What are some of the good affordable hotels you have stayed at and where are they?

Without location and season, this can vary. I have stayed at five-star hotels in Florida very cheaply during hurricane season.

Comfort Inn is my favorite chain. It’s not the cheapest ever but it doesn’t break the bank, they’re all over the place, and they’re always clean and (as the name suggests!) comfortable.

There’s a Super 8 near JFK that really surprised me. I’ve stayed in some funky Super 8s before and, frankly, it doesn’t take much for me to get skeeved out by a motel/hotel. I honestly wasn’t expecting much. I have to say that it definitely surpassed my expectations and I was very pleasantly surprised. My room felt really clean (not something I say very often), the a/c worked perfectly (necessary in mid-August), and my room was on the bottom floor in a corner at the back of the hotel, so it was also super quiet. The tub was ginormous, I had a king bed, the room was spacious, there was free wifi, and best of all, they offered free breakfast in the morning, which featured waffles made to order. The neighborhood was a bit shabby, but it didn’t feel super sketchy or dangerous (unlike the HoJo I stayed at on my way out of the country, also near JFK). There are some amenities around the hotel if you dare to venture out, otherwise the lobby has take-out menus from places that deliver.

For a budget place like Super 8, I highly recommend it.