We definitely saw the good, the bad, and the ugly during this road trip when it comes to lodging. We were aiming for mid-range hotels because they usually include breakfast and they always have free wi-fi. In some areas where were traveled, we had a very small number of hotels available from which to choose. We also discovered a growing trend in price gouging.
Our first stop was Iowa City, IA and we expected to find a reasonably priced room because a search showed lots of hotels in the $109-129 range. We stopped a several hotels only to find that they were full. We went to Coralville, a suburb, and chose the Hampton Inn. Although the hotel was a bit worn looking, the room was large and clean and near the hotel's great workout room. Apparently when it is a very busy weekend (a wedding party and lots of families at the hotel), hotels charge more. We paid $139 instead of the expected $129. Two nights later, we stopped at a La Quinta in Golden CO and secured their last available room. This hotel normally charges $109 but charged us $169! The hotel was old. The ice machine on our floor was broken. The rooms were clean but way past their prime. But that was not the most egregious example of price gouging. We stopped in Flagstaff when we left Utah and headed to Tucson to visit my brother. We chose a Holiday Inn Express. Their usual advertised rate is $109. When we asked for a room, we were told the rate would be $229! When I expressed shock at the high rate, the hotel clerk explained that this was freshman registration week for Northern Arizona University.
We like to travel without booking all rooms ahead of time because we never know when a place will appeal to us so much we need more time or when we decide to move on to the next destination. This price fixing discourages that practice and it does not matter that you are a "rewards" member for the hotel chain. I will be writing to La Quinta and Holiday Inn Express to let them know that I find this practice deceiving and reprehensible. I do not expect to get anything out of the letter-writing except the knowledge that I have made my opinion known.
I had noticed price disparities due to location before, but this trip underscored the value of staying in small cities. One of our favorite hotels, Drury Inn, charges more for "popular" locations and for seasonal travel. The Frankenmuth hotel runs about $120, but it can jump higher - $125 in Greenville, $155 in Nashville - or lower - $117 in Independence, $90 in Valdosta. We were happy to stay at the Drury in Independence MO. They gave us a great room and we felt at home with their happy hour and great breakfast.
Because we were going to the National Parks in Utah during the summer, I decided to book ahead so we would know we had a room. This is a "shot in the dark" process for me. I do read the reviews and I read the "about us" section of the hotel's website, but I'm still just guessing. We were fortunate in our choices. In Moab we stayed at the Adventure Inn Moab. This is a small, old fashioned motel that was purchased by a couple and renovated. The room was bright, clean and quiet. They provided us with soft, thick towels and with a continental breakfast that included croissants. It was also perfectly located a few miles from the park entrance and in the middle of town where all the restaurants are.
At Bryce Canyon I chose the Bryce Canyon Pines because they had cottages in addition to motel rooms. Our cottage was comprised of a large bedroom, a nice bathroom with walk in shower and a small porch with comfy chairs facing the mountains and meadows. It was a few miles outside the park but had a restaurant onsite. The restaurant had generous portions of well-prepared food with friendly service. This inn also had a campground and general store.
The slightly quirky find of Bumbleberry Inn in Springdale was our Zion park hotel. Springdale operates a free shuttle service to the park and one of the stops is in front of the Bumbleberry Inn. The inn also includes breakfast vouchers for Wildcat Willie's - a great breakfast place! Although the room was spare and not large, it was clean and had a small patio looking out toward the mountains - great view.
These good finds were priced from $105, $140, and $122 respectively and I would recommend them to any travelers. When we travel out west, we encounter the Best Western chain and we stayed there in two different locations. They were both updated and provided a really nice breakfast and very helpful hotel clerks. One even upgraded us to a suite just because.
We stayed a few days in Taos NM and I picked an interesting inn just from their website. It was called Burch Street Casitas. The inn consists of just four casitas. Each one has a bedroom and bathroom and a living room/kitchen. The kitchen has all the utensils and dishes you need to cook for yourself. This is a huge money saver. It was very comfortable and homey and I would recommend it to those who, like me, want to have a more home-like setting and control over food prep.
Probably our oddest hotel experience was the Four Corners Inn in Blanding UT. We wanted to drive to visit the Four Corners Monument and take the obligatory tourist shot of us standing in four states. Then we were driving on to Zion. There were not many hotels (3), so I just chose one. It was old but clean and basic. There was only one restaurant in town! The inn was owned by a family and they had a picture of mom and dad (the original owners) arriving in Blanding in the 40's. Blanding is a very small town and it is surprising that they even have three hotels that can stay open. Even with a few hotels and a restaurant, it felt very isolated.
Our experiences taught me a few things. I need to do research - it paid off. I need to think about our travel dates and see if we are staying in any college towns at the start of the school year. Book ahead in those locations to get the best rate. If we want to not book every night ahead, we need to stay in small cities or towns to control lodging costs and we need to just keep driving if the rates are not good. It is pretty easy to find good food everywhere - even vegetarian options, but not enough whole grains are served as common practice. Country music is popular in way too many places.
I love road trips. It gives us the chance to really see our country. We are gaining knowledge about the different states and about the vastness of open spaces still out there. It helps keep us from generalizing about people from different locations, because there are friendly, helpful people everywhere. That person to person contact builds our sense of community. I'm glad to be home, but I'm looking forward to our next trip.
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