What is the best site to use to find hotels / motels while we are touring the West Coast? Is it worth using something like Expedia or just using that to find likely places and phone ahead to book direct?
Hi,
I typically use booking dot com to get prices but then call direct to facility before booking anything because most decent hotels nowadays will price match once you tell them the "discount sites" price. Worse case scenario is they do not price match and then you book at booking dot com.
Sincerely,
Theis
I typically use booking dot com to get prices but then call direct to facility before booking anything because most decent hotels nowadays will price match once you tell them the "discount sites" price. Worse case scenario is they do not price match and then you book at booking dot com.
Sincerely,
Theis
Go all the way with the west coast experience. Sleep in your car and crap on the sidewalk.
If CA is anything like MA and I know MA tries to outdo CA.....
Beware of any "affordable" hotels as the state likely buys up blocks of rooms to warehouse people.
I feel for travelling families that end up just trying to get an affordable room and they end up in our local Super 8/Motel 6 in a room next to a bunch of heroin users.
Or worse yet they get the room just vacated by a bunch of heroin users.
If your room has a certain "smell", a smell you cant describe but your sense tells you you are in the presence of something unclean.......go elsewhere.
Beware of any "affordable" hotels as the state likely buys up blocks of rooms to warehouse people.
I feel for travelling families that end up just trying to get an affordable room and they end up in our local Super 8/Motel 6 in a room next to a bunch of heroin users.
Or worse yet they get the room just vacated by a bunch of heroin users.
If your room has a certain "smell", a smell you cant describe but your sense tells you you are in the presence of something unclean.......go elsewhere.
Used Airbnb to book a four bedroom house for our first week in LA, after the rest of the family goes home it will only be two of us and mainly only one or two nights.
Just be wary of bedbugs.....not kidding.
I'll not soon forget our trip to the Keys in April of 2017.
On return trip traffic on I95 held us up and ended up having to overnight at the Red Roof Inn in Yemassee,SC. The Hampton Inn was litterally next door, but didn't have the rooms we needed, they were booked up. I usually stay at the higher end lodgings like Hampton Inn.
Upon waking the next morning my elderly mother found a bedbug on her bedding. I went a tad berserk. Complaints to the manager were met with indifference. They basically said we probably brought them with us. I'm not saying that's impossible, but my 84 year old mother remembers when bedbugs were a real issue back in the post Depression South. She is OCD about such things on a trip, and had went over our lodgings in the Keys with a fine tooth comb the first few days we were there, so I pretty well ruled that out.
Long story short, I wouldn't let anyone put any luggage or brought bedding in the cab of my truck after we checked out of the Red Bedbug Inn.
I threatened to burn all our clothes before they could come in the house, but Momma and the wife wenthrough everything in the yard, and put it straight in the steam wash, and high heat dryer.
I know you live where everything that bites will kill you dead, but once you get bedbugs they are damn hard to get rid of without fire.
I use HomeAway, VRBO, and if I stay at a hotel, I'll usually pick a high end joint in a good part of town. Hapton Inn is usually a safe bet, and I've always been pleased with their service.
I'll not soon forget our trip to the Keys in April of 2017.
On return trip traffic on I95 held us up and ended up having to overnight at the Red Roof Inn in Yemassee,SC. The Hampton Inn was litterally next door, but didn't have the rooms we needed, they were booked up. I usually stay at the higher end lodgings like Hampton Inn.
Upon waking the next morning my elderly mother found a bedbug on her bedding. I went a tad berserk. Complaints to the manager were met with indifference. They basically said we probably brought them with us. I'm not saying that's impossible, but my 84 year old mother remembers when bedbugs were a real issue back in the post Depression South. She is OCD about such things on a trip, and had went over our lodgings in the Keys with a fine tooth comb the first few days we were there, so I pretty well ruled that out.
Long story short, I wouldn't let anyone put any luggage or brought bedding in the cab of my truck after we checked out of the Red Bedbug Inn.
I threatened to burn all our clothes before they could come in the house, but Momma and the wife wenthrough everything in the yard, and put it straight in the steam wash, and high heat dryer.
I know you live where everything that bites will kill you dead, but once you get bedbugs they are damn hard to get rid of without fire.
