Someone sure is cheap

[bhskittykatt]

This was relayed to me by ACW.

Guest came in last night apparently throwing a stink that he couldn't get $75 room for $25.

If he'd come in on my shift, I would have just laughed in his face. ACW told guest to GTFO (though in more polite terms, I'm sure).

I have no idea where you'd get a room around here for $25 total. I can't even tell you where in the general region you would find room rent that low. But good luck, buddy. Go forth and fight the good fight, and maybe you'll find something. Bwahaha! Who am I kidding?

[AquaGirl]

I do not think I want a $25 hotel room. I guess he might be able to get one by the hour.

Side story: when I worked front desk at a hotel, we had a prank caller who would call up and ask if we rented rooms by the hour. I say prank because he did it over and over again and asked questions liked whether we had porn channels and washcloths in the rooms. We mostly hung up on him. One day, the lovely Turkish owner picked up the phone and in a very polite manner told him that if he had any additional questions about our services he should ask his mother since she checked in 6 times a day. I couldn't stop laughing for an hour.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well, there is Motel 6. But he'd probably pick up some itchy little friends just by stepping inside the room.

[Sapphire Silk]

In a way, I can understand being that cheap. When cash flow ain't flowing, cheap is how ya gotta go

When I moved from North Dakota to California, I drove. First night, I stopped some place in Montana and started looking for a hotel room. It was late, somewhere around 9pm. All I could find was a Holiday Inn. I went in and asked what their rates were. They were (to me anyway) surprisingly high: $75/night.

I had a little over $200 that HAD to last me until my first paycheck from my new job . . . it was an advance on my wages. So that had to cover gas, food, and lodging for the next two weeks. I'd already spent money renting a trailer to haul my stuff from the $300 I was originally given.

I was planning to take 3-4 days to get out there since the job didn't start for another week (I got paid weekly once I started work thank the gods, and the apartment was supposed to be ready by the time I got there . . . it wasn't but that's another story). So paying $75/night was just not in the cards for hotel space. I asked if they could cut me a break and they literally laughed at me. I asked if they knew of any place around less expensive, and one clerk said, "No where good." Which might have been true, but they really didn't need to be so snobby about it.

I drove a few miles down the road looking for a cheaper motel or at least a campground (I had my camping gear with me). Hell, I was ready to sleep in my car.

I saw a sign for a truck stop and thought, what the hell. I asked the clerk how much.

$25 for the night. She warned me, "It's not fancy: a bed and sheets. But the sheets are clean and the other guests will be quiet. They're resting up for the road. You just have to be willing to deal with the train tracks in back."

She was right: the room was very clean, the other guests didn't make a sound, and I slept through the trains that went through. I woke up at 5am to hear the big rigs warming up.

When I checked out, I asked the day clerk where was a good, cheap place to eat. She pointed me to a diner the truckers used. $5 and I got a big, tasty, stick to your ribs breakfast.

I stayed in truck stops 3 of the 4 nights on the road and had the same experience. I know some are real dives . . . but there seem to be plenty that are decent and cheap.

Now back to the OP: being stinky about not getting a break is sucky. Asking nicely is not. Sounds like this guy was sucky because he threw a fit, not because he asked.

[Ironclad Alibi]

The first motel I ever stayed in was $3.00 a night. That was in 1967. According to an online inflation calculator, that equates to about $20.00 today.

[bhskittykatt]

Well, there is Motel 6. But he'd probably pick up some itchy little friends just by stepping inside the room.

Actually, that's us. We don't have any itchy friends staying here. (I cannot speak for certain other regions of the country, though, but that's a story for MiM.)

being stinky about not getting a break is sucky. Asking nicely is not. Sounds like this guy was sucky because he threw a fit, not because he asked.

Yeah, he threw a fit. If you ask nice (and/or bribe me with tasty, wrapped foodstuffs), I'll often shave off 10% from the rate, but I'm not doing 60% off for anyone. At $25, for us it's cheaper to leave the room vacant than rent it.

If you throw a fit about it, you get nothing.

[Zellie Crescent]

I know a place he can stay for $25, but I sure as hell would NEVER think of staying there.

[Bright_Star]

Well, there is Motel 6. But he'd probably pick up some itchy little friends just by stepping inside the room.

Wow, & I thought they just left the light on for ya...LOL!

[Jay 2K Winger]

I do not think I want a $25 hotel room. I guess he might be able to get one by the hour.

Side story: when I worked front desk at a hotel, we had a prank caller who would call up and ask if we rented rooms by the hour. I say prank because he did it over and over again and asked questions liked whether we had porn channels and washcloths in the rooms. We mostly hung up on him. One day, the lovely Turkish owner picked up the phone and in a very polite manner told him that if he had any additional questions about our services he should ask his mother since she checked in 6 times a day. I couldn't stop laughing for an hour.

This post-- and the awesome Turkish owner-- is not getting enough love. PWNAGE!

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Wow, & I thought they just left the light on for ya...LOL!

The one Motel 6 I actually stayed in was nice. It was in a resort area near Yellowstone park. I think I stayed there again last time I was at Yellowstone, but it may have become a Travelodge instead.

The one my parents stayed at in Las Vegas was, well, interesting.

[Arcus]

The Motel 6 in Las Vegas... yeah, I've driven by it... and kept on driving.

Vegas is a funny town when it comes to hotels. With a little checking you can find a very nice room for under $30 if you don't mind staying off the strip.

[Victory Sabre]

Vegas is a funny town when it comes to hotels. With a little checking you can find a very nice room for under $30 if you don't mind staying off the strip.

That is correct. You can easily find $20-$30 per night in the old downtown area.

You can guess where I stay every time I go to Vegas.

[tropicsgoddess]

Cheapskate much?

[MrSmiley]

The Motel 6 in Las Vegas... yeah, I've driven by it... and kept on driving.

Vegas is a funny town when it comes to hotels. With a little checking you can find a very nice room for under $30 if you don't mind staying off the strip.

Las Vegas isn't supposed to have an offseason. So whenever business slows down, they throw out the promotions out to the travel agents, bus companies and airlines to keep revenue flowing. Plus the general idea is that even if you are staying at a low rate, you'll be dazzled by the slots & other games and spend your money there. The closer it is to the room, the easier it is to snag the lazy people.

For places that are more nornal... Hotel I used to work at was $139 most of the time. Checkout time of Noon. If you came in on a slow night in the evening (after 6pm), front desk was authorized to discount that up to $119. If you came in after midnight on a normal night you'd probably also get offered $119 or $109. Simple matter of counting hours left versus empty rooms left. Only on the slowest deadest nights when you show up at 2am or 3am would the possibility exist for it to go as low as $89. Our manager told us in no uncertain terms that that was the lowest rate we should EVER see on a registration card barring some very rare smoozing setups (and most of those smoozes were for 10+ rooms who came in at $109-$89 rates).

Of course no matter what you do there are guests that complain they "always" get a room for $25/night in some city nowhere nearby... usually their hometown. One lady claimed we were offering a rate of $300/month on the website. $10/day? no.

[Lachrymose]

The best Motel 6 I've stayed at is just outside Burlington, Vermont.

It was 35.00 a night a few years ago, and it was very nice. It's more of a hotel (with doors on the inside and a lobby and everything!) than a motel.