For the Drivers - Your Favorite Overnight Options?

[slappy magoo]

A question for those of us who tend to drive versus fly/take a train/ride a bus/walk/pontoon boat/astral project/jetpack/etc.

What are your favorite, or usual, or mandatory choices for overnight hotels? Do you always plot your trip the same way so you always stop at the same places? Do you book ahead of time or just start to plan when you have an idea how far you're going to get?
My wife's hooked on Hilton Garden Inns for some reason, so I'm plotting out where they exist along I-95, starting from NC (in case traffic is awful!) right up to I-4. Didn't want to make reservations because who knows how far we'll get while driving, but I did fine one HGI in Palm Coast FL that'll let you cancel a reservation right up to 6pm the day of arrival. SO that'll be the goal. We'll cancel as soon as we know there's no way we'll get that far. And of course, if we CAN get that far, maybe we'll just chance it and drive the last two-ish hours to Orlando.

 

[Figgy1]

I hate to say it but we book the cheapest place with good ratings for cleanliness for our trip down. We go the same way every time once we hit 95 except for the time we wound up on 81 down to SC avoiding a tropical storm heading up 95. We've gone straight through to KSC a few times and the place we liked is now under new mgt so new place to try this trip

 

[SAV]

We also wing it, but before we left, I did start looking up places that were in the vicinity of where we figured we'd be stopping for the night. I searched about an hour North and South of Chattanooga and points in between. I actually found a perfect place about 30 minutes South of Chattanooga that was our target.

Unfortunately, we had some car troubles and had a 3 hour delay. I did drive much later than I wanted to, but the DW had had enough so we stopped off at a cheapo motel since it was going to just be a place to sleep. I wish we would have driven that extra 30 minutes.

Now, the directive is that we will only stay in a nicer named hotel and spend the money, just so it isn't "yucky".

 

[Hakunamatata]

Usually stop where I can get a Marriott property. Travel for work and have almost achieved lifetime platinum status. I'm either staying on points or the rate is so good not want to burn points.

 

[CDavid]

Hampton Inn or Fairfield Inn, both of which tend to be modern and well-kept slightly upscale properties. I always reserve in advance anymore, after having reservations one night a few years back in Valdosta. We arrived late and claimed our room - while we witnessed car after car driving from hotel to hotel looking for a room - there weren't any.

Which, incidentally, begs the question of why hotels don't use Vacancy/No Vacancy signs anymore. It would save a lot of trouble going from door to door.

 

[rob0519]

We come from Chicago and generally stop in Knoxville. We either stay at the Comfort Suites or get a 2 BD Suite at the Residence Inn. Both are right off 75.

 

[RKSteel]

Drive down from Long Island, so it's I95 the whole way. Book in advance and stay at Marriott hotels, since I have points. First I looked to see where a Cracker Barrel was located, then looked for a Marriott hotel.
Last two trips made it to Savannah, GA the first day, which leaves about a four hr drive on day two.