Super 8

I know what you’re thinking: “When Andrew goes off-topic, he really goes off-topic!” That may be the case, but analyzing cheap hotels has been one of the things keeping me sane over these past three or four days. In case you weren’t aware, I have been traveling from my home in Arizona to eastern Minnesota and back again… without the aid of an airplane.

Crazy, right? Why would a guy want to travel 1852.81 miles on highways? (If you think this journey a long haul, please Google “Zac Sunderland.”) I didn’t venture close enough to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area to catch any interleague action, but we had fun with our extended family nonetheless. My time was spent playing basketball, shuffling Monopoly Deal cards, and learning how much I missed the dry heat of Arizona.

We pulled an all-nighter on the way to (I drew the “grunt shift”: 1 a.m. – 5 a.m.), but took our time on the way back, staying in a total of two hotels. Sitting in a moving vehicle can conjure up many deep thoughts, so here is a make-shift guide to these two cheap hotels between Arizona and Minnesota using a four-star rating system.

[Name Withheld], Lincoln, Nebraska

Grade: 2 stars

For $109 bucks a night, I’ve certainly seen better double rooms. We stayed at this hotel twice during our excursion – once on the way to and once on the journey back home. Let me tell you, the latter was a much better experience than the former.

I will give this one non-negative aspect for both trips: the recliners are positively terrific.

The first time through Lincoln we were given an end-room; one with sporatic wireless internet access and a bathroom light that worked only half the time. I sleep on my stomach so the huge pillows they provided did their best to prevent me from getting a good night’s sleep.

Although this may seem weird, I’m a strong advocate for toilets with actual covers. When you’re taking a shower the last thing you want to be thinking about is dropping a vital toiletry into that black hole. Needless to say, this hotel’s toilets didn’t sport an actual cover.

The semi-damp floors and meager “continental” breakfast options force me to withhold the name of this paricular hotel, although the second time around we were given a larger room with a more comfortable bathroom. An open-toilet bowl remained, though.

Super 8, Pueblo, Colorado

Grade: 4 stars

As far as inexpensive lodging goes, this particular hotel was great. Large rooms with excellent wireless internet signals, huge bathrooms, and a toilet-bowl cover. I couldn’t have asked for much more. Terrific pillow size, a refrigerator that worked, and dirt-cheap rates were among the highlights of the experience. Virtually no complaints.

The breakfast options were limited, though. My guess is that I will never find a “perfect” hotel.

How about you? Any fond memories of hotel visits? Memorable experiences? Forgettable? Before the Twins play tonight feel free to get on this soap box I’m providing you with and let us know what you think.