Would you reserve a hotel or take a chance?

[klj27]

We will be driving to WDW this summer. Usually we like to leave around noon and stop around dark. This should put us somewhere in southern Georgia. (Valdosta maybe.) I am wondering if we should actually book a room or will we find availability wherever we stop. We usually don't book a room in advance but we will be travelling around the 4th of July. The only time we have had troubles finding a room was going down was the weekend after the fourth. We couldn't find any place until Lake City and it was disgusting.

Any opinions?

 

[tjmw2727]

I would, but I am a planner anyway and I like to have things in order. If you are sure you will be stopping why not hit one of the travel sites and find a nice place in advance. You will likely get a good price when booking in advance and you can choose a place based on your needs and preferences.

I like to have something to look forward to, perhaps a nice pool or spa to relax in after the long drive. A nice breakfast and then off again the next day.

TJ

 

[kakiegirl]

I am from the South Georgia area (about 35 miles West of Valdosta) and I can not imagine you would have any trouble just stopping and getting a place to stay, unless maybe you are actually traveling on the 4th of July weekend, it is on Monday this year so a long weekend for many. I personally can not imagine that even then all of the hotels off of 75 in the Valdosta area would be full but you never know, Valdosta now has its on theme park (Wild Adventures) so people from Georgia and North Florida might be visiting that park during 4th of July weekend. So I guess my advice would be get a reservation if it is actually on the 4th of July weekend if not personally I think you will be okay, if you would rather not have one, I don't know of anything major going on during that time. Either way I hope you enjoy your short stay in South Georgia.

 

[kakiegirl]

I am from the South Georgia area (about 35 miles West of Valdosta) and I can not imagine you would have any trouble just stopping and getting a place to stay, unless maybe you are actually traveling on the 4th of July weekend, it is on Monday this year so a long weekend for many. I personally can not imagine that even then all of the hotels off of 75 in the Valdosta area would be full but you never know, Valdosta now has its own theme park (Wild Adventures) so people from Georgia and North Florida might be visiting that park during 4th of July weekend. So I guess my advice would be get a reservation if it is actually on the 4th of July weekend if not personally I think you will be okay, if you would rather not have one, I don't know of anything major going on during that time. Either way I hope you enjoy your short stay in South Georgia.

 

[DZNYMGCFAM]

Well, while I must say I am not sure where Valdosta is from Savannah, but one year we did not make reservations for our normal hotel we stayed in there (we always just popped in) and we found ourselves searching....it was not any fun!!! It was a holiday weekend as well. We went to about three hotels until one told us to try going further down into Richmond Hill...that is what we did and we found a hotel there. Needless to say...we now make reservations every year for that same hotel..no matter what. It is just one less mishap I do not have to be concerned about on my vacation !

 

[tlbwriter]

Well, last summer (right before July 4) we didn't make reservations at our usual stop in Tennessee, and ended up having to drive an hour down the road to the next town (where we were lucky to get a room at the Super 8). So, from now on, I'm making reservations. You never know when there's a race, or a softball tournament, or a fishing tourament, or all three going on at the same time!

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I like not making a reservation and seeing how far we are able to go. I however would not want to do this on a holiday week or even mid summer. What i would and have done is make a PS at a large frequent chain where you think you will be comfortable driving to. When you reach that point, if you are not too tired and want to go futher, have them call a hotel a few hours down the road and check for availability. They will be glad to change your reservati0n. if you find all booked, you have a place to stay and can enjoy a swim!!! WE try to choose a place with continental breakfast to save time and money the next morning. WE have done this using hampton inns in Georgia.

