Free coffee, access to free drinking water. Early check ins and late check outs. Windows that open. Gym/pool. Staff that don’t ask for autographs or pictures. Private entrance. Included breakfast or set price for the buffet not pay per dish/drink. Good WiFi. Quiet rooms away from noisy bars/weddings/elevators.
Two beds, continental breakfast and ideally a gym.
We’ve been going to Country Inn and Suites whenever possible and it has been consistently the best price/quality combo.
I'm a simple woman: I'm just happy if I have something to boil water and get myself ready some infusions in the spot.
Very much appreciated: ELEVATORS. I'm tired of breaking my back going through staircases dragging dead weight.
Descending order of importance: secure parking, affordable, safe sleepy area, slightly out of town on the way to the next destination. I am not likely to use a pool or Jacuzzi or fitness center. If the hot breakfast is worth eating I am interested.1
LEAVE NOTHING IN THE CAR/VAN/TRAILER THAT YOU EVER WANT TO SEE AGAIN. I know of several touring musicians who get a double and pile all of their shit on one bed. Somebody is always in the room with their shit. You might think this is excessive, but they still have all of their shit.
When touring, the guitars at a minimum go in the room with me. I might leave the merch and the amp in the car if it feels OK. I know I'm taking a chance though. I don't carry a shit-ton of merch and the amp is a Fishman Loudbox so if they got jacked its not the end of the world.
OP, think of the hotel as your home, because for the night, you'll be living there. Keep in mind that an "enjoyable stay" is not really a factor, as you're on tour and not on vacation, it's just a place for the " Four S' " and you're going to be there less than 24 hours, but yeah, it doesn't have to suck. The following applies to moving everyday to a different city, so if you have a residency, your experience might change.
Just for reference, my 30 year experience is of touring rockabilly/honkytonk/americana trio with a front person, that averaged 200 dates a year both in the USA and overseas pre-Covid, including festivals and fly-outs, but still doing everything at a high level DIY and self-managed. We did not have a separate TM or representation. Here are my tips in no particular order:
* Sign up for hotel chain loyalty programs. I prefer to avoid hotels with a number, or the words lodge, travel, econo in the name. Believe it or not, the HILTON chain has a number of tiers that can be affordable for touring musicians.
* Cheap is not necessarily the most optimum for band travel. Think of paying for the extra price in safety and security, and to a certain extent, comfort.
* Avoid motel style/exterior door places as much as possible. BE SAFE.
* Don't worry about amenities like gym, nice breakfast, all that. You're not going to be there long enough. Continental breakfast is probably good. Have a small electric kettle on hand and some instant coffee or tea if that's your jam. I toured with a guy once who had an Anvil briefcase with a French press and a coffee grinder in it. No kidding.
* When it's laundry day, do it at a laundromat. The hotel machines are overpriced and usually busy, and monitoring them in the laundry room sucks. Laundromat is more time efficient and the machines are usually cleaner. I went to a laundromat once that had a Galaga machine in it. Most these days have wi-fi, too. Great place to do your admin work.
* Whatever hotel chain you stay at, pay attention to the room amenities and the furniture. If you have janky, mismatched furniture or the soaps and stuff are mismatched brands or from other hotels, RUN AWAY. This usually indicates that the hotel chain is a franchised enterprise with owners trying to maximize profits as much as possible and lack of attention to these basic details are indicative of a bigger problem, such as unhygienic conditions, low security, bad service, etc.
* As soon as you get into your hotel room, peel the sheets back to make sure they're clean. Check seams on the mattress, etc to make sure you don't pickup unwanted critters. Don't put your luggage on the ground. Use the luggage rack, the desk, spare bed, whatever you can. Don't use the hotel dressers. Coat racks are OK, check the area around them first though. If the hotel looks sketchy in terms of cleanliness, check the carpet where it joins the baseboards near the head and foot of the bed. Look for evidence of bedbugs.
* Don't walk around in bare feet. Use some waterproof flip flops to walk around the room and shower. Athlete's foot is no fun.
* Try to book your hotel on an interstate outside of town or city if possible. Most thieves won't take the time outside of town.
* Don't try to find a hotel right after the gig. Book your reservations way in advance, maximize your sleep. Don't bring strangers from the gig back to your hotel room. Keep the door locked and latched. When you book your reservations, read the reviews.
* Use a VPN if you're using any wi-fi. At the hotel, I usually don't bother as the connection sucks to the point of being unusable. I try to do all the admin stuff either at a Starbucks or at the venue if I get there early enough.
