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‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

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Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#51

Post by detaro »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #48
sandworm101 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fade rates, or manager's rates, are becoming a problem. Some big online booking schemes require "best available rates" be given to online bookings. Ad-hoc discounts to late night walk-ins are thought a violation of that agreement unless they are also made available to the online scheme. A manager's ability to turn away horrible bookings is also undermined. That group of drunken fratboys have now booked through a smar…

> A manager's ability to turn away horrible bookings is also undermined. That group of drunken fratboys have now booked through a smartphone app. Try to pull the "we are overbooked" routine with them and you will be downrated very quickly, likely triggering action from your chain. Why not go with "we don't want you here", instead of something they know is a lie?

As if that would not lead to bad feedback and a potential PR nightmare... if you accept someones booking and then don't let them in when they arrive there is (rightfully) going to be trouble, regardless of the reason you give. (outside of very exceptional circumstances)

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#52

Post by rotten »

Symbiote wrote: post #29
reidacdc wrote: post #18

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…

I travelled that route (and back) with my parents a couple of times around the same time, as tourists. I think I was 13 the first time, and 15 the second time. Although we had a mobile phone, we didn't phone ahead, we simply turned up somewhere. Perhaps once we had to drive further than we wanted (until midnight or so), and a couple of times I think the cost was a little higher than we wanted, but considering this wa…

I've been there and went inside.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#53

Post by debt »

"If people come in asking for a room, and you think they look like trouble—rowdy college students, say—if you have ‘Vacancy’ out there, you’re kind of obligated to give them a room,”

to put it another way, the "no vacancy" sign makes it more difficult to discriminate

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#54

Post by noobermin »

reidacdc wrote: post #18

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…

Quite the American story.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#55

Post by blacksmith_tb »

jordache wrote: post #37

wow author really reaching here.. How's the no vacancy sign any different than the Open/Close sign at the front of every business front? "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. "

Well, I agree that it exaggerates the importance of the (No) Vacancy sign, but it is different in precisely the sense the author is talking about - you have an on/off switch for NO, and another for VACANCY. While presumably no one wants or needs to turn on OPEN and CLOSED simultaneously.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#56

Post by tombrossman »

throwaway98237 wrote: post #25

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…

> finding out that Nebraska is basically one big corn field

Duluth, MN > Autin, TX is a straight shot down I-35 the entire way. There is definitely a lot of corn growing in Nebraska but you must have been very lost or deliberately going way out of route. Sounds like a fun trip though.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#57

Post by o0-0o »

noobermin wrote: post #54
reidacdc wrote: post #18

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…

Quite the American story.

Great comment. These posts are far too rare here.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#58

Post by Symbiote »

selimthegrim wrote: post #44
Symbiote wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I travelled that route (and back) with my parents a couple of times around the same time, as tourists. I think I was 13 the first time, and 15 the second time. Although we had a mobile phone, we didn't phone ahead, we simply turned up somewhere. Perhaps once we had to drive further than we wanted (until midnight or so), and a couple of times I think the cost was a little higher than we wanted, but considering this wa…

I've seen it. They have signs for it like 500 miles before in either direction, no, like Wall Drug?

Probably.

Bear in mind I don't live in the USA, so I don't meet all that many Americans.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#59

Post by jordache »

blacksmith_tb wrote: post #55
jordache wrote: post #37

wow author really reaching here.. How's the no vacancy sign any different than the Open/Close sign at the front of every business front? "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. "

Well, I agree that it exaggerates the importance of the (No) Vacancy sign, but it is different in precisely the sense the author is talking about - you have an on/off switch for NO, and another for VACANCY. While presumably no one wants or needs to turn on OPEN and CLOSED simultaneously.

Open+CLOSED doesn't me anything.

NO+VACATION = there are no more rooms available.

Re: ‘No Vacancy’ Signs Are Vanishing from America’s Highways

#60

Post by throwaway98237 »

tombrossman wrote: post #56
throwaway98237 wrote: post #25

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…

> finding out that Nebraska is basically one big corn field Duluth, MN > Autin, TX is a straight shot down I-35 the entire way. There is definitely a lot of corn growing in Nebraska but you must have been very lost or deliberately going way out of route. Sounds like a fun trip though.

Family In S. Dakota. And taking back / farm roads all the way, because they are much more friendly to enduro-style motorcycles. Wasn't out of way. Was't lost. Just taking the long way home. It's kinda like you missed the entire point of my comment.
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