Hotel occupancy rates are in the 30s, and many are still closed. Do you think transmission from surfaces, especially ones that have been untouched for, in most cases, at least a few hours if not days, is a big risk? I do not.

I would trust the hygiene protocol of a large chain over a Air BnB or BnB , houses etc., if that were a concern.

As far as the rest of the question, you are talking about a long stretch but, in many cases, hotels near an interstate across much of the country are not going to have much lodging selection. Unless you are willing to stray off in search of a particular area/resort, I think your best best is, again, chains.

I like Homewood Suites, but I find almost any large chain, even the low end like Hampton Inn, can be nice if the property is new. That is the most important thing IME.

I agree with Mtn. I would feel comfortable with the major chains like Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton. I saw on one of the news channels that the major chains are doing sanitizing and sealing of rooms and extending the turnover time of rooms so that they are not booked back to back (since they have low occupancy rates, they have the ability to do this), and using seals on rooms that are sanitized. They showed how Hilton has keyless room entry on their app. DH used that when he and MIL stayed at the O'Hare Hilton.

With AirBnB, it's also really the turnover of guests and the cleaning policies.

ETA this article from CNN: CNN story

I'd feel way more comfortable in a hotel than in an airplane.

As far as safety issues, my fist concern would be to plan my route/lodging to avoid getting caught up in any large public gatherings in areas you aren't familiar with. I would stay out of city/town centers and keep up with the news during the trip.

I receive notifications and emails from Hilton and Marriott about what they are doing to keep their hotel rooms clean and safe. I do recall Hilton says their protocols include a seal on the room doors so a guest will know that no one has entered since the room has been cleaned and sanitized.

I almost always use the hotel chain app and reserve a room in advance if I know roughly where we will be stopping for the night. Of course this was pre-Covid when we traveled by car. I could usually request a specific room.

Another tip has been to ensure you use stairs rather than elevators, so you could request a ground floor or 1st floor room if you don’t want to climb a lot of stairs. I would also be careful about public places such as the free breakfast areas. Take your own coffee supplies and plan to eat in another spot where you can pick up breakfast on your own.

We drove from southern California to northeastern Pennsylvania on May 1st. I carefully checked tripadvisor for recent hotel reviews along the way. There were few reviews. We stayed at Hilton properties in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Indiana. All right off the interstates. The hotels were fairly empty. All stated the rooms were thoroughly santized between guests. At each, I asked when the room we were assigned was last occupied. Two stated it was over a week and the other moved us to a different room after I asked. We entered the room armed with masks, gloves and clorox wipes and wiped down every surface before entering with our luggage. 3 nights and 4 days... whew!

None of the hotels provided any kind of breakfast or central coffee machines. Just the awful stuff in room. We carefully planned ahead. I froze dinner leftovers in individual microwaveable dishes. We used those for dinner each night since there weren't any restaurants open. Packed muffins and hard boiled eggs for breakfasts. Rolls and luncheon meats for quick lunches eaten in the car. In each location, there was either a McD's or Dunkin drive thru nearby for coffee pickup before getting back on the interstate.

We have travelled this route back and forth for the last 4 years. It is usually an enjoyable trip making many stops to see our beautiful country. This was not at all enjoyable. I am hoping we don't have a repeat when we return to California next November.

How does everyone feel about using rest stop restrooms along the highway? Not a big deal? ETA: I mean during Covid. Normally they are kept pretty clean and it’s not a problem.

Re food——it’s probably a bit easier now than a month ago. I would probably gravitate toward pre-packaged items and takeout food I could reheat in the hotel microwave. I think I would also feel OK sitting outside at a restaurant with tables spaced and staff wearing masks.

Totally agree about using the larger chains. MTN—-do you call to find out when they were built? There can be a big difference between older and newer properties and if they are managed/owned by the chain or franchise owned. I’m just not sure how you would find that info out without calling.

Sometimes its on the website or in reviews, I don't remember having to call.

thx!

Re: Rest stops. We were on Indiana interstate two weeks ago and opted for rest stops. They were fine - although I wish they didn’t have those awful blow dryers. I was surprised that we were the only people wearing masks. We just kept our distance, which I feel is easier there than in a smaller fast food or -shudder- convenience store restroom.

I would pack my own sheets. Yep, I feel better lying on my own. No one has touched them but me.

Thanks so much! I was hoping to maybe take the drive at a relaxing pace, but I'm not sure if there will be anything relaxing about it...

Friends stayed at a tiny house north of Charlotte on their journey last week. They said it's only rented every third day, windows open and aired out. Just wondered if anyone had found accommodations that might make the trip more enjoyable on an East to West journey.

Here's the cute tiny house.

Joanie, I use this website to check the build/reno dates of hotels. I'd rather stay at a brand new Holiday Inn Express than a 20 year-old un-renovated Ritz.

I would bring along my own food since I’m not comfortable going into a restaurant yet. I would also bring paper towels (to avoid hand dryers), wipes and of course plenty of masks.

I would take an RV.

I’m sure you will be fine if you aren’t breathing the air of someone who is carrying the virus.

We are sadly not ready to travel much yet. Good luck. .

Maddielee, RV rentals are super hard to come by! Some have been lent out to healthcare workers, but demand is high for outdoor vacations.

You might want to check the state and national parks along your way. Many have a "cabin" lodging option with a kitchen that you can just drive up to. You can also reserve rooms with kitchenettes in many motels.

Joanie, I use this website to check the build/reno dates of hotels. I'd rather stay at a brand new Holiday Inn Express than a 20 year-old un-renovated Ritz.

In my industry it was de rigeur to stay at Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton and the like. Our room rates with these luxury chains were negotiated based on our agreeing that we would book at least "x nights" per year (with something like 100,000 employees worldwide, it was a lot of room nights!). Because we provided such a steady volume, our per night rates were actually quite low. Oh and you could stay personally using our corporate rate, too. (i miss that perk!) I became a devotee of these brands. And to be sure, they are great hoteliers. SInce most of my travel was to major cities, there was almost always a high caliber lodging choice.

For personal travel, sometimes you are in spots where there is no luxury choice. There are only so many Four Seasons. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of mid range and even budget chains, as long as they are virtually new. True, you won't have the services, but I am not a huge fan/user of a lot of hotel services. No, i don't need help with my (rolling) luggage, no I don't need a chocolate on my pillow, I hate minibars (who needs snacks STARING at me? and I don't really drink), and my iphone is my concierge. They have even gotten better with decor.

I'd still choose high end for resorts (the settings, spas, restaurants, etc) and I personally prefer Air BnB for longer family stays, and on business trips, gotta love 4S for overnight drycleaning, but for overnight on the road, just choose whatever is new.

spam^^^ please flag

I think it might be hard for us to suggest specific hotels without knowing how far you plan on driving each day. Do you have any idea of where you might be each night?

Maire, it's a year-old post resurrected by a spammer. Trip is over.

Oh rats - Sushipup - I usually notice that too! Especially once it's been flagged.......must have Thanksgiving prep cluttering my brain today. Thanks