Hotels, Go Cheap or Splurge for Luxury

[LivingAlmostLarge]

From Los Angeles to Tijuana is a 150 mile drive each way. When I get there I like to take a shower before and after visiting the gentlemen's clubs. I know this is a family site so I'll keep it as tame as possible. And after having intercourse with 2 women (separately, not at the same time but I never say never and maybe in the future), and after having a few drinks, I like to sleep it off before driving back home. So, there you go James why I stay the night in Tijuana. BTW, James if you'd like to have the time of your life meet me there one day and you'll be making the trip once month or more. I began going once a month, now I go every week. In the future, I want to move to San Diego or even move to maybe Ensenada or Rosarito beach in Mexico in the future. I live like a king while in Mexico where my dollars go very far.

QMM are you my cousin? Probably. I lived enough years in San Diego, that I would say go down Ensanada or Rosarito it's much nicer. Although I personally would go to cancun becaus the water is nicer.

Okay back to the hotel question. I stopped 10 years ago literally when I booked based on price (recall we had no job) DH a hotel. He couldn't sleep because he thought there were blood stains on the floor and he'd be murdered in the room. This was in Buffalo New York. So he refused to ever stay somewhere sketchy again. He was afraid of sleeping in the car he'd be mugged. That same summer we stayed at our last motel 6

So the line? Hell to the no are we risking our lives anymore. Now how do i judge that? We can stay at a Courtyard (he just did that) instead of the marriott across the street. We stay at Best western or holiday inn. We do cheaper but reputable hotels NOT motels.

[Like2Plan]

Last year I was targeting $100/night rate (plus tax) at Marriott properties while was focusing on finishing off my lifetime Platinum qualification. With that accomplished I am a little more discerning. I now focus a little bit more on location and amenities. I recently stayed at a Courtyard in Santa Barbara, CA and paid about $307 all in (for just one night!)

One thing I do is check back to see if I can get a better rate closer to the time of arrival. I can use a senior discount or a AAA rate, so I always check both. In the case of Santa Barbara, the rate was originally 383.00, so I saved some $$ by checking.

[kork13]

QMM are you my cousin? Probably. I lived enough years in San Diego, that I would say go down Ensanada or Rosarito it's much nicer. Although I personally would go to cancun becaus the water is nicer.

Okay back to the hotel question. I stopped 10 years ago literally when I booked based on price (recall we had no job) DH a hotel. He couldn't sleep because he thought there were blood stains on the floor and he'd be murdered in the room. This was in Buffalo New York. So he refused to ever stay somewhere sketchy again. He was afraid of sleeping in the car he'd be mugged. That same summer we stayed at our last motel 6

So the line? Hell to the no are we risking our lives anymore. Now how do i judge that? We can stay at a Courtyard (he just did that) instead of the marriott across the street. We stay at Best western or holiday inn. We do cheaper but reputable hotels NOT motels.

Haha that's great, and very similar to my story. I was doing a long trip from OK to UT with my DW (then-fiancee), and being cheap 20-something's, we stopped at a fleabag motel off the highway for some sleep. It was terrible -- unidentifiable stains on more surfaces than you'd want to imagine, dilapidated overall, and one of the beds we refused to use because it looked ..... just disgusting. That was one of the turning points for us, and have gravitated toward the legitimate mid-grade hotels. Motels are a hard pass for us.

[jenn_jenn]

Definitely no motels for us either. We’ll happily pay for a safe and clean place to stay.

[disneysteve]

Where do you fall on the spectrum? Do you mind a dirt bag hotel or do you prefer to pay for luxury. Do you draw a line between one night or multiple? So long as I don't get mugged, make it hope with all four tires, and no bed bugs i think I'm fine.

Years ago when we were young and broke, we went with what was affordable, like the $19.95/night EconoLodge on the outskirts of town. As our means changed, so did our hotel choices. We prefer hotels over motels. I can't recall the last time we stayed in a motel.

As for budget or luxury, it all depends on the destination, the purpose of the trip, the length of stay, and who is going. If it's just a night or two, most any decent place is fine. We are partial to Marriott properties being Lifetime Gold Elite members (about to get our Lifetime Platinum status). But that can be anything from a plain room at a Fairfield Inn to a suite in a higher end hotel.

If we are just stopping for the night on a road trip, like driving to/from Florida, basic and cheap is the goal. If we're on vacation, it depends on the location. Some places we want to be right in the heart of the action; other places that doesn't really apply. For example, when we went to Alexandria, VA a few months ago, we stayed at a Marriott Autograph Collection property right in the midst of Old Town. Everything we wanted to see and do was in walking distance which was great. On the other hand, when we went to Willow Grove, PA last month, there was no one central location so where the hotel was was less important as long as it was in the general vicinity. When I drive down to NC to deliver china by myself, I take the cheapest hotel room I can find. When my wife came along and we spent a few days there, we moved up a level to a place with more amenities.

So basically, no motels anymore and anything from budget to luxury hotels depending on the situation.

The most we have ever spent for a hotel room anywhere was when we stayed at Disney's Contemporary Resort in 2021 for the 50th anniversary. That ran us $700/night (maybe $800, I forget now). It was obscene and I would never do it again but I'm glad that we did for that particular trip because I wanted to be able to walk to the Magic Kingdom and it was ideal for that purpose.

[disneysteve]

One other thing is that we really favor rooms that have somewhere to sit besides the bed, so we generally get a place that also has a sofa and maybe a chair or two. We like SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn in the Marriott line.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Yeah the line of not being killed in a motel or parking lot of a motel is a very big line now. I'd like to enjoy our money we saved.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Not me but my brother, his wife, 10 yr old son, & 7 yr old daughter all stayed at Disneyland's Grand Californian for $699 a night for about 1 week. I visited them for a day and it was convenient where the hotel lobby had direct access to the California Adventure park.