Spyder Travelers, what do you do for overnight stays?

[dabikerguy]

all of you that travel with your spyder, what do you do for overnight stays? hotels, campgrounds, tents, cabins? we like to stay in a hotel for the main reason of a nice shower after a long day on the road, but we have not had very good luck at finding a clean hotel on our trips. what do you do or suggest??

[bigbadbrucie]

I can’t speak for others, but up here in Canada I always Hotel/Motel it, and have never experienced a problem with cleanliness nor with anything else. I try to park my spyder either where I can look out and see it or by the hotel office where the staff can see it and have had no problems that way either.

[Arion]

Generally we prefer motels and usually they're ones belonging to the Choice Hotels system - Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Rodeway Inn. We haven't had trouble getting reservations and we haven't had problems with the cleanliness of rooms. Perhaps we've simply been lucky.

[ARtraveler]

I have been through the camping out mode. One morning when I needed help to get off the mat on the cold, cold ground, we decided to let someone else do the work for us. As in, clean up, make the beds, do the cooking.

We now use mostly motels, but have also had some very nice stays in five star hotels. The downside there, they are on the $$$$$ side. I have done the five star stuff in Vegas, and Hawaii.

Early on, we did the budget motel stuff. When Super 8 was NEW, that was our choice. Many years, later, places like that are hit or miss. Then we started going to Best Western. In most cases, we have found them to be very disappointing. Well used, not cleaned very well...etc. etc.

Now, we try to check out the newer and more expensive places. They usually appear to be more clean etc. Stay away from "trucker" motels, many, are in high crime areas, drugs, etc. You may come out in the morning and find your Spyder or trailer gone. Not making enough money any more for the five star stuff but try to go four stars if available.

When traveling from AK to AR in 2019, we drove for four days through Canada on the AK Highway system. There, we pretty much had to take what was available. When we got into the lower 48, we went to the medium price, name brand stuff, similar to the post #3 above. It can be hit & miss, but you have the right to inspect the room they are going to give you before putting your money down. I have done that a couple times.

Hitting the good ones can be a crap shoot. We look at every vacation as an adventure though. If we hit the occasional bad one, so be it. We have not died yet from the experience. :bowdown:

[MrMagicFingers]

Hey...

One of the things that come into play, for us anyway, is that we plan an itinerary. We know what town or area we are going to be in or want to stay in at the end of a travel day. That is key.... time to do your homework BEFORE you travel. Bed and Breakfasts are a great option too.

This leaves us time to research the Mom and Pop family run motels that are NOT part of the big chains. We really prefer to support quality, privately owned establishments. They are getting so rare. At one time they were the fabric of motor travel. I would have loved to have been around during the boom of Route 66. God I love those little motels and all that NEON!!

We choose places that are safe and clean and have good reviews. You can easily tell this as soon as you pull up to a place. Almost all of our travels are on back roads and small towns. In the absence of finding a quality family run place, we do resort to the Comfort Inn style places. They are usually clean and safe.

Remember, you can always ask to go see a room before you take possession to check things out. We have done this on both sides of the boarder. Our money is hard earned and usually in short supply... hahaha... we spend it wisely or try to at least.

Tim

[pidjones]

We usually seek out Mom & Pops, but have stayed at chains if more convenient. Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton have been some of our biggest disappointments.

[canamjhb]

I always motel-it. When I first started touring (40+ years ago) Motel 6 was my choice. They WERE clean and reasonable. Times change things. I now look for locally owned/operated places instead of chain motels. Checking out the room is a must. My previous wife would always look at reviews ahead of time. When I'm traveling, I prefer to support the local economies by staying at motels run by hard working locals who have pride in their places..... Jim

[tofriendscreek]

For numerous reasons I always get a room for the night when Spyder ryding. I’ve been doing it since I got my first Spyder in 2010. I’ve traveled through all of the lower 48, 98%+ on “local roads,” meaning non-interstate highways. I always plan my overnight stay around noon on each particular day. I decide where I’d like to stop and start checking the options for that town or area. I read the reviews, check maps, look at pictures, etc., then choose which to call and make the reservation. I like staying in locally owned and operated, non-franchise, places. They are unique, normally quaint, and almost every time are well maintained and clean. Over the years, I have encountered plenty of “creepy places,” but when I have little or no choice, I go inspect the place. I’ll cancel and ryde away if the place is nasty or I’m feeling negative vibes. After hundreds and hundreds of places I’ve chosen, I’ve never felt unsafe, never been “infected,” or infested. Hunting an acceptable room is just another adventure. And, I have spent nights in franchise places. I use the same program and procedures with them. Some of the best memories of a trip is the place I stayed in a small, quaint motel. The local folks know where to eat, what to see and how to get there, regardless of whether it’s on the GPS or not. Just my way of doing it.

[dabikerguy]

thanks everyone for all your advice. we will try all of your suggestions. maybe even see some of you on the way. thanks again.

[Navydad]

When traveling with my wife on the Spyder we will motel it. One thing we have learned over the years is that price is no indication of cleanliness. Inspect the room before you lay out the money for it. When traveling alone I don't take the Spyder opting instead for the Moto Guzzi. I will mix it up with a few days camping and a motel now and then.

[RayBJ]

I tour with between 1 and 5 others. Ridden in all but 5 lower states (left coast & NDak) and 3 Ca. Prov.. 1st 9 day Canada trip we booked all motels in advance. BIG MISTAKE! Doing so means you're committed to being at next stop regardless of arrival time. We either arrived too early in the day or we had to race to arrive before dark.
We now ride until ~4 or 5pm and start looking for a motel up ahead based on travel time. We like to end the day about an hour before dark. We have never been left out in the cold. We park under the main lobby canopy or get a room with a view of our bikes. I use a 1/2 cover to keep the cockpit dry and out of sight. Never had an incident after 100k mi of multi-state touring since 2009. Since it's all guys, we aren't as 'selective' as many tourers on this site. Quality Inns are mostly good and we've had success with Motel 6, BW, and Super 8.

[safecracker]

Wife and I like using local motels, but have stayed at chains. We have had a couple of bad overnight stays.

[RICZ]

There is an excellent thread presently running elsewhere in this forum. Some very good tips in it for getting what you want in a motel room. Search for "motel" in the starter.