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John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints |
Rooms with only one bed tend to have a sofa, a large table, a desk or some similar item of furniture in place of the second bed.
The words "King" and "Queen" refer to the sizes of beds. As I understand it a Queen bed is a large double bed and a King bed is a very large double bed.
According to the Days Inn directory (and other motel chains may well differ):
An "efficiency" is a room with kitchen facilities (i.e. self catering).
"Suites" and "Lodges" are sets of two or more rooms.
I believe that the terms "single" and "double" can also sometimes refer to whether a room is to occupied by one or two persons.
The Motel 6 directory says: "Generally, a room with one bed may be occupied by one or two persons. A room with two beds may be occupied by no more than four persons. If your party consists of five or more, an additional room or rooms must be rented to accommodate the additional people. An infant may be added to the total number of persons permitted in rooms, provided that the manager has a portable crib available which is adequate for the weight of the infant."
You may come across the expressions "American Plan" and "European Plan" in guide books and brochures. These expressions refer to whether and what meals are included at expensive hotels. These expressions are never used at motels since no meals are ever included except possibly a free continental breakfast. Likewise, motels don't have porters, concierges, bell-hops, etc.
The additional charge for each additional adult staying in the same room in a motel (usually up to four persons in total) is usually fairly low, of the order of $4-$10 or so per person. Most motel chains do not charge for children staying in the same room with a parent, although the age limit above which a charge is incurred may be as young as twelve.
Many motels offer non-smoking rooms. Many motels have special rooms for disabled people.
It's always worth asking for a quiet room, although the earlier you arrive the more likely it is that your request can be met. Usually it is best to be near the back, as far away as possible from the road, but not always - sometimes there's a railway line or another road at the back. A room on the top floor will avoid the noise of people moving about upstairs. Some Super 8 motels have bottom floors which are built partially below ground level, with small windows. These windows are at exactly the same height as car headlights, which can be disturbing when someone draws in late at night. Many motel chains, including Super 8, use double glazing to reduce the noise levels from outside.
At almost all motels with more than one floor, room numbers 100 and upwards are on the first floor (the ground floor), room numbers 200 and upwards are on the second floor (one up from the ground floor), and so on. If a motel has a very large number of rooms on each floor then the room numbers may be 1000 and upwards, 2000 and upwards, etc, but this is extremely rare.
An increasing number of motel chains are converting to electronic door locks. In most cases you are issued with one or more cards which closely resemble credit cards, complete with a magnetic strip on the back. You then have to insert these into the lock on your room's door. Besides making sure you have the card the right way up and the right way round, the orientation of the lock varies - sometimes you have to push the card in horizontally, sometimes down vertically. The trick to these locks is how you remove the card - with a smooth fairly quick action is always best. You often need to make several attempts before you get it right. Usually a green light appears or blinks when the lock is opened. There are other types of keys for electronic locks besides those which resemble credit cards. It is not uncommon for electronic keys to lose their encoding, in which case you need to visit the office to get them re-programmed. As a security measure you usually need to provide proof of identity when doing this of course. Because the locks don't have any room numbers marked on them, you must remember this information yourself.
Some motels use traditional mechanical keys but again with no obvious room numbers marked.
"Mom and pop" motels in small towns tend to still use traditional keys and locks.
Sometimes you need to use your door key to open doors at side and back entrances to a motel which has indoor corridors, especially at night.
Check how the controls on the inside of the door lock operate. There is often a chain or lever which enables the door to be only partially opened. Sometimes a lever operates a deadbolt as an additional security. Sometimes pushing a button locks out all keys. Sometimes in "mom and pop" motels the door is not locked unless you turn a small knob in the middle of the doorknob.
All motels provide soap and towels (face towels, hand towels and bath towels, usually plus a bath mat) for the number of guests staying in the room. If you need more soap or towels, ask at the office. Therefore you don't need to take these items with you. The towels belong to the motel, by the way, and should not be taken when you leave.
Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out how the light switches in motel rooms operate. Wall switches tend to be on when up and down when off but this can be complicated by having two switches in parallel controlling one light, or when there is also an additional switch on the light itself in series with the wall switch. Small round knobs on lights must be turned clockwise. Each turn alternately switches the light on and off. Don't turn the knob anti-clockwise as you will just unscrew it. If one of these rotary switches controls two lights, for example lights over two beds, then as you repeatedly turn the knob clockwise it will work through all the permutations, 00, 01, 10, 11, back to 00 and so on.
All motel rooms have private toilets, bathrooms and washbasins. Sometimes there is a bath, sometimes just a shower.
The operation of water taps in motel rooms is usually fairly obvious, although sometimes a single lever controls both volume and temperature. Sometimes showers and baths have a single rotary control which dispenses cold water initially, then increasingly hot water as it is turned further. Sometimes there is a control for switching water between a high lever shower and a low level bath outlet. Instead of plugs, washbasins normally have a lever between the taps which you push to release the water. Baths often have very awkward levers which control their outlets, which you may not to experiment with to find the best position. Bath outlets are often extremely slow to drain away.
Motel room windows often have locks and it is worth taking a few minutes to check them. Mesh covers over windows are to keep out insects; they are often far from secure.
All motel rooms have televisions, although the range of channels and quality of the picture varies considerably.
Most motels now provide in-room telephones. If not, then there will be a public telephone available, perhaps in or near the office.
Most motel rooms have air conditioning, except perhaps occasionally in the north. Remember that the air conditioning won't be effective unless you close all the windows. Air conditioners can be extremely noisy. Some Motel 6 locations have a central source of air conditioning, which greatly reduces the noise level.
Motel rooms have heating for the winter but it's extremely unlikely that you'll need this in summer except perhaps in the north. Some "mom and pop" motels may also provide blankets, often in cupboards.
All motels provide disposable plastic cups or drinking glasses in the room.
Almost all motels have machines which dispense ice cubes, usually free of charge. It can occasionally be a challenge to figure out how to work them.
Most motels have soft drinks vending machines, and many also have snack vending machines, but remember that these items can normally be obtained much less expensively at supermarkets.
Some motels provide in-room coffee making machines. A few motels provide in-room fridges and/or microwave ovens. Some "mom and pop" motels offer rooms with kitchens, which may be more expensive than normal rooms. When using any cooking devices provided in a motel room, be careful not to set off the smoke alarm (making toast, for example, is not a clever idea).
Some chain motels have guest laundries - washing machines and tumble driers for use by guests, for which there is a small charge. While these motel guest laundries are very convenient, we find that the washing machines and driers at public coin laundries are usually far quicker and more effective, and no more costly.
Many motels have swimming pools, almost always outdoors. There is usually a curfew at a reasonable hour to prevent noise from the pool at night. However, for your first night after arriving from Europe, when you may wish to retire to bed very early, you might want to avoid a motel with a pool.
Independent motels tend to offer much the same basic options and facilities as chain motels. In addition, they may also offer multiple rooms with internal connecting doors and a single outside door.
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Most recently modified 25-Mar-01