How can I book a hotel along the route?

[Ginevra]

Please help me; I m an idiot at trip planning. I failed to book one of the optimally located hotels in the rural area where my nephew is getting married this month. I booked on on Expedia that was listed as "nearby," but as best I can assume, they were judging by boat, as it is NOT nearby if traveling by land. It is an hour and a half away.

 

I cannot figure out how one would book a hotel that is along the route, if not right in the same town. There is nothing in town available now, except one extremely sketchy, dank motel that I would not book on a dare. I would sooner drive entirely home from the wedding.

 

How do you pinpoint hotels along a route?

[Ottakee]

Might be the old fashioned way but I would get out a map of your route and look for town names close to where you will be. I also still use the paper AAA books as well.

[zoobie]

In a rural area, you may be out of luck if the options are booked. When I'm planning vacations, I use Trip Advisor and the other review sites and plot everything on Google maps to see where it is compared to the places we want to see. Maybe VRBO or Air BnB would have something in the area?

[FaithManor]

I loom at the atlas. Old fashioned but handy! The if I am not worried about everything.being booked solid, I may wait until we are enroute to have a better idea what kind of time we are making and how far we are likely to get before wanting to stop, look for towns on the route, and book with expedia using my phone. Always look at the expedia map because you can gauge the distance from the freeway for each hotel that comea up in the search. You can zoom out in order to see it in relation to the freeway.

[creekland]

If you put the town in on Hotels.com and search, you'll see a listing of all they have in the area (nearby or otherwise).  Pick one.  Any one.  Look at it on a map view.  The map will show all others color coded for available or not.

 

HOWEVER, many hotel/motels that are mom & pop owned are not necessarily listed with any of the big search engines.  I believe it costs too much.  So another thing I do is use google with the town's name and motel to see if it comes up with anything else.  (Any town you're interested in along your route.)

 

Then you could also use the Hive and say, "I'm going here.  Does anyone know of any smaller motels located in the area?"  If, say, you were coming to my house, I could give you one that's about 3 miles away, but it's not listed on the big guys nor is is easy to find on google because it's not really in a town so to speak.  It's just along a fairly well-traveled road.  My relatives have stayed there (since our bathroom is upstairs and some can't do stairs) and said it's a nice place.

[Guest]

I loom at the atlas. Old fashioned but handy! The if I am not worried about everything.being booked solid, I may wait until we are enroute to have a better idea what kind of time we are making and how far we are likely to get before wanting to stop, look for towns on the route, and book with expedia using my phone. Always look at the expedia map because you can gauge the distance from the freeway for each hotel that comea up in the search. You can zoom out in order to see it in relation to the freeway.

Yeah, what I did with Expedia was put in the city and state. So the results I got generally start nearest and then move outward. But the park I do not understand at all is that I chose one that said it was "12 miles" from the city I put in. But it is on the opposite side of a river. To go around the river from the site of the wedding, it is - seriously - 70 miles. So I am totally puzzled as to how those results are coming up that way, unless they are counting part of the river as "near" the city I entered.

[Jane in NC]

Also look at VRBO--Vacation Rental by Owner.  Or Airbnb?

[gingersmom]

I use mapquest and it has a hotel option so you can see hotels along the way.

[Guest]

Also look at VRBO--Vacation Rental by Owner. Or Airbnb?

There isn't anything on VRBO that works. Most require a two-night min. and they are beautiful, expensive water-accesss homes.

 

I made a cancel-able reservation at that dank little motel. I will present the conundrum to DH tonight; he is a walking atlas and would know if there is a better idea.

 

Partially, I am just feeling like an idiot because I didn't hasten to get a room at the suggested hotels back in February. Part of this is clearly because I resist doing things just because SIL wants me to. Part is because I didn't want to book so early. But now I suffer for my lackadaisial ways.

[Pippen]

You also might want to check for bed and breakfasts. Those might not come up in a search. I usually just google for those but someone else may know a better way.

[Scarlett]

There isn't anything on VRBO that works. Most require a two-night min. and they are beautiful, expensive water-accesss homes.

 

I made a cancel-able reservation at that dank little motel. I will present the conundrum to DH tonight; he is a walking atlas and would know if there is a better idea.

 

Partially, I am just feeling like an idiot because I didn't hasten to get a room at the suggested hotels back in February. Part of this is clearly because I resist doing things just because SIL wants me to. Part is because I didn't want to book so early. But now I suffer for my lackadaisial ways.

 

 

Ha.  I admire this honesty.  

