Yoshi212

As for points/stays and taxes be sure to talk to the property and check the program details as some cut off after a certain amount of time. I've done some extended stays at regular hotels and if got a great rate by contacting them directly. With most I negotiated weekly payments and settling of bar/room service charges, got a flat weekly points rate, status bump, a laundry budget including some dry cleaning and use of machines that used tokens, parking spot in garage that would be a premium charge for regular stays, access to the frontend wifi network instead of public and a weekly room service credit forgoing breakfast. I would also get the room cleaned twice per week with sheets change and if I needed anything else I'd just have to ask.

Zeeb

My biggest advice for extended stay places is that how new they are is more important than anything else. They all go downhill fast 3 years or so after being built.

Super Mario

These are probably the most underrated types of hotels, in my opinion. Besides the modern, big-city hotel, with all of the bells and whistles, my next choice is an extended stay hotel. They generally offer breakfast, mini-kitchens, and living rooms. Most even give free alcohol monday-wednesday. The biggest downside is most do not give you full points. They are not "cheap" as much as they are a good value. If you want to drive down price, you're going to want to shop around. Maybe a different location. Maybe a different brand.

brandie

Call and get price from the manager at the extended stay directly. I stayed in an older one in Cleveland that was pretty good. This place would do you grocery shopping for no fees or extra charges.

pinniped

That's awesome. Was one better than the other? If the donuts are really good, then the gym had better be really good too because I'm going to need to spend a lot of time in there.

Regarding long-term stays in hotels, I did a couple months in a Residence Inn but it's been almost 20 years. Back then, I had my corporate travel agent phone the hotel GM for the monthly rate. It ended up being a fixed multiple (18x maybe?) of our corporate nightly rate. Basically, pay for the weeknights and get the weekends "free". I liked it because I could remain in one unit the entire time and travel on weekends without much luggage. This was an RI in a suburban business park setting: weekends were pretty dead. A downtown hotel that is full on weekends might not do the same deal.

The clientele at this RI was mostly other business travelers. Same is true for most Homewood Suites. Weekends, if there is a decent amount of traffic, will likely include families and perhaps even some traveling youth sports teams. I can't speak to the clientele at an Extended Stay America. I've seen them around in various places but can't recall staying in one.

writerguyfl

Unlike "regular" hotel brands, the extended-stay properties are far more likely to enter into rate negotiations with individual travelers. Unless the property is in a very high-demand location, chances are good that you can get a better rate by calling the hotel directly.

That said, if this is happening anytime in the next few months, you can probably get quite a few "regular" hotels to offer an extended stay rate simply because most are desperate for business.

As beachmouse notes, you typically don't have to pay taxes once you reach a certain number of consecutive days (usually 30). With room taxes sometimes in the double digit percentages, that can turn out to be a good deal of money.

You will usually get a better rate for a longer stay. But, be sure to check for early-departure penalties. If you move in and discover a few nights into a 45-day reservation that the hotel is falling apart or it's really noisy, you want to be able to move to a different hotel. So don't lock yourself into a non-refundable reservation until you're certain it's the right place for you.

emma69

I recommend speaking directly to the hotel - even better if you can go in person, they can show you the rooms, and you can negotiate for what you need. I stayed in one a few years ago, and I got them to give me a room at the far end of the corridor (no foot traffic), facing in the quiet direction (away from the road), they only filled the room next to me / above me if they were completely booked, I arranged for them to do my laundry free of charge (I just bought a mesh bag to put all my clothes in so nothing went astray), I had fresh towels daily, but they only deep cleaned and changed the bed twice a week. I happened to have a nationwide gym membership at the time, and there was a location close to the hotel, so that wasn't a factor in my decision, but facilities like a gym, pool, or outdoor space (like picnic tables or bbq area) would be things I might factor in as well. Even if the hotel doesn't have a gym / pool, they may have an arrangement with a location close by. Also things like a patio or balcony with the room could be useful if they offer that. Free breakfast / evening snacks and drinks etc. could also be useful.

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

I would think with reduced traveling this would be an excellent time to negotiate a monthly price and insist on a room on a top floor on the end away from the elevators. Be sure to find out if the breakfast a real take away breakfast or just a bag of junk in this time of COVID 19. Also make sure other amenities are available, again in this time of COVID.

I'd downloaded something on my phone to provide white noise as there's going to be noise from time to time. It's just a fact of hotel living.

MSPeconomist

In the COVID-19 era, watch out for bad grab and go breakfasts and nonexistent evening offerings. You shouldn't pay for stuff that the hotel isn't actually doing. (If it matters, pools/fitness rooms might be closed and some hotel services, such as shuttles and dry cleaning, can be dropped for the duration.) In some urban and suburban areas that have experienced protests/violence recently, watch out also for hotels that have been renting rooms (at very very deep discounts) to the local displaced and homeless population.

I'd also suggest checking the state/local and hotel/chain mask policy and whether it is being enforced as well as other social distancing and safety measures.

linsj

Avoid Extended Stay properties. A few years ago, I taught a January class at a midwest college when the temperatures were below freezing most of the time. One night the fire alarm went off around 2 a.m., and we had to evacuate the hotel. A businessman I talked with while we were waiting outside told me his business puts him up in this chain, but properties cut corners and have below-par equipment. The alarm turned out to be nothing, but it kept going off every 15 minutes for a couple of hours. After evacuating twice, we didn't have to go out again; but sleeping was impossible.

jrl767

this sort of occurrence is in no way unique to second- or third-tier brands; I had a similar experience at the Crowne Plaza in Crystal City (Arlington VA) about 18 months ago

OskiBear

I think I read elsewhere about this. Given the fairly rate on taxes, I think this definitely makes for a good amount of savings. Absent COVID, I would have just viewed this as a bit of an adventure, but it's a bit stressful at the moment. Thanks to everyone for hopping in with suggestions. It seems that the real estate market with limited inventory is going to take me a while to find a home to purchase after I sell my condo. May be giving a variety of hotels a try although the cost of living is definitely lower than my current mortgage. Forgoing utilities will also add to the savings.

pinniped

Might also be worth contacting the furnished-apartment providers...I used to use Marriott Execustay but I'm sure there are a couple other major national brands plus maybe some local services.

These weren't ever known for being *cheap* but their target market is upper-midscale and occasionally upscale units for business travelers on long-term assignments. I was always in buildings occupied mostly by professionals, mostly permanent residents. With almost nobody traveling like this right now, they probably have vacancies and would be willing to make you a deal for a couple months, knowing you'd be gone by the time demand comes back for their "normal" rates.

Would cost more than a rock-bottom Extended Stay kind of place, but would be a much more pleasant way to live.

jrl767

I used Oakwood in Arlington VA (Rosslyn) for ~120 days ... they were at the GSA lodging rate on a daily basis, gave a slight discount for weekly and monthly rentals, and iirc a somewhat larger reduction for stays over 90 days

pinniped

My longest Execustay rental - about 2 years - was in a building near the Arlington Courthouse. A place called the Meridien which was new in the 1990s and a pretty popular place for young professionals at the time. I drove through there a couple years ago and was blown away about how many new developments have been built everywhere...almost all of the local bars/restaurants I used to visit are gone, replaced by new condo buildings and/or upscale shopping and national chains.

From googling Execustay, it looks like Oakwood bought it a few years back. I did most of my rentals when it was part of Marriott but only loosely. We got comped Gold status and a fixed number of points per month as part of our corporate contract, but didn't get lifetime nights nor any kind of path to Platinum. There wasn't any global policy about points/nights/status for Execustay until a little after my use of it ended.