As someone whose previous line of work was in the hotel industry, I have to say I find it very funny how many people, with the backlash against Airbnb, are just now discovering that extended stay hotels with full kitchens and multi-bedroom suites exist.
Hilton's Homewood Suites and Marriott's Towneplace Suites have been a thing for decades, then there's Extended Stay America and all sorts of other options, too.
Seemingly many people feel that Airbnb unlocked a new travel option for families but like, no. You just weren't looking that hard.
In fairness, the hotel industry apparently did a poor job marketing them. And rates were historically higher than Airbnb.
@TechConnectify Even for short trips I enjoy Stay Americas. Cheap, and more of the utilitarian home base I want during a conference than a plush hotel room.
@TechConnectify I've definitely used and mostly liked using several Extended Stays around Chicago, but they haven't really brought the Close to Amenities, Furniture Doesn't Constantly Remind You You're In A Hotel juice
I stayed in one for a few months about a decade ago, and it was serviceable. Like, not awesome, but meh. There were little annoying things like there wasn't enough dishes. (We fixed that by getting some inexpensive dishes from Ikea, which we took home with us and still use to this day.) But I've definitely stayed in sleazier hotels.
@TechConnectify Many times, ~10 to 15 years ago, I blind-booked Extendsd Stay through Priceline or similar, at prices that were significantly less than a midlevel hotel (e.g. Holiday Inn). At that time, I checked the ESA website, and rates were about 3x higher. I believe their direct rates were targeting contract workers on expense accounts / per diems. Differential pricing at work.
As of today, it looks like my local ESA has dropped their rates a lot.
@scottmiller42 oh for sure, those hotels are built and staffed for long-term stays and those are the leads they really want.
They'll throw their last minute inventory on Hotwire etc. because heads in beds is worth more than unsold rooms (the industry refers to the inventory as "perishable" since you can't go back in time to sell it again) but they'll also try to milk those who specifically want that room type last-minute.
All about maximizing revenue and minimizing unsold rooms
@TechConnectify I totally agree, though my experience planning a road trip with a toddler to the Great Smoky Mountains for a wedding last fall was tougher than I had expected. I was able to find options by searching the Hilton and Marriott websites, but I had to do a lot of photo inspection to feel confident that I was getting a unit with two bedrooms separated by doors (for naps) instead of a studio unit with two beds.
@SweetLlamaMyth I know this is old fashioned, but if you ever have any doubts or a specific question about a hotel... call them!
They have people working there whose job it is to answer the phone and they'll gladly answer all your questions, and even book the room for you if you'd like.
Pro-tip: if you opt for this, ask if you're talking to the front desk. Some properties will forward you to central reservations if they're busy (and bad properties will do this by default)
@SweetLlamaMyth talking to the hotel directly is also a great way to ensure any specific needs are met. They can add notes to your reservation and alert staff of any special needs.
This is another reason I prefer hotels: they have staff who are accountable to you and they are actually there to help. And unless you're a jerk, they will want to help you.
@TechConnectify@SweetLlamaMyth I know, this isn't exactly comparable, but I once contacted a camping park (either by email or by phone, I don't know anymore), that I'm arriving later than expected and they were pretty chill about it.
@TechConnectify@SweetLlamaMyth I've almost never been able to reach the actual hotel in most cases for the last decade. Just automated central services
@joncruz@SweetLlamaMyth The hotel website should have a local phone number. Usually there is an automated phone tree with a welcome message, but if you press zero, it directs you right to the front desk. If you select the option for reservations, that will send you to central reservations.
Regardless, if you ask to speak to the front desk they should connect you there.
@joncruz@SweetLlamaMyth seriously, you should have a little more faith here. The agents at Central only have a script to go off. If you ask a weird question that they can't answer without contacting the hotel directly, they're going to patch you through to the hotel.
I just went through this rigamarole. Local number rang too many times, desk agents were probably busy. I got forwarded to Central but asked to speak to the front desk and was bounced back successfully
@joncruz@SweetLlamaMyth in this case, I called ahead to make sure they could accept a package for me. Because the central agent didn't know what the hotel's policies were, they had no choice but to put me on hold and passed me through to the desk.
The hospitality industry is still full of people that actually want to help people.
@TechConnectify Are the concepts of Homestay dead in the Western world? It's (now) pretty common across India. Someone hosts you in their home (real home) as a guest, you are provided a room, and you're served whatever they cook and so on. Many of them provide you a small kitchen too.
Have mushroomed a lot in our parts with subsidies from the government - they don't have to pay the taxes that hotels need to pay. Plus, it boosts tourism.
@fee_fi_fo_fum nope! Just an extremely curious nerd who couldn't find a way to apply my scattered interests to an actual job that pays money, so I studied hospitality management since I always liked hotels (and engineering courses looked very not-fun). Then I lucked my way into YouTube and the rest is history still being written!
@TechConnectify As a kid those were the places we spent our vacations at. They also were cheaper and I guess my parents disliked "personnel" being around looking after their wellbeing. (which I can somewhat relate to for vacations, as opposed to "business travel")
@TechConnectify as someone with allergies, I found that type of thing useful when I used to have to travel for work. A kitchen and a trip to a supermarket made knowing what you were eating a lot easier.
@TechConnectify The last time I traveled to SLC, for fun and not for work, I stayed at a Hyatt Place as it was less expensive per night and because the suite had a kitchen so that I could cook stuff rather than constantly eating out.
@lkngrrr ah right, that was the brand I was forgetting! I knew Marriott and Hilton both have two, a budget and a nicer one. Home2 is the budget Hilton one.
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