Two of our kids play travel sports, so I've spent a LOT of time in hotel chains in random locales throughout the country. The club always books a block of rooms so we don't really get a choice where we stay (I guess we technically do, but staying at the hotel with your teammates and goofing off is half the fun!)...I always hope for Hampton Inns! Courtyard by Marriott is really nice too, plus Hilton Garden Inns. Comfort Inns are pretty much universally awful. Best Westerns are hit or miss. Hyatt Place is usually pretty good too. Hmm...what else...Doubletrees are great (tho that's a Hilton brand). Country Inn and Suites- usually good. Holiday Inn Express- hit or miss.

Adding to iffy list - Doubletree and Embassy Suites

Always check for newer builds but my picks are:

Good options:

Hampton Inn
Courtyard Marriott
Hilton Garden Inn
Best Western Premier

Iffy:

Four Points
Anything by Wyndham
La Quinta
Regular Best Western
Holiday Inn

Anonymous wrote:I always stick with a Hilton or Marriott chain.

Hampton Inn is a Hilton chain!

Interesting! We've had some really great Hampton Inns, but some crappy ones too. We tend to like the Marriott chains for "just off the highway" type places that we're only staying in for a night or two- Courtyard by Marriott, Spring Hill Suites, Residence Inn, Four Points by Sheraton.

I also like Courtyard by Marriott. I've had good experiences with them in Maryland and in California.

We always go for Hampton Inn whenever they are available! My kids love their complimentary cookies.

Anonymous wrote:I always stick with a Hilton or Marriott chain.

NP. We stay at Hampton Inns or Hilton Garden Inns (both are in the Hiltin chain). Reliably clean, which is hugely important. And we seem to have run across quite a few new Hamptons recently, too. Maybe the chain is expanding?

Anonymous wrote:Hey, OP—I go back and forth to Indiana too, and I always stay at that same Hampton Inn!

That's too funny!

We usually use Hampton Inn also. They tend to be the nicest.

Hey, OP—I go back and forth to Indiana too, and I always stay at that same Hampton Inn!

I always stick with a Hilton or Marriott chain.

We always stay at the Hampton Inn. We’ve been to many of them. The only bad experience we’ve had was at the one in Dunn, NC. It was uncharacteristically gross.

Good to know, thanks OP. Happy travels to you.

Coming to you live from the Hampton Inn in Zanesville, Ohio.

My family of 4 frequently makes small-scale road trips from DC to Indiana and other places in the Midwest where we have family. We like to break up the 8-10 hour drives by staying overnight, letting kids swim in the pool, etc.

I never thought I'd become a one-chain loyalist when it comes to "on-the-road" hotel chains, but after a couple of "off" experiences, I'm declaring myself a Hampton Inn fan! They are always comfortable, clean, consistent, nice staff, decent free breakfast, etc.

Today we stopped at a Wingate by Wyndham that was just outside of Zanesville. As we pulled up I said, "I don't know..." then the lobby was iffy, but my husband said come on, it's fine for a night, and here we are. We got up to the room and it was GROSS. Smelled like mold. It looked like the sad decor of a 22-year-old guy just starting to live on his own. We left.

A few minutes and the next town over, and here we are at the Hampton Inn. I'm declaring this as my family's travel hotel chain!

I'd love to hear if anyone else has a "road chain" they prefer, and why. I never thought I'd be this picky over something relatively trivial, but after hours on the road with small kids, it's nice to have somewhere that is pretty reliable to stay and relax for a bit.