Jordan's mom

 

[siouxi31]

We have some hilarious video footage of a stop in Forsythe GA (just south of Atlanta). We didn't make any reservations and figured that we'd just find a motel off the highway. We pulled into a Super 8 and my husband went in to see if they had any availability. I asked him to look at the room before he committed. Well, he didn't check out the room. He figured "How bad could it be?". I'm a hotel snob. I've had the fortunate opportunity to travel internationally for work and stay at some spectacular hotels so I'm quite spoiled. We were all tired so I just blew it off and said OK. "You're right, how bad could it be?". It was singlehandedly the most disgusting place we ever stayed at. The room was filthy with holes in the pillowcases, stains on the bedspreads and curtains, toothpaste spatters on the mirror, dust everywhere and a moldy tub. Even the towels felt gritty after we showered. I went to the front desk to ask for new towels and the lady at the front desk didn't think that they had any. She had to go into a back room to check (yuck!...I'm sure they were sitting around collecting dust).
My story is not whether or not to make a reservation but to check out the room before you commit. We had a similar experience in Disneyland where we did not make a reservation for one night because we weren't sure where in SoCal we'd end up and we paid an arm and a leg for a Best Western room that wasn't worth the 135.00 we paid. It was the only thing available. Check out hotels on your route. Find out what their availability is during your trip. If most seem to have rooms, then wing it. If alot seem booked up, then get a reservation before you leave. But....CHECK OUT THAT ROOM.
For the one in Forsythe, we couldn't leave fast enough the next morning. It was horrid and should have been reported to the department of health.

 

[lisametairie]

my parents live right outside of Valdosta in lake park. they are currently under construction of their house so the last 2 times we have visited we have stayed in a hotel like the earlier reply we have only had a reservation one time and the other we had no problem getting a room. At the Lake PArk exit there is a Days Inn, Howard Johnson, Holiday Inn express, Hampton inn next t a Cracker Barrell, A shoneys Inn, A macdonalds, Pizza Hut Etc. and it is right off I-75. There is also a Winn Dixie there if you need to stock up on your food and an outlet mall

 

[klj27]

I think I will take everyone's advice and book a room because of travelling around the holiday. We normally stay at the exit with a Fairfield Inn and I believe a Holiday Inn or Hampton. I read online that there is a Country Suites? there now that appears to be newer. Any opinions on these hotels (especially if you have stayed at those specific ones)?

A few more questions:

What happens if we can't make it that far? Are we still charged for the room even if we call to say we can't make it?

Is Lake Park south or north of Valdosta?

Thanks again!

 

[Becky2005]

Another idea which I am debating myself using this year for the way back anyw(I have done it in the past but now we are a family of 6 and I have found this is a pain when it comes to finding a hotel we will fit at, so I'm not sure I want to take the chance!).

If you have a cell phone, grab one of those hotel booklets and a couple hours before you want to stop, call and see if there are openings and book it then. You will have the hotel, by then you will know how tired you are, etc...

I know one state (can't remember which one), had it set-up at rest stops with phones with numbers that connected you to about 6-8 hotels that were farther on down that interstate. It was awesome (this was before cell phones were big). We took advantage of that and it worked great as we could travel farther than when you need to start looking for hotels (my family always did driving vacations and I learned that you always needed to start looking for your hotel around 4 pm because if you waited much later, they were usually booked by then - DH didn't listen to me on that for on the way back home from our honeymoon and found out the hard way! LOL!) but doing the call ahead while on the road version lets you get about 2-3 hours more worth of driving in rather than stopping and checking to see if they have vacancies.

 

[PlutoPony]

To some extent it will depend on how early you're willing to stop. By late afternoon/dinner time many places will be filled if it's a busy time. In general you have to check in by 6pm (or guarantee your room w/ CC) so there will be some late cancellations ~ 5.....
We have a AAA membership and always have their guidebooks with us for the areas we'll be driving thru. About 2 pm we decide how late we want to travel that day, then I check the AAA book for the area we'll be in and start calling on the cell. This has seemed to work well - unless you're in an area w/o cell coverage .

 

[greenyskp]

I would.

We usually use www.hotelkingdom.com

During the Hurricanes last year, we drove to Tennessee and made reservations the whole way. It was cheap, and easy. We even canceled one of them, and it was a breeze. You wouldnt want to arrive, and have every hotel full, and have to drive around for hours. (although thats an extreme)

Good Luck!

 

[kakiegirl]

Lake Park is about 10 miles South of the exit you usually stay at, it has some hotels, eating places and a small factory outlet mall. The County Inn and Suites is new and looks really nice. I have never stayed in that one but I did stay in one in Atlanta and we really liked it.