in Arlington, VA is easily 50-100 less than staying in Washington, DC - you'll have a car - use it. Use the highway exit guides (you can get these at McDonalds & Rest Areas along interstates). See what free discounts you can get too - here are some examples (from the Mileage Run Tools thread):

- 15% off Red Roof Inns - just write the number & account code down & call ahead with your cellphone when you get to a town that has a Red Roof Inn (you'll see signs along exits & maybe some billboards) -

-10-50% off Cendant hotels & 10-35% off Choice Hotels - again, just call ahead & write down the numbers & keep them in your wallet - no one will ever check for ID.

Basically, go budget - don't bother with the major brand name hotels unless you have to - all you really need is a clean safe place to crash for the night & a free continental breakfast! One major recommendation would be to apply for a credit card that gives you 5% back on gas - like the Citi Platinum Dividend card - the Chase Freedom card gives you instant gas rebates & considers many convience stores to be gas purchase too for some reason.

Another vote for Hampton Inn, especially for the free breakfast and free Wifi.

All I got as a perk in Port Huron was a bag of peanuts, a Fast Break candy bar and two bottles of water. It ain't much, but at least is something ;)

Hampton Inn and Hilton Double Tree are great. I have stayed at both and have been quite satisfied. Also, much of how you are recognized as an omni-member depends heavily on the individual property. I have been treated very well at some, and other not at all. Some have even upgraded my room prior to arrival!

and with flying J truck stops, that's do able

With over 280 Hotspots across the country, Flying J is the leading provider of Internet Access and WiFi service in the Trucking Industry. Launched in 2003, Flying J has set the bar for service and support. Highly-trained technical support reps are available 24 hours a day to help you get the most out of your WiFi experience.

Current Pricing Plans
Current Locations

1 Day $4.95
Monthly $19.95*
1 Month $24.95
1 Year $199.95

look at their website for more
Slumming

Hampton
 

I think that Hamptons,Garden Inns, and Hiltons will win out with me just because of the points and the ability to "move up the chain". I appreciate everyone's help--I have learned so much! FT rocks.

http://roomsaver.com/ has all the coupons from their printed guides on-line.

Why don't you use priceline.com to bid 1- or 2-star hotels. In most places big or small, you will get $40-45 a night including tax and fees. It's best for driving travelers, because you have big range of location choices and you can bid almost unlimited times, but you need plan your hotel stay at least one day before to get good price.

I totally agree with using priceline for a trip like this. If you can pre-plan your stops then it can really save you some money. I would stop in Amarillo when driving between DFW and Denver and could usually get a room in a name brand budget hotel for about $25-30. Same for El Paso and several other places. Priceline rocks for this type of trip. Checkout http://p070.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding as it will give you suggested successful bidding levels for many areas around the country.

Now, the HH AMEX also permits you to spend shorter consecutive periods of time on a reward stay at a discount vis a vis the per night reward rate.

Normally, you would need to stay 6 consecutive nights at a Category 5 or 6 hotel to get the best "point discount" per night for the specific property.

However, if you are a cardholder, you only need spend 4 consecutive nights at a Category 5 or 6 for you to get a very good point discount.

Although the Category 5 is 15,000 points over the 4 nights, the Category 6 discount is quite, quite good.

A six night stay yields a per night point cost of approx 29,167 point per night.

However, with the HH AMEX "AXON" 4 night code, the rate only rises to approx. 31,000 points per night.

Not only is this a significant savings, as most know, the problem with HHonors rewards is getting 6 consecutive award nights!! Therefore, this 4 night reward really helps!!

I agree with bhatnasx's post and posters recommending the Priceline approach. You can do a combination of the two. Use the Priceline for good "sure thing" hotels. Read the post on Priceline Hyatt's and see if they are on your route.

When Priceline is not an option, go with Choicehotels. If you want to go budget , new property and WIFI, check out www.microtelinn.com/

Free Night on Mayb 13th and other tips.
 

Ok, first a disclaimer: I do NOT think FTers are Elitist. :rolleyes: :D

But geez, you guys! For most of us out there in the world, I don't think that we consider Hampton Inns discount! I do see that the OP is happy with that suggestion but I am a REAL discount traveler and I am talking Days Inns and Super 8's.

I think bhatnsax's post was the most comprehensive.

My solutions:

1) Unfortunately, unless you are WITH me, this one is for me only. I am a hotel employee and will usually try to base my night's stopping on the availability of that discount (found by calling the 800#). I never stay in a city because of having to pay for parking, etc.

2) The discount travel guides found in truck stops, gas stations along the exits and welcome centers have incredibly low rates. If you call on your cell and mention the rate the motel will usually honor it if they have rooms. These mom and pop places can close up shop the earlier they fill up. I often can't get a hotel employee discount and this is my favorite tip. Often, there will be a miles and points place in the guide.

3) I stay in KOA Kamping Kabins for like $30/night. You have to bring your own linen but we all have a pillow and blanket in the car anyway! Just a couple of bed sheets to the car trunk and you are set. The baths are the campground baths so that keeps the cost down. The kabins are cute jog cabins with a/c, heat and lights. NOTE: KOA IS OFFERING A FREE NIGHT IN A KAMPING KABIN OR TENT/RV SITE ON MAY 13, 2005!! I am driving across the country then, too, and have booked one for myself. :D And yes, they have a reward program.

4) The best money I ever spent was to get a wireless connection on my laptop. Just 2 nights ago, I fired up my laptop and discovered free wireless on the top of a parking garage near IAD! At this moment, I sit here typing, late at night, outside the closed Panera Bread Restaurant in Tyson's Corner, VA where I can access the free wifi 24/7 from my car! I have started turning on the laptop when I make a stop because you never know who is going to have free wireless these days.

Another note - use hotel Best Price Guarantees to your advantage if you can! I've done MR's to SFO & CMH and have stayed for free in Ramada's because they have a policy for the first night free if you find a cheaper rate online. I also just booked a room in West Virigina for the night before a 2-day camping music festival (www.allgoodfestival.com if anyone's intererested in trekking out to W.V. in July!) at a Super 8 (it's a Super 8 Pride location - interior corridors, free breakfast, and seems like a decent enough place) - the rate was 69.99 on Super8.com & 69.98 on Travelocity so in the end, the room (which I'm arriving at late night & leaving early AM the next day) is free - all it is is a place to lay your head that's secure. 70 bucks for a room in WV isn't even budget really to me, but for the city, the Ramada Inn was 79, the Hampton Inn is 95, Best Western & SpringHill Suites was 99 & the Econolodge was 70. Had I had to pay for this, I probably would have just found a camp ground or a dirt road somewhere, but that's me - for a one-night stay in a town that I'm just passing through, 70 bucks is too much for an advance reservation when I'm not getting anything out of it - and the Hampton Inn's breakfast & points just aren't worth the extra 25 bucks to me.

I think someone above mentioned Microtel. Remember that they have a frequent stay program, stay 10 nights, get 1 free, or something along those lines. Go online or ask at the desk for details. I found myself in a no-name town one night and they had a brand new Microtel, just opened. I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised, considering it was about $35 or so. The room was really small, but, it has a bed, a TV, and a bathroom. As I recall, the continental breakfast wasn't much. For about $10 more, some locations have "suites" which is just a little larger room with a refrigerator and maybe a microwave.