Good-bye Lucky Thirteen

Before plunging fully into the new year, it's worth taking a brief look back at the old one. Frankly, two thousand thirteen was a heck of year for yours truly, one of my favorites so far. I'm hoping that the momentum just keeps going in the same direction for 2014

For me, 2013 was a year of hotel/motel residencies---87 different stays in 85 different lodgings (with two return visits). The visits ranged from single-night stays in many locations, to the three-and-a-half week stretch at the Ramada Inn in Fresno, my longest single stay at any one place over the last year.

Geographically, the Portland metro area as this year's hotel champion, accounting for 17 of the 85 locations. That beats out last year's winner, Fresno, where I stayed in 12 different hotels.

Breakdown of locations by state/province: Oregon (20), Colorado (12), California (11), Arizona (9), Washington (7), Montana (6), Hawaii (5), New Mexico (5), Nevada (5), Utah (2), British Columbia (1), Idaho (1), Wyoming (1).

Given the right circumstances, I would stay in almost all of them again. That even goes for the Forest Grove Inn, providing that it was late at night and everything else in the area was booked.

The exceptions might be the Randle Motel, which is very rustic, out in Bigfoot/D.B. Cooper Country but it still had TCM!). The Super 8 on Las Vegas Boulevard was a bit shabby, even for a solo traveler for a couple days in Vegas. Likewise the La Quinta Northglenn, which had crumbling doors and didn't even have proper hot water.

The Super 8 in Pine Top, Arizona, where the owner was sort of an @-hole when I complained about the noise that the water heater was making directly below my room, is probably not a place I would return to in the near future.

Also the Siesta Inn in Nogales, the Motel 6 in Los Alamos, the Lamplighter Inn in Santa Fe, and the Best Western Skyway Inn in Manitou Springs are definite no-gos because of utterly unusable wifi. Sorry, that's simply a must.

Moreover the Hotel North Beach was fun as a rediscovery of the San Francisco lodging experience of the early Twentieth Century, and it was certainly clean and well run, but I would be satisfied with a traditional room the next time I'm there.

Some of the places were real gems, one that I would make a point of booking if I were in the same area again. Ones that come to mind are the Days Inn in Chula Vista, a very well-run place. Also the Meridian Motel 6 will be my go-to for overnights in Boise.

The Inn at Jack London Square in Oakland was a particularly valuable discovery, since it completely solves my problem of finding lodging when I visit my peeps in the East Bay.

Likewise I could easily designate the Best Western Reno Airport as my official Burning Man decompression headquarters.  Stefan and I both enjoyed our stays there.

And it's difficult to see why I'd want to stay anywhere but the Saddle West in Pahrump, if I'm back there for another Front Sight course, especially since students get a discount.

And in Bishop, CA you'll never find me staying anywhere by the Mountain View Motel---a cheap hidden gem of a place.

In terms of luxury, the Elara in Las Vegas, the Heathman in Portland, the Bayshore Westin in Vancouver, and the Hilton Waikoloa Village come to mind.

On that score, I've sort of been spoiled by stays at the Hilton in Fort Collins and the Westin in Westminster, two places I visit frequently. I wonder if I can ever go back to inferior digs when I'm there. 

Also honorable mentions: Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, Hilo Seaside Motel, Jupiter Hotel, Waikiki Grand, and the C'mon Inn Billings. 

Over the course of the year there was a trend from the budget Wyndham properties (Super 8, Days Inn) towards the Best Western Plus hotels. The ones in Wilsonville, Forest Grove, Washougal, Newport, Astoria, and Reno were all pleasant stays.

One establishment in the list below has already been shuttered, at least temporarily---the Best Western Golden Buff Lodge in Boulder, where I holed for a couple weeks during the April snowstorms (that presaged the rain to come). I guess someone was reading my blog and saw my suggestion that the place needed renovation, because that's exactly what has happened, as of October.

Ironically the last place I stayed in Boulder for any length of time before that, the Boulder International Youth Hostel in 2011, also has closed (permanently after many years). Given that the company I worked for in Boulder back then is also caput, it would seem I have the "Boulder touch." Okki's lucky that his trailer is intact.

One more fun fact---all of the stays listed below except one were booked online prior to arrival, using either a proprietary corporate web site, or one of the several travel booking sites. Booking.com is definitely my favorite for that.

The two exceptions to online booking included the Saddle West (by phone, as per Front Sight instructions) and the Wetherill Inn on the Navajo Reservation in Kayenta, Arizona, where I simply walked in and asked for a room, old school. It can still be done, but I much prefer the gracefulness of having a booking number for a king bed in my email before arrival.

So here is the whole, from first to last. It's hard to see how 2014 will beat this number, but one never knows. The (*) indicates a return visit to a location where I had stayed in 2012.

