Motels and Hotels that rock! (STAY AT THESE!)

[Jason Boggs]

Might as well create a thread of some lodging establishments to stay at during the season. Of course we have a Don't stay at these motels/hotels thread, so I guess it's good to have some positive places to stay during the year. I don't stay at motels/hotels very often, but I can vouch for the Comfort Inn in Dodge City, KS. I stayed there in 08 with Jay McCoy and it was nothing but great. Clean with free breakfast and speedy WIFI. Definitely would stay there again when staying in Dodge.

EDIT: Was trying to remember the Motel I stayed at when I was in Hutchinson, KS last year. The Microtel Inn and Suites in Hutchinson was a nice place to stay at. It was very clean and had free WIFI with restaurants and gas stations close by. I really enjoyed my stay there.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

I keep a spreadsheet of hotels that impressed me and I have two listed from last year:

1) The New Victorian Inn in Beatrice. Super nice owner that was very meticulous. Very good breakfast for the price range and strong wi-fi throughout the hotel. 2009 prices were $44.99 before tax/$51.37 after tax.

2) The Deluxe Inn in Nebraska City. Pretty good rooms considering the price. Strong wi-fi signal. $38 before tax. (I forgot to document the after-tax price)

Bryan

 

[Paul Sherman]

Gotta Big Up the Days Inn @ Childress. Stayed there about 5 times last year when the Set Ups were in the Tx Panhandles 29th April / May 1st / May 5th / May 12th etc. The guy that runs it is competing with the Hampton Inn across the road that Vortex2 were using and has refurbished all the rooms, Wifi is at break neck speed and he even gave us a crate of Bud's when we rolled in for the fifth time. Very Nice Family run Mexican Restaurant next door and 24 hour Walmart across the road.

Best Western in Dumas is also nice with huuuuge rooms and great Swimming pool and Jacuzzi with room rates at $65

Paul Sherman

 

[Mike Smith]

Hyatt Wichita and Marriott Wichita. The latter has talked about having a "storm chaser" rate (the sales manager is the friend of mine).

Also, "Hyatt Places" are usually superb values for the money.

 

[David Drummond]

Gotta Big Up the Days Inn @ Childress. Stayed there about 5 times last year when the Set Ups were in the Tx Panhandles 29th April / May 1st / May 5th / May 12th etc. The guy that runs it is competing with the Hampton Inn across the road that Vortex2 were using and has refurbished all the rooms, Wifi is at break neck speed and he even gave us a crate of Bud's when we rolled in for the fifth time. Very Nice Family run Mexican Restaurant next door and 24 hour Walmart across the road.

Best Western in Dumas is also nice with huuuuge rooms and great Swimming pool and Jacuzzi with room rates at $65

Paul Sherman

I'll vouch for that one too. Great place and beds are very comfortable, and yeah the Mexican food next door is GREAT!

 

[Skip Talbot]

I've noticed many times on a big day, the name brand places right off the highway usually sell out pretty quickly. What's worked for me is to do a Google maps search of hotels/motels in the immediate area. There is almost always a mom and pop's place on the edge of town or in the next town that is completely open. Its always an adventure staying at these places because you never know what you are going to get. Usually they are a little run down or smell like mothballs, but I have yet to find a really bad one yet.

Our best catch was the Prime 8 in Russel, KS where we stayed the night of the Quinter day on May 23, 2008. We didn't think anything of the name at first, but later found it was so named because they have caged monkeys in the back of the motel. When we told the lady making up our room that we were storm chasers she said she had a similar hobby, she was a "ghost hunter." Ah, what a fun night that was.

 

[Mark Blue]

The Courtyard in Denton TX is about as good as I've ever seen (Marriott property). My wife and I stayed there last May 26th after the storm that Vortex 2 chased that same day that split from one into two cells. We are both federal government employees so we get a $70 per diem rate. A lot of you are probably thinking that's way high, but the design of the hotel is Danish, or what you'd see in a Scandinavian Design furniture store. Everything was basically brand new and was the best deal for the money I've seen in recent years. Killer pillow top King sized bed, 32" LCD TV, integrated computer workstation with wired and wireless connections, in room mini-fridge, pretty much everything you can think of. If you're in the Dallas Ft Worth metro area check it out, you will not be disappointed!

One thing we like to do is find an old "motor inn" that has been fixed up as those are so easy to back the car up to and unload at night. The bonus is that it makes it easy to get in and out in the morning as well.

 

[Anthony Silver]

Never had a bad experience at Residence Inn's. They have a full breakfast buffet every morning, and free WiFi in the main lobby areas. Also, they have really good rates for those with AAA memberships.

Some other decent (cheap) ones are Super 8 in Moore, OK, and Holiday Inn Express in Midwest City. Super 8 has free in-room WiFi.

 

[MatthewCarman]

For those interested all Microtell hotels have stepup chairs for little people created by little person Matt Rollof. It is really hard for a midget or dwarve to get into a bed but this chair makes it easy to walk up onto the bed and get down the same way. I think that is a pretty good idea and something most hotel chains do not have.

 

[Bryan Stokes]

For those interested all Microtell hotels have stepup chairs for little people created by little person Matt Rollof. It is really hard for a midget or dwarve to get into a bed but this chair makes it easy to walk up onto the bed and get down the same way. I think that is a pretty good idea and something most hotel chains do not have.

???

Ok. That is good to know!

 

[MatthewCarman]

???

Ok. That is good to know!

There may not be little people on this site but maybe someone has a friend who is a little person and would be interested in this.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Well if I ever take a midget chasing, I'll keep that in mind Matthew.

 

[Jason Foster]

1) The New Victorian Inn in Beatrice. Super nice owner that was very meticulous. Very good breakfast for the price range and strong wi-fi throughout the hotel. 2009 prices were $44.99 before tax/$51.37 after tax.

Yes! This one is my favorite too. The kitchen/self-serve area of the breakfast is well stocked and the ladies that operate that hotel are extremely nice. And the price is great. I also believe that being a mom&pop style much of the profits stay in town. Of course I don't mind if when chasers use Marriot hotels as those profits and funds come back here to Maryland and even help fund the local community college (where I took my one met class).

 

[Jeff Passner]

From experience last year in Colorado, it's REALLY difficult to find anything on I-25 on the weekends in June. PUB, COS, TAD all were booked. I found a terrible place in PUB that I still have nighmares over... As for good places, Comfort Inns are usually good but a little overpriced. I like Days Inns too. The Holiday Inn Expresses are nice but very expensive. What you like and don't like is just a matter of taste. I thought the Comfort Inn in Vega, Texas was a great value. I often stay at the Days Inn in Plainview but they jacked up the price last year.

 

[Jason Caster]

I used Priceline last year for all of my hotels during my chasecation. Most nights I stayed in a 4 star hotel for less than $50 after taxes. Hotels included mostly Hyatt Regencies and Hyatt Places, with a few resort locations winning my bid. The bigger the city, the better the chance of getting a smoking deal.