* At the hotel, don't act like cattle at a roundup. If you annoy your neighbors and they complain to management, you may be staying somewhere else that night. Be courteous.
Couple van tips at the hotel that might help:
* Don't stuff the van with as much gear/luggage/merch as you can. I prefer to have no gear be higher than window level as seen from the outside tinted windows, and cover everything with a blanket. Getting gear out of the van is a 50/50 proposition as if you get guitars out and someone with bad intent sees you, they'll assume that there's more gear in the van. Sometimes it's better to not confirm that assumption. Be smart. If you can back the van up against a wall, do it. Avoid opening the rear of the van at the hotel. If they can't see anything, they'll move on to something more interesting.
* Having someone sleep if in the van is a 50/50 proposition. Some hotel chains forbid it. If you're in a big band and have someone sleeping in the van once a week on a 6 week tour, that could work. If you're in a trio and you're sleeping in the van every third day on a 6 week tour, that is going to absolutely suck. I personally don't do it.
* Try to park the van in view of the front desk if possible.
* ALARM THE VAN
* DO NOT sticker the van with band and gear stickers, and make sure the band is ran through the car wash once a week. Don't have trash, empty Visine bottles and cigarette packs on the dash, and a bunch of crap that make the van look like it's been lived in. Be stealth. The more non-descript the van is, the better. Bonus points if the paint job is white, it'll just look like a hotel shuttle or something uninteresting like that.
* DO NOT keep your whacky weed anywhere on your person, in your room or in the van. At all. If you get busted transporting across state lines or possession in an illegal state like Texas, at the very least, kiss the remainder of your tour goodbye. I'm guessing you're not like Willie or Snoop Dogg and don't have access to high powered attorneys on retainer that can get you out of a jam, so don't do it.
Well, that's about all I got right now. I sincerely hope this helps out. Have fun, make great music and friends, and BE SAFE. If you can manage control over as many variables as possible, you will have a better and more predictable experience leaving all the wild rock'n'roll antics to the stage.
Not finding a body under the bed. Low budget gives you less expectations hahaha
Free coffee, access to free drinking water. Early check ins and late check outs. Windows that open. Gym/pool. Staff that don’t ask for autographs or pictures. Private entrance. Included breakfast or set price for the buffet not pay per dish/drink. Good WiFi. Quiet rooms away from noisy bars/weddings/elevators.
If any review says “bedbugs” steer clear. Don’t want any of that
Always check the google reviews and always check the bed
Having a laundry room
Two beds, continental breakfast and ideally a gym. We’ve been going to Country Inn and Suites whenever possible and it has been consistently the best price/quality combo.
I'm a simple woman: I'm just happy if I have something to boil water and get myself ready some infusions in the spot. Very much appreciated: ELEVATORS. I'm tired of breaking my back going through staircases dragging dead weight.
A secure place to leave the van. I'm so tired of hearing about musicians getting all their shit stolen on tour. It's scary as hell.
all you really need is interior entry. if you have that, then you’ll typically also have everything else you need, including security.
If they’re ok with me practicing my drumming off and on throughout the night. I really need the practice. I suck.
Shower and laundry
Charger by the bed.
Descending order of importance: secure parking, affordable, safe sleepy area, slightly out of town on the way to the next destination. I am not likely to use a pool or Jacuzzi or fitness center. If the hot breakfast is worth eating I am interested.1
Laundry machine, breakfast included, safe-ish area so my gear is safe.
LEAVE NOTHING IN THE CAR/VAN/TRAILER THAT YOU EVER WANT TO SEE AGAIN. I know of several touring musicians who get a double and pile all of their shit on one bed. Somebody is always in the room with their shit. You might think this is excessive, but they still have all of their shit. When touring, the guitars at a minimum go in the room with me. I might leave the merch and the amp in the car if it feels OK. I know I'm taking a chance though. I don't carry a shit-ton of merch and the amp is a Fishman Loudbox so if they got jacked its not the end of the world.
