31–40 of 60 posts
I did the Chicago to San Francisco (and back) run fairly regularly in the 1990s, and we didn't depend on vacancy signs. Our solution was basically brand loyalty -- the Motel 6 people published a book with addresses and phone numbers of all their motels in the US. The scheme is, you get on the road, and some time around 7pm, you stop for dinner, and make a reservation (from the payphone) at the Motel 6 that's about 10…
Last summer I bought a motorcycle in Duluth, MN and rode it down to Austin, TX (ok, well, to Oklahoma City from where it hitched a ride in a U-Haul, hey it's a road trip and it was a used bike off Craigslist). I was mostly unplugged apart from the maps app (which is not how I plan on doing it next time, next time I plan on having physical maps, maps that can't die on you, move to an irrelevant portion of the trip, or…
Maps can break down at the most critical points: multiple exits happening in quick succession, exits followed by forks, the GPS reading you the entire sign contents which just serves as a distraction more than anything, etc. Not to mention now there is a screen you have to pay attention to!
If you know where you're going and the general route to get there (i.e. which highway to get onto), following by sign is much easier. Cities are exceptionally well marked. It's a low-tech solution that just works. And yes, no worries about the signs dying or losing signal or crashing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> many hotels started using drop in guests as people to be hustled It all depends on the approach. Instead of saying "do you have any rooms available?" you could just say "I only have $AMOUNT and quite frankly I'd rather stay here than at my old Uncle's place down the road" (or a variation of which indicates 'price does not matter'. [1] Disclosure: I am somewhat of a paid professional negotiator so techniques like th…
Is your recommended negotiation approach to lie?
My parents used to do this all if the time. Sometime in the late 90s, many hotels started using drop in guests as people to be hustled. These days, you're better off finding a way to get "status" from a chain so you can cancel without penalty and book a bunch of rooms. Our last road trip, I booked 4 rooms over 300 miles and cancelled in the afternoon before stopping in.
> many hotels started using drop in guests as people to be hustled It all depends on the approach. Instead of saying "do you have any rooms available?" you could just say "I only have $AMOUNT and quite frankly I'd rather stay here than at my old Uncle's place down the road" (or a variation of which indicates 'price does not matter'. [1] Disclosure: I am somewhat of a paid professional negotiator so techniques like th…
>Our last road trip, I booked 4 rooms over 300 miles and cancelled in the afternoon before stopping in. Oh, you're /that/ guy.
I did the Chicago to San Francisco (and back) run fairly regularly in the 1990s, and we didn't depend on vacancy signs. Our solution was basically brand loyalty -- the Motel 6 people published a book with addresses and phone numbers of all their motels in the US. The scheme is, you get on the road, and some time around 7pm, you stop for dinner, and make a reservation (from the payphone) at the Motel 6 that's about 10…
Looks like an Adventure. How long did it take you each way? 3 days? 12h/day (and something like 500Mi per day?)
"First, some quick historical context. It’s not clear who came up with the ingeniously simple pairing of “Vacancy” and “No Vacancy,” which allows the motel operator to simply toggle the “No” on or off, but it was probably sometime in the 1930s or before. "
Primitive technology like this and talking to people was the only way to really find out about your surroundings.
You were pretty isolated.
I've never been able to find a room last minute by stopping in a hotel and asking to stay the night. They always say they're full.
I'd be curious to know the difference between your experience and mine. U. S. here, and its rare that a motel turns me away. Now, there are several distinguishing characteristics of my travel. First, mostly by motorcycle, and second is that because I'm on the bike I'm probably in some out-of-the-way place and not downtown SF. My mode of travel is important, I think, because sometimes I think they feel sorry for me (e…
Just curious: where exactly do you pitch a tent in a situation like that? It doesn't seem like it's that easy to find some open ground where some cop won't harass you for trespassing or something.
My parents used to do this all if the time. Sometime in the late 90s, many hotels started using drop in guests as people to be hustled. These days, you're better off finding a way to get "status" from a chain so you can cancel without penalty and book a bunch of rooms. Our last road trip, I booked 4 rooms over 300 miles and cancelled in the afternoon before stopping in.