Insane motel room prices

[PF52]

As someone who worked at a Best Western plus for seven years it truly depends on location, time of year and whether or not it's a college town.

+2

I sometimes stay in St. Augustine FL and the price difference between the downtown Best Western location and the one outside of town by I-95 is about double. But one is walking distance from all the touristy spots, and the other isn't.

My last overnight stay was in Fostoria Ohio where the only real options are Best Western or a couple little roach-infested local spots. Or else in nearby towns like Lima or Findlay. So I think that particular Best Western tends to run on the expensive side.

I'm a Best Western "Platinum" member so I like getting points.

 

[Astro14]

I should add that I stay in a lot of hotels. I’m currently a Hilton Diamond. Marriott/Bonvoy Titanium and lifetime Platinum.

 

[CKN]

The when and where was basically anytime within the last 3 years or so, and everywhere I've booked a room, it's not always the same place...

OK-so basically hotel rooms generally are more than you want to pay. So you know what your options are-Im not stating the obvious.

 

[MNgopher]

The short simple answer is simply hotels are charging what people will pay. The OP believes what the general hotel using clientele is willing to pay is too much...

In the last year I've stayed in nice, name brand hotels (typically Marriott family, Hilton Family, or IHG Family) for under $100 several times. I've paid over $300 in another case... (For that matter I paid over $400 for the smallest Hampton Inn room I've ever stayed in, but that was the going rate for the market and time of year).

Dates matter. Location Matters. And what is driving the price may be completely unknown to to you, but certainly reflects the demand of whatever event it is.

As an example, I'm currently booking rooms for Volleyball tournaments for one of my kids... We are paying a "reasonable rate" of around $150 a night. Same hotel class and location open booking is north of $400 - because this tournament is bringing in literally hundreds of teams from out of state...

Same deal for a hockey tournament another kid is playing in... We pay a reasonable group rate. Open rack rate is north of $300. In Minnesota. In the Winter. In a non-descript anywhere type of town.

 

[andrew_j]

Rent has climbed an enough/scarce availability that people seeking temporary places get long term motel/hotel stays. Also modern eBooking systems keep the rooms rented even a lower motels.

 

[PandaBear]

If the usual price is high that means that location is expensive (downtown in a big city near conference centers, etc). If the price is suddenly high for everyone that means an event is going on (conference, sport game, concert, etc). If only one hotel in the area is expensive then something is mismanaged and they will be out of business very quickly.

I don't see why we are so angry. This happens and you either change travel location, travel date, or stay maybe 30 mins to 1 hr away and just "commute". It's just business and if everyone is this price then it means it is the "fair" market price. Sure I love to drive a Tesla Model S everyday too but I don't want to pay for it, I am not angry at Tesla or other Tesla buyers though.

 

[grampi]

OK-so basically hotel rooms generally are more than you want to pay. So you know what your options are-Im not stating the obvious.

I believe I stated one of my options in my OP, which is to not travel...

 

[grampi]

The OPs post was useless....just wanted to rant. We don't even know if it's valid. Depending on his choice of destination and if it is/was a peak time in season or a special event.

Can you EVER post without being nasty?

 

[grampi]

The additional fees are another ball buster. You think you're getting a room for $150 a night, but by the time they add in all of the taxes, and other additional fees, you end up paying over $200...

 

[emmett442]

There's a reason CKN has 11k non-technical, uninspiring posts on here. We all know it's not because he's so busy juggling time between parties with his plethora of friends

 

[CKN]

Can you EVER post without being nasty?

It wasn't meant to be nasty. It was an observation-a correct one. You seem to book hotel rooms in the Twilight Zone. The rest of us are getting lower prices. So unless you are trying to book a hotel room next to Disney World (or the like) in July-in the middle of the tourist season-something is wrong.

 

[Nukeman7]

The additional fees are another ball buster. You think you're getting a room for $150 a night, but by the time they add in all of the taxes, and other additional fees, you end up paying over $200...

I think all of us in this BITOG thread can agree with that statement!

 

[GSCJR]

The additional fees are another ball buster. You think you're getting a room for $150 a night, but by the time they add in all of the taxes, and other additional fees, you end up paying over $200...

....and don't forget the parking fee.

 

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

The cost of motel rooms has gone beyond ridiculous. It's gotten to where you can't even get a flee infested dump for less than $200 a night. This is one area where prices have gone up far beyond the inflation rate. WTH is driving these insane price increases? My wife and I love to travel, but these prices make traveling far too expensive...

Yeah, tell me about it.

My daughter is in her 2nd to last semester of Resp Therapy program, she's having to to two clinical days each week at a hospital. These are regular hospital shifts, 7-7, be there about 6:30 to park, walk, check-in, etc. Leave about 7:15 pm...

The hospitals can be 90+ minutes away from where she lives/goes to school. I've tried to get her a hotel room in the past, paying $160-170/night. I couldn't do it lately.

Add this to the already insane costs of college and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready for mid-May 2024 to get here. I have made it widely known that my daughter has ONE, ONE, ONE priority in life for the next 6-1/2 months - to graduate and get licensed in RT in two states. I am over college. So over it. 6 years, over $165k, for a public, in-state school bachelor's degree. I am SOOOOO over the college experience.

 

[VolvoZ]

I travel a bit for work. Often the AAA (the auto club) rate is better than the government rate. If you travel a lot, get a AAA membership. The membership can pay for itself in just one hotel night savings.

 

[PF52]

.... he's so busy juggling time between parties with his plethora of friends

You mean those parties where they join hands and sing Kumbaya?

 

[Dave Hess]

I really don’t care the price as long as it’s in a nice(r) area and not a Red Roof Inn.

 

[fdcg27]

Many factors involved, including the number of properties in the general area, the quality of the property and whatever events may be going on locally that have a large draw as well as the season. Certainly a stay on any Caribbean island would cost less in July than it would in January and so would the airfare to get there.
We've generally been able to find nice places for well under $200.00.
If I shared the price of a really nice hotel in either Istanbul or Tbilisi you'd all cry, so location does matter, although both markets do have a lot of properties and we were traveling in September.

 

[grampi]

It wasn't meant to be nasty. It was an observation-a correct one. You seem to book hotel rooms in the Twilight Zone. The rest of us are getting lower prices. So unless you are trying to book a hotel room next to Disney World (or the like) in July-in the middle of the tourist season-something is wrong.

There are plenty of people who have said they also have experienced the insanely high room rates. You act like I'm the only one who has. You even seem to be implying that I'm making this stuff up. If you don't think you've been nasty, then you must be from NY...

 

[Rand]

There are plenty of people who have said they also have experienced the insanely high room rates. You act like I'm the only one who has. You even seem to be implying that I'm making this stuff up. If you don't think you've been nasty, then you must be from NY...

Plenty have people have experienced higher prices but that's not what you said.
Incase you forgot already I have this handy quote here:

The cost of motel rooms has gone beyond ridiculous.

You didnt say "I couldnt find a room downtown" or I couldnt find a room 5miles out.. or I couldnt find a room during taylor swift's concert ..... you said:

It's gotten to where you can't even get a flee infested dump for less than $200 a night.

Which I and many in this thread... disagree with.