[Scarlett]

Yeah, what I did with Expedia was put in the city and state. So the results I got generally start nearest and then move outward. But the park I do not understand at all is that I chose one that said it was "12 miles" from the city I put in. But it is on the opposite side of a river. To go around the river from the site of the wedding, it is - seriously - 70 miles. So I am totally puzzled as to how those results are coming up that way, unless they are counting part of the river as "near" the city I entered.

 

 

Maybe there is a bridge you are not aware of.

[Farrar]

Can you ask the family if they have any suggestions? Maybe they know of a backup that makes more sense or a B&B as suggested or even have another solution.

[Annie G]

Can you ask the family if they have any suggestions? Maybe they know of a backup that makes more sense or a B&B as suggested or even have another solution.

 

And risk it getting back to SIL? That would give SIL an opportunity to do the "I told you so' thing. Nope, I think Quill will take dank little motel if the choice is that or potentially giving SIL reason to annoy. 

[Farrar]

Sorry, I forgot what a thorn in the side this sil is!  :laugh:

[Guest]

Maybe there is a bridge you are not aware of.

That's what I would expect, but I tried mapping it and it only shows two ways around the river.

[Guest]

And risk it getting back to SIL? That would give SIL an opportunity to do the "I told you so' thing. Nope, I think Quill will take dank little motel if the choice is that or potentially giving SIL reason to annoy.

Lol, you know me so well!

 

I'm already going to eat crow for not being as conveniently located as "everybody else."

[creekland]

Lol, you know me so well!

 

I'm already going to eat crow for not being as conveniently located as "everybody else."

 

Whoa!  This isn't about not following directions.  You are staying elsewhere because you are adding a quick little additional trip onto it all.  Now, is there anywhere you can stay that would let you visit some sort of educational site for an hour or two on your way home?  There are plenty in our region. (I'm thinking PA to VA.)

[gardenmom5]

expedia does not have every single hotel listed.  (just dealt with similar).

 

I would try a navigation program, and look for hotels/motels.

 

especially in rural areas, there are mom-pop motels that don't have a web presence, but could work.

[Guest]

Whoa! This isn't about not following directions. You are staying elsewhere because you are adding a quick little additional trip onto it all. Now, is there anywhere you can stay that would let you visit some sort of educational site for an hour or two on your way home? There are plenty in our region. (I'm thinking PA to VA.)

There is certainly a multitude of beautiful, awesome places we could visit on the return trip (Annapolis, for example), but it is an evening wedding, so we will be checking in for the night at 10pm or later. Oh but I guess you mean that I would tell them that, not that that is what we would actually do.

[3 ladybugs]

Have you thought about checking campgrounds for park models? May not be what you have in mind, but they are like a hotel, but have a kitchen and such.

[creekland]

There is certainly a multitude of beautiful, awesome places we could visit on the return trip (Annapolis, for example), but it is an evening wedding, so we will be checking in for the night at 10pm or later. Oh but I guess you mean that I would tell them that, not that that is what we would actually do.

 

Or stop by for an hour or two on your way home the next day... ;)

[aug17girl]

For looking for hotels along a route I use google maps and search nearby.  The next part only works really for major highways.  I select each major highway exit as the address then search nearby for hotels at each highway exit until I find what I am looking for. 

[Guest]

Have you thought about checking campgrounds for park models? May not be what you have in mind, but they are like a hotel, but have a kitchen and such.

I did consider an actual campground. There is one nearby. I am not opposed to camping. We would appear idiotic, though.

[Jane in NC]

I did consider an actual campground. There is one nearby. I am not opposed to camping. We would appear idiotic, though.

 

But wait!  Think of the pleasure you could derive by annoying your sister in law! :sneaky2:

[milovany]

There isn't anything on VRBO that works. Most require a two-night min. and they are beautiful, expensive water-accesss homes.

 

Check out Airbnb instead of VRBO -- it's becoming more used, more user-friendly, more accessible for all price ranges, etc. We've stayed at two Airbnb places the last month and a half and had fabulous experiences at great prices ($96 for a two-bedroom townhouse all to ourselves and $85 for a cabin that slept six all to ourselves). Met some great people and had such great experiences that we recently listed our own unit.

[Jaz]

Can you call the church and/or wedding venue and ask for suggestions?

[mom2samlibby]

I would have thought that the bride & groom would have put hotel information in the invitations, along with setting aside a block of rooms.

 

We are invited to a wedding in a couple of weeks and there are 4 options for rooms listed in the invite.

[milovany]

And if you don't want to do Airbnb/VRBO, consider KOA campgrounds and their cabin ("kabin") options.  That's what we used when we moved from Washington to Colorado many moons ago. 

