Finding Hotels with non smoking rooms

Alert Cronovirus (COVID-19)

     As almost everywhere, many shops and restaurants are
shutting down, opening fewer hours or takeout only. So ccnsider calling ahead...
   If you do decide to stay in a motel soon, see our ideas on how you might lessen your exposure.

Booking

  Lots, if not most hotels are franchised, and often the back end of their web sites are farmed out to a wholesaler, such as hotels.com. Finally, locally owned hotels frequently switch franchises, so when you arrive, the policy of the new franchise is different.

  So if you absolutely require a non smoking room, you need to call the LOCAL number of the establishment to confirm the rooom you book is actually non smoking. ( See the following section.)

  It's best to plan your trip in advance, as non smoking rooms generally sell out first, and your likely to get a better price and selection of room type and location.

  Finally, be sure to inspect the room before you pay for it. In addition to verifying it's smoke free, you can evaluate the general condition of the property, neighborhood it's in, parking availability and safety, noise levels, or the odor, location and general cleanliness of the room you booked. Don't be shy about asking for another room if it's substandard. It's common practice for hotesl to book all guests in adjacent rooms so it's more convienent for the cleaning staff, but most of the time they will honor a request for a more remote location. In general upper floor rooms are in better shape if your fit enough to easily handle the stairs.

Contacting the inn

  If you set your gps mapping device (smart phone, standalone, or in dash) to search for lodging "along my route" it will bring up the location and phone number of the units generally within a mile of your route. The better units will let you search by motel name, like "8" for super 8 or "6" for motel 6 and remember the last few choices you made. Or you can let it display all the motels along your route, sorted by nearest to your current location.

  The number displayed on the better units is usually the local number, not the corporate headquarters, which is definitely what you want. But it's always best to ask first if your talking to the same hotel chain and location displayed, as the motels change franchises on a regular basis. No problem if they changed franchises as long as you know to look for the new name.

Negotiating the price

  Asking the price at the check in counter is almost always more expensive than asking over the phone. The difference is your already there, and they know it. Common discounts you can ask about, if you qualify, in the general order of effectiveness include:

• Government Rate
• Trucker's discount
• AAA
• AARP
• Senior's discount

Location Considerations

Room rates near the Northeast and Southern California coasts are considerably higher than the rest of the country, and occupancy rates are high, so keep that in mind if you decide to book at the last minute. A few calls the day before just to check availability in those areas is a good idea, and you can also get a good idea of the prevailing prices.