Online motel bait and switch pricing.

A

atikovi

Joined
Apr 27, 2010
Messages
18,542
Location
Suburban Washington DC
I'm driving down to Augusta GA area on Thursday to deliver a car and was checking motel prices. So I see some fairly reasonable rates starting at $33,

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but when I click on the listing, none of them have that rate,

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I know they add taxes and fees, but still, the base rates are not what is first listed. And why can't you book a room with them directly? I didn't find a website for the motel. Wouldn't it be cheaper if they didn't have to pay a fee to the listing agents?
 
Also, as with airfares, there may be only a very limited number of rooms that are at the lowest price tier and they're already reserved.
 
I don't get it sometimes, but some online travel agents have better rates, although some might just be negotiated discounts.

I do remember once staying at a motel really cheap - might have been $30 a night. When I got there it was more or less what I expected it would be. It had clearly been repainted numerous times but was otherwise clean and well maintained even though everything looked old. But the sign in their website photo showed the brand new chain logo, but when I got there it was an older one. I've seen that quite a few times, but where the quality of the Photoshop work varies.
 
Ok, went directly to the Motel 6 website and found that there were no hidden fees or markups like at the travel sites. Place looks pretty decent for the $49 total price I booked it for.


I called the Super 8 as well and asked their rate. $78. I said that online sites have them for $42. Guy said I'd have to book online to get that rate. Real smart business move. Instead of matching that price I should book through a site that is going to tack on $15 in fees. No thanks.
 
A few years back I was travelling with my dog a couple times alone - back when not many hotels would take dogs like they do now. Once I pulled in and found a fairly new Motel 6 on the interstate that took dogs, and another time a fairly new LaQuinta (all of them take dogs I think). Nothing wrong with either. When staying for work now I often wonder if I am overpaying for the name?

I have stayed in some full service hotels in some fairly sketchy places, so you never really know till you get there.
 
Sometimes there are "3rd party rooms", "online rooms" and "will call rooms" all in separate inventories. It can pay to call the front desk local number at times, albeit, not this time.
 
Fitter30 said:
How can anyone rent a room for those prices? It's not there tied to casino or a timeshare. Motel 6 50 out from st.louis almost $80 two people with taxes.
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Just a guess but if 50 rooms are sold at $50 average, that's $2500 gross for the night. A manager and desk clerk for 2 shifts plus 2-3 maids, that's maybe $800 labor a day. Overhead in utilities, mortgage, taxes, another $800. That leaves $900 profit for the day.
 
SC Maintenance said:
A few years back I was travelling with my dog a couple times alone - back when not many hotels would take dogs like they do now. Once I pulled in and found a fairly new Motel 6 on the interstate that took dogs, and another time a fairly new LaQuinta (all of them take dogs I think). Nothing wrong with either. When staying for work now I often wonder if I am overpaying for the name?

I have stayed in some full service hotels in some fairly sketchy places, so you never really know till you get there.
Click to expand...

I stayed in a Motel 6 cheap once on short notice - no reservation. Was really tired and couldn’t drive any more even though it was less than an hour to get home. Didn’t want to risk it and coffee wasn’t doing it for me. Might have been a base rate of $35 a night in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, I didn’t complain (but probably should have) that the base of the bed smelled like ripe dog urine.

Reservation prices can be odd. One time we just had to stop and rest going home on I-5 in California going home, but checked prices at this motel on a mobile device while having dinner at a fast food place. It was a bit odd trying to find it because it had a rebrand in progress and signs hadn’t changed. The price was fine, but we didn’t book immediately and went into the lobby where the clerk quote a lower price. He said that sometime they have better walk-in prices, but of course that also runs into the possibility that they’re fully booked.
 
atikovi said:
That's why I upgraded my choice from the $35 Masters Inn to this $40 Motel 6. :ROFLMAO:

Looks ok to me for one night,

View attachment 192853

View attachment 192854

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I paid an extra $5 once at a hotel to get a much better room/location. It was at the Circus Circus Las Vegas, which admittedly isn’t the finest lodging, but more than acceptable during a road trip. It was $45 for their “Manor” room, which was this sad looking motor lodge in the back, which is a previously independent motel that they bought and added. But it was $50 a “tower” room, although it wasn’t in their main building. Judging by reviews of the “Manor”, that was a good choice to spring for the extra $5.
 
Finding a motel/hotel room for less than $150 a night has become something of a challenge. Prefer not to stay in dumps although I miss the old magic fingers beds.
 
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