2 Nights Free at Metro Inn Motel Minneapolis

I figure if you're looking for Minneapolis motels, then you're looking to save money. Look no further. In addition to the usual low rate offered by most other motels in the Twin Cities, the Metro Inn Motel is offering a special - Stay for 5 mights, and you get 2 extra nights free.

Basically a sweet deal if you want to stay for a week, or an extended stay on a weekly rate. They also have 4 day rates. All you have to do is print the coupon you find here and present it when you check-in.

The Motel is close to all the attractions in Minneapolis, 3 blocks off I-35 & 62. To the East is Mall of America and Twin Cities Airport. To the West is the South-Dale Shopping Mall and great "Valley Fair". Plenty of restaurants close by, and it's minutes away from Down Town with a Bus Line around the corner.

The Metro Inn Motel offers 35 single, double and King rooms, with amenities including refrigirator, microwave and cable TV, airconditioned rooms, complimentary coffee and concierge service, and offers plenty of parking space.

It's not like it's the Ritz, and it has it's faults. Service isn't something to write home about, and even though the website says the place is pet friendly, the reality is that they don't really welcome people with pets. They don't have an online reservation system, so you'll have to either call them or take your chances.

But for all of that, it's a pretty good place if you're on a budget, which, after all, is the whole point of seeking out a cheap motel instead of a posh hotel.

Info: 5637 Lyndale Avenue S Minneapolis MN 55419; (612) 861-6011; www.metroinnmotel.com/

Free Room Upgrade at Palm Court Inn, Palm Springs

When you're in Palm Springs, it doesn't really matter if you're checking into a hotel, motel or some other boutique property, so long as none of it is upscale. Point I'm trying to make is that hotels in Palm Springs are just about as cheap as Palm Springs motels.

You could either say that the motels are better than other places, or that the budget hotels in Palm Spings aren't as good. That's your lookout, but far as I'm concerned, most properties are like the Palm Court Inn - You can't really call it a hotel nor a motel nor an Inn. It's what you want it to be.

And to make the distinction even more hazy, they're offering a free room upgrade. Book any standard room at the regular price and receive a free upgrade to a pool view or garden view room. Valid on Sunday through Thursday night only.

You can lounge by the pool and pretend it's a luxury hotel, or you can just walk in to your room straight from the street, like a motel. And you'll get personalized service, with a free breakfast, like an Inn.

Amenities at the Palm Court Inn include a 24 hour front desk, meeting, event and banquet facilities for upto 150 guests, 4 acres of lush gardens, pools and fountains, pool with sun deck, jacuzzi & children's wading pool, on-site restaurant (Rick's restaurant), exercise room, coin operated laundry, and complimentary parking.

In-room amenities include one King or two Queen beds, cable TV, room service from Rick's Restaurant, refrigerator & microwave, iron & ironing board, and hair dryer.

Info: 1983 N. Palm Canyon Dr. Palm Springs CA 92262; (800) 667-7918 or (760) 416-2333; www.palmcourt-inn.com/

Looking for a motel with a Vibe in Los Angeles?

There's cities for the haves and there's others for the have-nots. Some cities, like New York and Los Angeles, are merciless to the have-nots. They will crush your spirit, chew you up and spit you out onto the streets and kick you in the pants back to where you came from - Unless you have the money and the right connections.

Very rarely are you allowed to stay at good hotels in Hollywood, and have a good time at a club or lounge in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills, unless you have a big wad and/or someone connected enough to get you in. The one exception to this rule is the Vibe Motel on Hollywood Blvd. You can hang out and meet actors, dancers, musicians, models, entertainment industry types, international travelers and more. The rooms are decorated funky and have a swinging retro 60's groovy motel feel.

The motel is located in the middle of all the visit-worthy Hollywood attractions, so you can walk to the Hollywood Sign, Sunset Strip, Theater Row, Hollywood and Highland (Kodak Theater), Hollywood and Vine (subway metro rail station ).

As for the motel itself, you can drive right up to your room and park. You get free parking, free breakfast, free wi-fi, free coffee and tea, a free movie room, free BBQ and dinner parties, coin operated laundry, and discounted tours of LA.

The standard rooms have a queen size bed, a 27 inch TV with satellite, small refrigerator, microwave and private bathroom with a shower. Rates from $65 per night. The 'Regular Private Rooms' have one or two twin beds in addition to what you get in the standard room. 'Premium Private Rooms' have a queen size bed plus one or two twin beds, a full kitchen, a 27 inch TV with satellite, air conditioning, and a private bathroom with bathtub and shower.

Granted it's not the Beverly Hilton or the Roosevelt, but hey, even the big stars had to sleep with the common trash in Los Angeles motels before they got their break. Who knows, you may meet a few people who could end up as the biggest stars of the next decade.

Info: 5922 Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood CA 90028; (866) 751-8600 or (323) 469-8600; www.vibehotel.com/

How to get the best value inn Fort Wayne, IN

When the going gets tough, the tough get going - To motels. What I mean is that instead of cancelling a vacation, you can still take it - but with a reduced budget. The three main expenses are airfare (or gas), food and lodging.

Airfare and as are specific to your destination, so that's your lookout. But as far as accomodations are concerned, you need to look or the best value or your buck. In other words, you need to check-in at America's Best Value Inn. They have a network of over 750 Inns, hotels and Suites in North America, so you can find one just about anywhere you ant to go. And they do indeed provide value.

Take for example, the Best Value Inn at Fort Wayne, IN. Slightly more individualistic than you'd expect from a chain motel, and much more by way of amenities and facilities than you'll find at any of the other Fort Wayne motels.

