Things to know
Our experience with hotels in the USA
Pre-book hotels from home or spontaneously on vacation?
The big question we get asked again and again. Unfortunately, it is not so easy to answer and depends very much on what type of traveler you are. If you book everything in advance, you don't have to worry about accommodation and you don't waste time looking for a hotel. But you may not be quite as flexible.
Until about 6 years ago, we never pre-booked a hotel. This had the great advantage that we could decide completely freely, virtually day by day where we wanted to go next. Even at the hotspots we never had a problem to get rooms for the same day. Unfortunately, the situation has changed a lot since then. Especially in very popular areas it is impossible to get a room spontaneously without reservations.This is especially true for the very popular destinations in the Southwest like Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, etc. In recent years, we have also gained the impression that the rooms tend to become more expensive over time and it is often worth booking the rooms months in advance.
Therefore, we would recommend anyone who can plan ahead to book the hotels and motels before the vacation. If you book online, you can usually book all hotels cancelable, so you keep some spontaneity. Another great advantage of booking in advance is the ability to look at reviews and the location of the hotel beforehand via the Internet. For those who can't plan ahead, we would recommend knowing where you want to be in the evening and reserving a hotel in the morning if possible. This way you avoid having to search on site and in the worst case not getting anything. For those who have never been to the US, or are planning to stay around the highlights of the Southwest, we would definitely recommend pre-booking hotels.
Chain motel or independent motel?
Chain Motels: The big advantage is a mostly similar standard. Of course, there are also different categories, but within a chain, you usually know what to expect. In most cases, you can count on finding a clean and tidy room.
There is something for literally every budget. For example, Motel 6 is very functional and simple, but you usually get a cheap room. If you prefer a little more equipment and maybe a breakfast, you are in good hands with the hotels of Best Western or Choice Hotels. The motels of the Hilton chain such as Hampton Inn or Hilton Garden Inn usually offer a little more comfort, but are more expensive then.
Another advantage of chain hotels are the reward programs. By staying in the same hotel chain, you get points that can then be used for free nights, for example. There are some advantages and amenities that such programs offer. We can recommend here especially the Best Western Rewards and the Hilton Honor program. If you keep your eyes open, you can often find discount codes for various chains on the Internet.
Independent Motels: Independent motels are actually always small surprise bags, because you never really know what to expect. The advantage for us is the more personal and individual atmosphere that you usually find in such houses. Nothing is standardized like in chain hotels. Often you can also park directly in front of the door, which is very practical, because you can carry your luggage directly from the trunk into the room.
What you ultimately choose also often depends on the price and availability. Sometimes places are so remote that you can't find chain motels. Or you decide consciously for a free motel in special places. Often free motels are also cheaper. Since the free motels are always very individual, it is also the houses to which one usually still remembers after years. Individual chain motels are more likely to be forgotten.
Travel agency or Internet - Where do we book?
We have actually almost never booked our hotels at a travel agency. Since we book all the hotels in advance, we book them either through a travel portal, or directly with the hotels. The main reason for this is that the hotels in the travel agency are usually no longer cancelable. If you book hotels via booking portals or directly with the hotel, there are almost always very flexible cancellation conditions. Experience shows that people often enough take advantage of this option. Rescheduling is relatively frequent for us, so we remain flexible. Even frequent cancellations are no problem at all.
If you want to save a few euros, you can do without the cancellation option and pay the hotels at the time of booking. In doing so, one is then fixed, but gets away cheaper.