[PrairieSong]

I second airbnb. We used them in Paris and our dd and her husband used them in Scotland. I looked at their web site and was surprised at the number of places listed, even in smaller towns around here.

[EmseB]

I zoom to the area I need on google maps, then "search nearby" for hotels.

 

[Guest]

Can you call the church and/or wedding venue and ask for suggestions?

No, it is at the home of the bride.

 

  

I would have thought that the bride & groom would have put hotel information in the invitations, along with setting aside a block of rooms.We are invited to a wedding in a couple of weeks and there are 4 options for rooms listed in the invite.

They did do this. There are two hotels they listed on the "save the date" card, and there was a block of rooms, but it was way back in the beginning of the year. This was my fault entirely; I did not want to make reservations so early and, TBH, I do not wish to stay where all my ILs are staying. So I went on Expedia and made reservations at a different hotel in May. But it was today i learned that, although Expedia is calling this hotel "nearby," it is very far away and not along the route we would take to come home.

 

There is no blame on the bride/groom; they did it the right way.

[Alicia64]

Might be the old fashioned way but I would get out a map of your route and look for town names close to where you will be. I also still use the paper AAA books as well.

 

It's much easier to go onto Google maps and put in the hotel's address and then your address (or nephew's in this case). If you PM me, I may be able to help. I'm good at hotels.

 

This is also a great starting point: FamilyVacationCritic.com.

 

Alley

[Guest]

It's much easier to go onto Google maps and put in the hotel's address and then your address (or nephew's in this case). If you PM me, I may be able to help. I'm good at hotels.

 

This is also a great starting point: FamilyVacationCritic.com.

 

Alley

This is how I was doing it today. I will PM you, but I am not optimistic. I just really messed up by not taking a room back when it was still winter, lol.

[Hikin' Mama]

Because your past SIL posts have been entertaining (I know it sucks for you, but the way you write about them is funny), I think you should camp and then report her reactions back to us. :)

[Guest]

I got caught a couple of times on our trip this summer.  Once I booked on the fly via Trivago, and that ended up being a charming hotel.  BUT we have found that as we are getting older, we are no longer willing to put up with saggy mattresses or lazy showers (drains OR spray), and so we have become fans of Hilton Hampton or Garden Inns.  They have been consistently good on the two things a hotel is supposed to deliver--a decent night's sleep and a hot shower.  They have little fridges and microwaves in them as well,so we can get a late snack or store a bottle or two of wine,  AND they have a hot breakfast for free (if we get up in time...)  We would not have found the charming hotel if the Hampton hadn't been booked, I grant that.  But I'm really more interested in a good night's sleep.  Non-Hampton on our trips this summer, we have had about an 80% Saggy Mattress Experience.   Not going to happen any more.  

[Suzanne in ABQ]

You could try bedandbreakfast.com to search for b&bs in the area.

 

You could search chain websites.  Sometimes they don't always link all their available rooms to Expedia and the like.  You could try Choice.com (for Comfort Inn, Quality Inn & Suites, EconoLodge, etc), Marriott.com (For Marriott, Fairfield, Courtyard, Residence Inn, and TowneSuites, Springfield, etc), Radisson has a bunch of brands, Best Western, Days Inn, etc.  It will take longer, but you might find more by going direct.

 

You could also check the Chamber of Commerce for the town you're visiting, to find mom&pop type inns and b&bs.

 

You could tell us where you're going, and someone here may know of a place, or a family you could stay with.

[Susan C.]

Is there anything on Trip Advisor?

 

Also, try calling the visitor's bureau or chamber of commerce.

 

We have stayed up to 90 minutes away when visiting a small town to get what we wanted.

[milovany]

Check our out Airbnb instead of VRBO -- it's becoming more used, more user-friendly, more accessible for all price ranges, etc. We've stayed at two Airbnb places the last month and a half and had fabulous experiences at great prices ($96 for a two-bedroom townhouse all to ourselves and $85 for a cabin that slept six all to ourselves). Met some great people and had such great experiences that we recently listed our own unit.

 

I fixed my typo above!  I wasn't meaning OUR airbnb, LOL.  I there are many states between us.  :D

[MamaBearTeacher]

I would look at a map of your route. Find the two closest towns along the way and if the towns are not too far look up hotels for those towns on Trip Advisor. If the towns are too far then look at the wedding address on Google Maps and look for any hotels that are near the highway you are coming from. Have you done this already? If there is nothing then, I agree to call the Chamber of Commerce. They often have hotels that are not listed on the Internet.