I Confess…
My name is Kathi and I am a hotel snob. I was. I have repented and changed my habit.
How did I become so ignorant, you ask? Long summer road trips across the U.S. in the family RV involved stopping at a Motel 6 or Super 8 about every week to let my mom have “a decent shower” and “a comfortable bed.” Were they though? I guess I thought of them as the bare minimum, only slightly above a crowded trailer.
As a Marriott cocktail waitress during college in Newport Beach, CA, my employee discount (paying about $30/night in the late 80’s) upped my boujie creds on a cross-country road trip with my then-boyfriend. The nights where no Marriott was available? Well, those literally roach-infested “affordable” (he said) motels strengthened my vows of motel abstinence.
When my husband and I began preparing for the beginning of our nomad journey up the West Coast, I was shocked to see no Hilton or Marriott properties in the little beach towns in which we sought accommodations. Even worse, what I considered last resort motels like Best Western or Quality Inn cost upwards of $200! Our nomad budget was already vomiting cash (you know that emoji).
Okay, I told myself…”You’ve managed in that BW+ across from the fairgrounds where you have to stay after the big winemakers party….(only so you can WALK safely back afterwards). Get Best Western and Choice credit cards so you can stay free on the road trip. If they’re gross, at least they’re free.”
The nomad life requires sacrifice. I got the cards. Then I booked 5 free nights including an ocean front room in a BW+ overlooking Agate Beach, for tonight, my birthday. I thought I’d “settled.”
Okay, I’m SORRY! I repent of my hotel snobbery ways!! I was er…wr….wro…wrong. I said it. And I’m so glad to be wrong.
Our BW+ stays have been amazing! Comfy beds, an incredible “Oasis” pool/spa area in Eureka, CA, with not only a pool but a huge pool-sized hot tub with a hot waterfall, rock walls, tiki torches, fire pits and a pool table. In Newport, OR, we have a full glass wall overlooking the ocean in a (yes!) Hotel with a capital H. In Gold Beach, OR, we had an ocean view balcony with Adirondack chairs (okay no shower curtain but they were embarrassed to hear it was missing).
The Quality Inn, Port Angeles, WA, is one of the highest rated in town—WHAT?!—I’ll let you know if it’s warranted but the one in Santa Nella, CA, a kinda gross truck stop town, was quite comfy and had a decent free breakfast and beautiful pool area, making the weird museum dolls in the lobby more tolerable. And, hey, it was only $88, not worth using points for a few hours of sleep.
To Hilton, Marriott and IHG: I’m just saying, my loyalty is in question….it’s a good thing I have 8 free points nights booked in the next month for you to impress me.