Located just off I-69 for easy on and off highway access, it offers 45 spacious guest rooms, easily accessed from exterior corridors with park-at-door convenience, jacuzzi suites, and hi speed wireless Internet access.

All rooms come equipped with microwaves, mini-fridges, hairdryers, computer data port telephone, free HBO, VCR rentals, free local calls, and sofas (some rooms). Complimentary coffee, orange juice, and cookies are served every morning from available 6a.m. - 9a.m. Centrally located near major restaurants, business, and shopping and the other attractions in Fort Wayne.

All this for rates from $45.95 for a room with 1 King Bed. The jacuzzi room is $90, and if you want two double beds, it's $52.95.

Info: 1401 W. Washington Ctr. Road Fort Wayne IN 46825; (260) 489-3588; website

How'd You Like To Spend Your Days Inn Atlantic City?

Atlantic City has a problem with the rest of New Jersey - They just don't like the AC in-your-face do-what-you-want attitude. NJ, inspite of being in New York City's massively metropolitan shadow, is surprisingly conservative.

The small beachfront towns on the NJ shores don't like strangers, they don't like noise, and they do not want to see their precious little communities disturbed in any way. Point here being that not everyone in Atlantic City is a big spender and gambler.

They come from all over the state, and stay in the small Atlantic City motels peeping out onto the Boardwalk, in between the gigantic casino complexes. They enjoy a good time at the casinos, go around and take a tour of the sights, and then quietly catch a bus back to their home towns.

The Golden East motel, now simply a Days Inn motel, is one such motel located steps away from the Atlantic City Beach and Boardwalk. It is within walking distance of the casinos - Ballys, Claridge, Caesars, Trump Plaza, Resorts, Taj Mahal, and Showboat - as well as local restaurants and Atlantic City attractions, and a few blocks from The Walk Factory Outlet Stores and the Atlantic City Convention Center.

The Days Inn offers a free continental breakfast, free local calls, ice machine, daily USA Today newspaper, coffee, and internet station which are all located in the lobby. And free parking for one vehicle per room. In-room amenities include a hair dryer, iron & ironing board, free high speed wireless internet, and a microwave oven. Some of the rooms have balconies and the suites have sofa beds.

Rates from $49.99 (plus taxes) per night. For this rate, you get an oceanview room (non-smoking) with a balcony, 2 double beds, coffee maker, wi-fi, hairdryer, fridge, cable TV and HBO, along with use of the other amenities mentioned above. You can get a 1 King bed room for the same rate. For $99.99, you can get a 3 double beds deluxe room, or a deluxe room with 2 King beds.

Info: 169 South Kentucky Avenue Atlantic City NJ 08401; (609) 344-7001; website

Got Truck? Stay Inn Denver

I am so truly fed up of the glitzy hotels like the Ritz, where Joe Blow would have to cough up his entire retirement savings to enjoy a decent week. America really, really needs to lower it's sights a bit. Has any of your neighbours been to the Colorado ski resorts this year? I don't think so.

But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy one. Just need to make the necessary course corrections. And if you are going to go there, why not go the whole hog, and enjoy the vacation, but without paying for the costly digs. Take away the hotel charges, and you're left with the ski lift tickets and food. And airfare, if required. Considering the cost of the hotels in Colorado in winter, it's a safe bet to say that your vacation cost is likely to be cut in half, at the very least.

So how does one go about doing this? Pretty simple. Find a decent motel. Costs around $35-60 per night. Best to check out the Denver motels which are a bit off the ski resorts. It's worth it, even if it takes an hour or so to get to the resorts. The ones in the immediate vicinity of the resorts are just as bad as the hotels, in terms of pricing.

One such cheap motel is the Stay Inn in Denver. Rates start from $39. If you want to pay for the week, that'll be $215 for a room with 1 King bed, and $235 for a room with a queen or two double beds. And if If you have a commerical drivers license, you can actually get a discount here.

Sure, it's a trucker's motel. If you have a truck and want to enjoy a family skiing vacation on the slopes of Colorado, and you wnat to do it on a budget, it's not that bad a deal. Even if you're not so fond of crude jokes scrawled in the loo, look on it this way - You're there to ski, not to critique the interior.

Info: 12033 E 38th Ave Denver CO 80239; (303) 371-0740; www.denvermotel.net/

$59.99 per night at San Diego Loma Lodge

Here's the deal - Non-smoking airconditioned room with a comfortable 1 King bed, complimentary hi-speed internet access, mini-fridge, satellite TV with HBO and ESPN,plus 16 channels. Iron, ironing Board are available upon request. Microwave may be available upon request.

And public amenities and facilities include free morning coffee & danish, daily newspaper in the lobby, guest laundry, swimming pool open year round, with a soda / candy / ice located in pool area. Name - Loma Lodge. Location - San Diego, CA. Rates from $59.99 per night. These are standard rates. Not specials. Specials and weekly rates are even lower.

If you want a room with 2 double beds, that's $64.99. Three double beds family guest room? $74.99. And if you want a little more luxury, then go for the $64.99 One King bed deluxe non-smoking, pillowtop California bed, upgraded towels and soap.

That's right. It sounds like a great deal. It is. Why pay in excess of $200 for a hotel room when you have decent and cheap San Diego motels like Loma Lodge? The Loma Lodge is a quaint 43 room Spanish style motel, centrally located just 2 miles west of hotel circle and with easy access to all freeways and San Diego attractions.

They have a 24 hour front desk, and a one stop concierge where you can book tours, rental cars and anything else you need.

Info: 3202 Rosecrans Street San Diego CA 92110; (619) 222-0511 / (800) 266-0511; www.lomalodge.com/