1. Motel 6 San Diego Downtown --- San Diego, CA
2. Days Inn San Diego/South Bay --- Chula Vista, CA
3. Vacation Inn El Centro --- El Centro, CA
4. Days Inn Palm Springs --- Palm Spring, CA
5. Motel 6 Twentynine Palms --- Twentynine Palms, CA
6. Mountain View Motel -- -Bishop, CA (*)
7. Jim Butler Inn and Suites -- Tonopah, NV
8. Saddle West Hotel --- Pahrump, NV
9. Elara --- Las Vegas, NV
10. Super 8 Las Vegas -- Las Nevas, NV
11. Super 8 Williams East --- Williams, AZ
12. Days Inn Flagstaff --- Flagstaff, AZ
13. Super 8 Sedona --- Sedona, AZ
14. Super 8 Tuscon/Grant Road --- Tucson, AZ
15. Siesta Motel --- Nogales, AZ
16. Days Inn Wilcox --- Wilcox, AZ
17. America's Best Value Inn Springerville --- Springerville, AZ
18. Super 8 Pinetop --- Pine Top, AZ
19. Wetherill Inn --- Kayenta, AZ
20. Quality Inn Farmington, Farmington, NM
21. Candlewood Suites Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM
22. Lamplighter Inn, Santa Fe, NM
23. Motel 6 Los Alamos, Los Alamos, NM
24. Super 8 Taos, Taos, NM
25. Super 8 Alamosa, Alamosa, CO
26. Best Western Skyway Inn & Suites, Manitou Springs, CO
27. La Quinta Inn Denver Westminster, Westminster, CO
28. Best Western Golden Buff Lodge, Boulder, CO
29. La Quinta Inn Denver Northglenn, Westminster, CO
30. Super 8 Longmont/Del Camino, Longmont, CO
31. Hampton Inn Loveland, Loveland, CO
32. Super 8 Casper/West, Casper, WY
33. C'mon Inn Billings, Billings, MT
34. Town House Inn, Great Falls, MT
35. Super 8 Glacier Park/Columbia Falls, Columbia Falls, MT
36. Kalispell Grand Hotel, Kalispell, MT
37. Red Lion Hotel Kalispell, Kalispell, MT
38. Downtowner Inn --- Whitefish, MT
39. Hotel Ruby, Spokane, WA
40. Shiloh Inn Suites Hotel, Richland, WA
41. Best Western Plus Parkersville Inn and Suites, Washougal, WA
42. Heathman Hotel, Portland, OR
43. Forest Grove Inn, Forest Grove, OR
44. Best Western University Inn & Suites, Forest Grove, OR
45. Camas Hotel, Camas, WA
46. Best Western Plus Parkersville Inn and Suites, Washougal, WA (2)
47. Jupiter Hotel, Portland, OR (6/17-6-20)
48. Super 8 Salem, Salem, OR (6/20)
49. Days Inn Airport, Portland, OR (6/22-6/23)
50. Phoenix Inn Suites, Lake Oswego, OR (6/23--6/26)
51. Clackamas Inn and Suites, Clackamas, OR (6/26-28)
52. Best Western Plus Agate Beach Inn, Newport, OR 7/01
53. Motel 6 Clackamas, Clackamas, OR 7/03
54. Paramount Hotel, Portland, OR 7/07
55. Chestnut Tree Inn, Portland, OR 7/11
56. Motel 6 Portland Mall 205, Portland, OR
57. Randle Motel, Randle, WA
58. Best Western Wilsonville Inn & Suites, Wilsonville, OR 7/18-7/22
59. Super 8 Gresham/Portland Area, Gresham, OR (7/23-7/25) 
60. Comfort Suites Denver International Airport --- Denver, CO (8/1-8/2)
61. Hilton Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO
62. Fort Collins Marriot -- Fort Collins, CO 8/8
63. Red Lion Hotel Olympia -- Olympia, WA 8/20
64. Best Western Plus Lincoln Inn --- Astoria, OR 8/21
65. Best Western Plus Airport Plaza Hotel, Reno, NV to 9/11
66. Travelodge Portland City Center, Portland, OR 9/22
67. Shiloh Inn Suites Salem, Salem, OR 9/24
68. Motel 6 Portland Mall 205, Portland, OR  (9/26-9/30) (2)
69. Silver Cloud Inn - Lake Union, Seattle, WA (10/5-10/7)
70. Best Western Plus Village Inn, Fresno, CA
71. Ramada Inn North, Fresno, CA (*)
72. Hotel North Beach, San Francisco, CA
73. Redwood Motor Inn --- San Francisco, CA 11/08
74. Inn at Jack London Square --- Oakland, CA
75. Waikiki Grand Hotel --- Honolulu, HI
76. King Kamehmeha's Kona Beach Hotel --- Kailua-Kona, HI
77. Fifth Street Ohana --- Volcano Village, HI
78. Hilo Seaside Hotel --- Hilo, HI
79. Hilton Waikoloa Village --- Waikoloa Village, HI
80. Westin Bayshore Vancouver --- Vancouver, BC
81. Downtown Value Inn --- Portland, OR
82. Econo Lodge --- Prineville, OR
83. Motel 6 Meridian --- Meridian, ID
84. Salt Lake Plaza Hotel --- Salt Lake City, UT
85. Best Western Plus Landmark Inn --- Park City, UT
86. Rabbit Ears Motel --- Steamboat Springs, CO
87. Westin Westmister ---- Westminster, CO