Does a Motorcycle-Friendly Motels & Hotels Guide exist for the US and Canada?

[detbmw]

Reasonable price
Halfway level parking
Park outside the room
Cleaning rags available
Owner or manager who's knowledgeable about the roads and points of interest in the area.

What is a cleaning rag?

 

[pglaves]

What is a cleaning rag?

A rag to be used to clean a motorcycle. Some motels provide old towels and wash cloths, sometimes cut up, to help avoid guests using good towels to wash bugs off the windshield or grime off the engine cases.

 

[lee]

What is a cleaning rag?

Most of the time the front desk will give you cleaning rags if you ask to clean your face-shield and bugs from the front of the bike.
Sometimes the have rags set out for bikes or have a wash area.

 

[globalrider]

What is a "Motorcycle Friendly Hotel"?

Joe

The ones where the owner does not point a shotgun at you. LOL

 

[bigjohnsd]

I don't know what the definition of a Motorcycle Friendly Motel is, but i know one when i encounter one, and this is one -

Alpine Lodge Red Lodge MT

 

[Visian]

I don't know what the definition of a Motorcycle Friendly Motel is, but i know one when i encounter one, and this is one -

I actually have this one on my list, courtesy of you!

 

[Stebe]

I had never heard of Butler Motorcycle Maps until this morning, saw it mentioned in a Rider Magazine piece, so I don't know if it would fill the bill, but it seems like a good place to start.

 

[globalrider]

I had never heard of Butler Motorcycle Maps until this morning...

I went to their web site. Sadly they list the size of the foldable maps, but they do not list the most important thing, a "scale".

 

[pglaves]

I went to their web site. Sadly they list the size of the foldable maps, but they do not list the most important thing, a "scale".

The scale varies by map, depending on the size of the geographic area included on the map.

 

[Omega Man]

I went to their web site. Sadly they list the size of the foldable maps, but they do not list the most important thing, a "scale".

I did some rooting around as I have never seen a map without a “compass indicator” or a “scale” reference- ’cept that trip I was on with Lewis and Clark



Looks like there is a scale.

OM

 

[Wkoppa]

I joined Choice Hotels https://www.choicehotels.com/ who has a phone app that lets me search for lodging in an area. They have a fairly wide range of lodging types from the more expensive to the less. I then look on their location maps to see if they have a restaurant in walking distance so I don't have to worry about riding again for the day or how many barley pops I have. Choice Hotels gives you a discount on nightly rates for being signed up on their app and they give you points that can be used for room nights later on. Its all free.

If that does not find me something I then go to booking.com. I sometimes use that as a guide, check out the motel and either book it thru booking.com or give whoever is working the desk the opportunity to match their price. Probably not the most ethical move.

I have also used this website that allows you to make reservations at a discount https://secure.rezserver.com/?refid=8158. It is hosted by a motorcycle association that has members around the world. You may know some of them.

Also if I am in the area of a favorite restaurant I do the reverse process of finding out if there is a motel in walking distance from the restaurant I want to eat at IE: Jim n Nicks BBQ at the I-65 Prattville, AL exit. If you drill down on their directions link on the Jim n Nicks site it shows motel opportunities in the area. Bingo. Then go to Rezserver, Choice or Booking.com.

If you had a database for motorcycle friendly lodging it would be someone's full time job to keep it updated. Perhaps a forum thread with sub threads by states where members could do testimonials to where they had a good experience.

With the advent of the internet and cell phones it is not very difficult to get all the information you need. Even for me.

Wayne Koppa
Grayling, MI
#71,449

 

[61996]

Google Maps will do the same things.

Joe

 

[lee]

I had never heard of Butler Motorcycle Maps until this morning, .

I like Butler maps for planning. Sever years ago I started using Rever so I can see the Butler maps on my tablet during trips.
MOA members get a 15% discount on Butler map and 33% discount on Rever.

https://www.bmwmoa.org/page/member_disc_public

https://www.rever.co/

https://butlermaps.com/

 

[rbourey]

I like Butler maps for planning. Sever years ago I started using Rever so I can see the Butler maps on my tablet during trips.
MOA members get a 15% discount on Butler map and 33% discount on Rever.

https://www.bmwmoa.org/page/member_disc_public

https://www.rever.co/

https://butlermaps.com/

Me too. (Or, one of my oft-used phrases - "What Lee said.")

I'll note the Butler overlay on the Rever maps includes a lot more roads and regions than the paper maps. They also sport a fairly complete and up-to-date overlay of camping sites that beats some of the camping-specific apps.

Although I support the local shops as much as possible, I'll also note that the $60/y RPM membership at Revzilla/Comoto gets me the Rever Pro membership and the Butler maps for "free" as part of the promotional package.

As regards the bike-friendly motel list - the biggest problem is how quickly they become not-so-friendly with change in management - as noted above. I recall the big welcome at a nameless motel in Gunnison followed 1 y later by the cold shoulder from a new owner.

 

[pglaves]

I recall the big welcome at a nameless motel in Gunnison followed 1 y later by the cold shoulder from a new owner.

