Taking a road trip can be very exciting but it surely needs a lot of planning before you start your journey, having a proper itinerary in place is a nice way to get a head start on your long road trail. First off, you need to do some real good homework like reading proper reviews about relevant hotels, motels, hostels and B&Bs available for your nights stay at the various scheduled stopovers, making a bucket list of things for your adventure and landmarks activities on your road trip, researching local food cuisines and identifying the best restaurants for eating out and identifying National Parks for temporary camping. The list may go on but the scope of this article limits me to give you some insightful information on best motel chains in the USA for your road trips.
When it comes to accommodation the US has its own way of addressing the boarding and lodging needs of its motorists traveling by car, the concept of Motel got introduced in the USA in the year 1925. America is the pioneer for introducing the Motel concept to the world, today we can find them even in continents like Europe, Asia and Africa The word Motel as you can see echoes the words Motorist and Hotel, so it makes complete sense to see a Motel as a resting place for motorists travelling on the highways. Motels are generally found on the highways and in the downtowns of the cities, and are a cheaper option than staying in a Hotel for your accommodation. That said, cheap hostels and B&Bs are cheaper than Motels but you are more likely to find these affordable Motels more than the other type of accommodations at your stopovers on the highways. The upsides of a Motel are they are cheaper because of limited services, you get a free parking space for your car and most of them allow pets inside their premises. The downsides are you will not find all the amenities that you will be getting from the more expensive Star Hotels like Swimming pool, Jacuzzi, Conference room, Restaurant, room service to name a few.
In the remainder of my blog I will cover the best budget Motel chains of America for US travelers.
Motel 6
Motel 6 is the cheapest Motel chain that offers basic boarding and lodging facilities to its patrons. If budget is the main constraints for you then we recommend you to choose this for your night’s stay, the USP of this motel chain is keeping the prices low and affordable with no compromise on the basic comforts. This is the only chain of Motels that charges extra for access to mobile internet connectivity, you can use your cash, credit / debit card options to make payments for your stay.
Super 8
Photo courtesy: money.cnn.com
Super 8 is also a budget Motel chain that boasts of having more than 2000 locations worldwide. Super 8 also uses the same USP like Motel 6 to position itself in the competitive market of Motels, but this Motel chain has something more to offer to its patrons like you can access free internet connectivity and breakfast comes included in the price you pay.
Travelodge
Photo courtesy: Orbitz.com
Travelodge is one of the first Motel chains introduced in the USA, probably one of the best Motel chains that give superb accommodation facilities to its patrons. Check into one of these if you are looking for modern rooms, their standard rooms are equipped with 2 king size beds, a fridge, a spacious desk, a TV and free mobile internet connectivity. We suggest Travelodge for your boarding and lodging during a stopover and mind you the luxury you get here is slightly on the higher end so you must be prepared to pay a few extra dollars here.
America’s Best Value Inn
America’s Best Value Inn is known for maintaining high quality service and the brand name speaks for itself. The rooms are clean and comfortable and the breakfast which is inclusive of the room rent is the highlight of this Motel, offers one of best breakfast for motorists checking into their hotels. Apart from breakfast you also get free mobile internet connectivity, free parking space for your car and a self serving laundry machine for washing your clothes, all these facilities are inclusive if the price you pay for renting the room.
Econo Lodge
Econo Lodge is an economy motel based in the United States and Canada. Most of the Econo Lodge Motels are found on major roads while you are traveling on your road trip and the USA alone is home to 1000 of them. The highlight of this hotel is an all inclusive fare that includes breakfast as part of the deal.