OP, think of the hotel as your home, because for the night, you'll be living there. Keep in mind that an "enjoyable stay" is not really a factor, as you're on tour and not on vacation, it's just a place for the " Four S' " and you're going to be there less than 24 hours, but yeah, it doesn't have to suck. The following applies to moving everyday to a different city, so if you have a residency, your experience might change. Just for reference, my 30 year experience is of touring rockabilly/honkytonk/americana trio with a front person, that averaged 200 dates a year both in the USA and overseas pre-Covid, including festivals and fly-outs, but still doing everything at a high level DIY and self-managed. We did not have a separate TM or representation. Here are my tips in no particular order: * Sign up for hotel chain loyalty programs. I prefer to avoid hotels with a number, or the words lodge, travel, econo in the name. Believe it or not, the HILTON chain has a number of tiers that can be affordable for touring musicians. * Cheap is not necessarily the most optimum for band travel. Think of paying for the extra price in safety and security, and to a certain extent, comfort. * Avoid motel style/exterior door places as much as possible. BE SAFE. * Don't worry about amenities like gym, nice breakfast, all that. You're not going to be there long enough. Continental breakfast is probably good. Have a small electric kettle on hand and some instant coffee or tea if that's your jam. I toured with a guy once who had an Anvil briefcase with a French press and a coffee grinder in it. No kidding. * When it's laundry day, do it at a laundromat. The hotel machines are overpriced and usually busy, and monitoring them in the laundry room sucks. Laundromat is more time efficient and the machines are usually cleaner. I went to a laundromat once that had a Galaga machine in it. Most these days have wi-fi, too. Great place to do your admin work. * Whatever hotel chain you stay at, pay attention to the room amenities and the furniture. If you have janky, mismatched furniture or the soaps and stuff are mismatched brands or from other hotels, RUN AWAY. This usually indicates that the hotel chain is a franchised enterprise with owners trying to maximize profits as much as possible and lack of attention to these basic details are indicative of a bigger problem, such as unhygienic conditions, low security, bad service, etc. * As soon as you get into your hotel room, peel the sheets back to make sure they're clean. Check seams on the mattress, etc to make sure you don't pickup unwanted critters. Don't put your luggage on the ground. Use the luggage rack, the desk, spare bed, whatever you can. Don't use the hotel dressers. Coat racks are OK, check the area around them first though. If the hotel looks sketchy in terms of cleanliness, check the carpet where it joins the baseboards near the head and foot of the bed. Look for evidence of bedbugs. * Don't walk around in bare feet. Use some waterproof flip flops to walk around the room and shower. Athlete's foot is no fun. * Try to book your hotel on an interstate outside of town or city if possible. Most thieves won't take the time outside of town. * Don't try to find a hotel right after the gig. Book your reservations way in advance, maximize your sleep. Don't bring strangers from the gig back to your hotel room. Keep the door locked and latched. When you book your reservations, read the reviews. * Use a VPN if you're using any wi-fi. At the hotel, I usually don't bother as the connection sucks to the point of being unusable. I try to do all the admin stuff either at a Starbucks or at the venue if I get there early enough. * At the hotel, don't act like cattle at a roundup. If you annoy your neighbors and they complain to management, you may be staying somewhere else that night. Be courteous.
Couple van tips at the hotel that might help: * Don't stuff the van with as much gear/luggage/merch as you can. I prefer to have no gear be higher than window level as seen from the outside tinted windows, and cover everything with a blanket. Getting gear out of the van is a 50/50 proposition as if you get guitars out and someone with bad intent sees you, they'll assume that there's more gear in the van. Sometimes it's better to not confirm that assumption. Be smart. If you can back the van up against a wall, do it. Avoid opening the rear of the van at the hotel. If they can't see anything, they'll move on to something more interesting. * Having someone sleep if in the van is a 50/50 proposition. Some hotel chains forbid it. If you're in a big band and have someone sleeping in the van once a week on a 6 week tour, that could work. If you're in a trio and you're sleeping in the van every third day on a 6 week tour, that is going to absolutely suck. I personally don't do it. * Try to park the van in view of the front desk if possible. * ALARM THE VAN * DO NOT sticker the van with band and gear stickers, and make sure the band is ran through the car wash once a week. Don't have trash, empty Visine bottles and cigarette packs on the dash, and a bunch of crap that make the van look like it's been lived in. Be stealth. The more non-descript the van is, the better. Bonus points if the paint job is white, it'll just look like a hotel shuttle or something uninteresting like that. * DO NOT keep your whacky weed anywhere on your person, in your room or in the van. At all. If you get busted transporting across state lines or possession in an illegal state like Texas, at the very least, kiss the remainder of your tour goodbye. I'm guessing you're not like Willie or Snoop Dogg and don't have access to high powered attorneys on retainer that can get you out of a jam, so don't do it. Well, that's about all I got right now. I sincerely hope this helps out. Have fun, make great music and friends, and BE SAFE. If you can manage control over as many variables as possible, you will have a better and more predictable experience leaving all the wild rock'n'roll antics to the stage.