I have really only found the cold shoulder a time or two in all my years of riding. One time in Dodge City, Kansas I got the "sorry we are full" bit at about 6:00 P.M. when the lot was totally empty. I went across the highway to a different motel. The first one must have catered to pedestrians because at about 11:00 when I went to bed they still only had three cars visible in the lot.

 

[ebell]

I have really only found the cold shoulder a time or two in all my years of riding. One time in Dodge City, Kansas I got the "sorry we are full" bit at about 6:00 P.M. when the lot was totally empty. I went across the highway to a different motel. The first one must have catered to pedestrians because at about 11:00 when I went to bed they still only had three cars visible in the lot.

I've encountered that scenerio a few times. I've always thought it was because the hotel was a front for drugs and hookers.

 

[mikegalbicka]

the hotel was a front for drugs and hookers.

Does that qualify it as motorcycle friendly?

 

[Paul_F]

I have really only found the cold shoulder a time or two in all my years of riding. One time in Dodge City, Kansas I got the "sorry we are full" bit at about 6:00 P.M. when the lot was totally empty. I went across the highway to a different motel. The first one must have catered to pedestrians because at about 11:00 when I went to bed they still only had three cars visible in the lot.

On my way to the early April 2007 Branson Blitz, after riding through three hours of snow which was followed by three hours of very cold rain, I stopped at a Holiday Inn. The older woman at the desk informed me that without a reservation, there was no room for me. And no the parking lot was not overflowing. That’s the only time I have been turned away because I was riding a motorcycle.

Fortunately the Comfort Inn across the street took my money (mostly likely less expensive). It had a pool, a hot tub and a gym; certainly a good combination after cold day of riding.

On another cold ride in the early spring, I stopped at a large Best Western that had only three cars in the parking lot. Seeing how cold I was, I was offered a room with a hot tub. I asked for their base price and then offered the two desk clerks $10 over the base price for the room with the hot tub. Those lovely individuals accepted my offer for the hot tub room.

 

[jgoertz]

On my first long-distance MC trip (Birmingham, AL to small town, northern OK), in June, 1977, I pulled into a gas station in Catoosa, OK, about 10pm. My XS650 was down to it's last few tablespoons of gas, and I thought I was going to spend the night at what's now known as the "Iron Butt Motel". After filling my tank, I saw the no-name motel next door, sign flashing "Vacancy". I was so tired, I didn't even fire the Yammy's motor, I just pushed it across the mostly empty motel parking lot to the office. The nice lady behind the desk said, "I'm sorry, we're sold out of singles." My next question, "Do you have any doubles, then?" "Yes, but they're $24/night!" I said, "I'll take one!" "We only have 2nd floor rooms available." "No problem, I'll take one." After paying, and getting the key to a room, I had to ask "If you had had a single available, what would the rate have been?" "$22" was the reply. I slept really well that night, and the last 3 hours to my destination was a real pleasure!

These days, I stop about 3pm, figure out where I'll most likely be around 5pm -6pm (I don't like to ride much later than that these days), and check Google maps for motels in my chosen destination, and the availability of restaurants within walking distance of each. After selecting a likely hotel (I usually look for a Choice hotel, Best Western Plus, Hampton Inn, or Holiday Inn Express, in that order), I use the app on my phone to make a reservation at the hotel I've chosen. I've never been turned away from a hotel where I've a reservation. I have inadvertently selected a hotel in a slightly sketchy part of town, and once in a while the restaurant I've selected has been on the other side of a busy highway (or closed and Google hadn't updated yet), but I've never had anyone mess with my bike overnight, even when the desk clerk wouldn't let me park under the awning. I'm also a member of these hotel's affinity programs. Another option I've started using is Drury Inn. Most Drury's offer an afternoon/early evening "happy hour" for their guests, which can also double as dinner in most cases.

BTW, Best Western advertises that they're "Motorcycle Friendly" and "Motorcyclists Welcome". AMA members have a discount code for BW (and maybe others -- I'd need to check to be sure.)

As always, your experiences may be different from mine.

 

[pglaves]

My all-time favorite unusual motel experience was riding from Topeka, Kansas to the BMW MOA Rally in Flagstaff, AZ in 1991. I left after work Thursday afternoon on a push to get to the rally as soon as possible. About midnight I arrived to get fuel at a convenience store at Texhoma at the Oklahoma - Texas state line. I was tired and debated whether to get out the thermos of coffee or to stop at the small motel on the cross street behind the convenience store.

I opted to get a room at the motel. The light was on at the office. When I went in I found several room keys laid out on the counter. A neatly hand printed cardboard sign read, "Pick a room and pay me in the morning", signed "Leroy". I took a key, went to the room and slept until about 5:00. The office was still as I had found it at midnight. I wrapped a $20 bill for the $17 room rate around the key and stuck it behind the cardboard sign and rode away.

Sadly, the last time I rode through Texhoma I found that the motel had burned to the ground. Now, all that is left is a broken slab behind the Valero station.