I use HomeAway, VRBO, and if I stay at a hotel, I'll usually pick a high end joint in a good part of town. Hapton Inn is usually a safe bet, and I've always been pleased with their service.
hotwire.com has been the best if you are not too picky,, you pick an area, they list 4 hotels and a price. If you say yes, they give you one of the hotels.
It turned up cheaper than expedia on a recent road trip
for more than 2 nights- AirBNB or VRBO seem to work for homes.
With a hotel, you can get another room with a different bed. with Air BNB you are stuck with the mattresses in someone house
It turned up cheaper than expedia on a recent road trip
for more than 2 nights- AirBNB or VRBO seem to work for homes.
With a hotel, you can get another room with a different bed. with Air BNB you are stuck with the mattresses in someone house
Have not seen hotwire, will have a look when I get home in a couple of hours, too hard on the phone while I am working.
A couple of things. For me price is 2nd on the list. Not unimportant, just put location\quality ahead of price.
I do not travel much, so when I do I perfer to try for the best experience I can afford.
Couple years ago I missed my flight home. I had to stay an extra day. The rental car companies would not re-rent me a vehicle just walking in. I had a car 15 min prior (missed flight by about 3 min).
I dont really do the UBER/Lift thing. I like to be in control.
So I went from Hertz, to Dollar, to Budget and no one would give me a car. At the Budget counter the employee mentioned almost in passing that his manager told him "no walk up customers today".
Something clicked and I got on my phone, logged on to Expedia and it showed they all had plenty of vehicles. Booked one right there on Expedia, turned around showed him my phone with booking number and he gave me a set of keys.
I was sort of pissed, but if that is how they want to play.
I do not travel much, so when I do I perfer to try for the best experience I can afford.
Couple years ago I missed my flight home. I had to stay an extra day. The rental car companies would not re-rent me a vehicle just walking in. I had a car 15 min prior (missed flight by about 3 min).
I dont really do the UBER/Lift thing. I like to be in control.
So I went from Hertz, to Dollar, to Budget and no one would give me a car. At the Budget counter the employee mentioned almost in passing that his manager told him "no walk up customers today".
Something clicked and I got on my phone, logged on to Expedia and it showed they all had plenty of vehicles. Booked one right there on Expedia, turned around showed him my phone with booking number and he gave me a set of keys.
I was sort of pissed, but if that is how they want to play.
To Vent- The industry looks divers- but Expedia owns many of the competitors...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedia_Group
Expedia
Trip Advisor
eLong
Hotels.com
Hotwire.com
Trivago
Via Travel
woitif.com
travelocity
orbitz
wingz
etc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedia_Group
Expedia
Trip Advisor
eLong
Hotels.com
Hotwire.com
Trivago
Via Travel
woitif.com
travelocity
orbitz
wingz
etc
Barn-
there is an app called Hotels Tonight. They would with non franchise hotels to post rooms relatively cheap too
We stopped at the Madonna Inn on our way back to LA. It was 8:30 and we needed 3 rooms. It would have been about $1,000
not worth it... went onto Hotwire (also owned by expedia) and found a hotel down the street for cheap... If I am on a road trip and we need to stop, I don't need a nice place- 4-5 diamond- to crash out for the night
there is an app called Hotels Tonight. They would with non franchise hotels to post rooms relatively cheap too
We stopped at the Madonna Inn on our way back to LA. It was 8:30 and we needed 3 rooms. It would have been about $1,000
not worth it... went onto Hotwire (also owned by expedia) and found a hotel down the street for cheap... If I am on a road trip and we need to stop, I don't need a nice place- 4-5 diamond- to crash out for the night
This trip is coming up soon, right?
Safe travels to you and yours Barn!
Safe travels to you and yours Barn!
Thanks mate, we arrive in two weeks.
Spent a couple of hours looking at the hotwire site last night, looks pretty good. After the first two weeks in LA and Vegas we will not be planning too far ahead except to try and catch up with some of you guys when you have free time. Will have a local cell phone number after we arrive, will update a post on here with our intentions.
Thanks for all the help so far guys.
Spent a couple of hours looking at the hotwire site last night, looks pretty good. After the first two weeks in LA and Vegas we will not be planning too far ahead except to try and catch up with some of you guys when you have free time. Will have a local cell phone number after we arrive, will update a post on here with our intentions.
Thanks for all the help so far guys.
