Motel 6 guest trashes room “to free trapped midget”

by Scott Carmichael on

A 73 year old guest spending the night at a Motel 6 in Spartanburg, South Carolina trashed his room when an incoming call told him to help “free a trapped midget” locked inside a neighboring room. The caller warned him that he was being watched by secret surveillance cameras.

The caller then instructed the hotel guest to throw the TV out the window, after smashing it with a toilet seat. They then asked him to break through the wall into the next room.

The man followed all the instructions, thinking he was helping release the midget, and assist the cops. When a manager went to check the room after noise complaints, they confronted the motel guest in his trashed room.

Amazingly, this is not the first time a prankster has pulled a trick like this, we wrote about similar pranks last year. Apparently, a group called pranknet is behind the calls.

When police arrived, other motel guests told them that they had received similar calls, but did not fall for the prank, so the jokers kept calling other rooms until they got a hold of someone who had some compassion for midgets.

Bottom line – if someone calls your hotel or motel room with a story that sounds too weird to believe, it is probably someone hoping you’ll trash your room “just for fun”.

The motel is not pressing charges, as it became obvious the man had been tricked. A video with the 911 distress calls from the front desk can be found here.

Motel 6 goes for younger image, offers free stays to rock bands

by Katie Hammel on

When you think of edgy, hip places to stay, I’d venture a guess that Motel 6 isn’t the first place that comes to mind. But the budget lodging chain is hoping to change that with a new promotion – providing free rooms to a few up-and-coming touring rock bands. The marketing gurus at Motel 6 have asked the bands to blog and tweet about their stays, hoping that the buzz will build brand recognition and positive association among younger customers.

The bands, which were chosen by a music promotion company called Primary Wave Music, will receive six weeks of accommodation at Motel 6 locations along the tour routes. The bands aren’t being told what to say about Motel 6, but the company is obviously hoping for positive press. Even the budget motel has been hit hard by declining travel, with occupancy rates down 5-7% over the last year. Jeff Palmer, VP of marketing, is hoping the promotion will help get Motel 6 back on track, and earn the company some new, younger customers. “If they stay with us young, maybe they’ll remain brand loyal,” he said.

Rock on, Motel 6.

5 reasons why the Motel 6 on Tropicana is the best deal in Vegas

by Justin Glow on

I’m writing this from the confines of my motel room in chilly Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m in town for CES, because I love technology and gadgets, and I love walking around large convention centers and seeing the latest and greatest. Above all, I love doing it drunk. On a Tuesday afternoon. But right now I’m holed up in my favorite place to sleep in Vegas: the luxurious Motel 6 Tropicana — largest of its brand in all of the United States. Sure, the room is tiny; a faint smell of stale cigarettes lingers in the air, and every thirty seconds, my chest rumbles from the sound of a jumbo jet taking off. Really, I could go on and on about the negative qualities of this motel. In comparison to any other place in any other city, it’s a dump.

But we’re not in any other city, we’re in Vegas — the land of $600 hotel rooms; a place with over 130,000 beds in 10-mile radius. So why, you’re probably thinking, do I repeatedly choose to stay in the Motel 6? Good question!

1. Close proximity to the strip. For being an off-strip establishment, the Motel 6 is as close to the strip as you can get without being accosted by flier-snapping porn peddlers. It’s located off the south end, at the corner of Tropicana and Koval, next to the Hooters Casino (conveniently, some might say), and directly across Tropicana from the MGM Grand. In about 5 minutes walk time, I can be across the street, through MGM’s south entrance, and onto the Las Vegas Monorail heading practically anywhere on the strip. Five minutes in the other direction puts me at the corner of Tropicana and Las Vegas Boulevard.

2. Price. This is one of the strongest qualities the Motel 6 has going for it. For three nights in a double, I’m paying $287.97 USD, or roughly $95 per night. This is during CES, mind you — the largest trade show in Las Vegas, with over 150,000 attendees. During this week, at any other place on the strip, you can expect to pay more per night than I am for three. It’s even cheaper if you’re splitting the room with someone else, as I am. This brings the total cost per person, per night, to under $50. And I didn’t have to book 8 months in advance; these reservations were made in early December. But get this: a quick search of the reservation database reveals that not only are rooms still available this week, they’re cheaper than what I paid last month! Unbeatable. (And I’m on my way down to the desk to get a refund!)

3. Convenience store. One of my favorite things about the Motel 6 is the convenience store located on-site. The Eagle Mini-Mart, open 24/7, is filled with just about anything you’d ever need during your average stay in Vegas. They’ve got beer and liquor, smokes, sunglasses, medicine, toiletries — everything you’d expect to find in your neighborhood 7-11 back home, save for the blinking slot machines in the back corner. It’s priced for convenience, of course, but then again, isn’t everything in Vegas priced for convenience? My first stop upon arriving is at the store to pick up a big box of beer. Then it’s off to the room, where I dump it in the bathroom sink and fill it up with ice from the machine. Anything that doesn’t fit in the sink is placed in the next-best makeshift cooler: the trash can. (Tip: place the included plastic liner in the trash can first!) Classy, I know. After a long, hard night of debauchery, stop back by the Eagle for free coffee (guests only) in the morning.

4. CoCo’s. Directly west of the Motel 6 is CoCo’s, a greasy-spoon, Denny’s-like restaurant open 24/7. Forget the $20-plus buffets on the strip, CoCo’s is cheap, fast, and delicious. There’s absolutely, without a doubt, no better way to sop up a hangover then a tall stack of flapjacks and a side of fries. Plus it’s the only place in Vegas where you can dine with both vacationing families and pimps at the same time. And unlike most places in town, it’s 100% smoke free. Get there early on the weekends, or expect to wait for a table (unless you’re a pimp).

5. No-frills, but clean and safe. If you’re staying at the Motel 6 in Vegas, you have to be in the right frame of mind. I admit, it’s not for everyone — nor is it for every situation. If you’re on your honeymoon, for instance, or trying to impress someone, you’d be better off splurging for something a little more lavish. The Motel 6 doesn’t have butler service or elegant linens. Nor do they have a flat screen television or his-and-her Italian marble baths. If these things are important to you, go elsewhere. But if you need a clean, safe place to lay your weary head, the “6” passes with flying colors.

And sorry to burst your bubble, but they won’t leave the light on for you. You know, the whole global warming thing.

***

Motel 6 Las Vegas – Tropicana #67
195 E Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV, 89109
Phone: (702) 798-0728 | Fax: (702) 798-5657
www.motel6.com

William Becker, Co-Founder of Motel 6, Dies

by Justin Glow on

A few years back, a friend shared a secret with me that has changed the way I travel to Las Vegas. After spending weeks in advance of my second trip to Sin City searching through numerous cheap hotel websites to find the best deal, I asked this friend for advice — what’s the cheapest place to stay on or near Las Vegas Boulevard?

I’m a budget traveler, almost to a fault — partly by choice, partly by poverty, but mostly by nature. On family trips as a child, Dad would use coupons at Taco Bell. I mean really, can you get much cheaper than a $0.59 taco? I digress.

“Dude, just stay at the Motel 6,” my friend tells me (that’s how all Southern Californians talk, isn’t it?), “it’s right off the strip and cheap as hell!”

He was right. It was right off the strip, on Tropicana. I could throw a baseball and hit the MGM. The orange spandex-clad girls of the newly opened Hooters Hotel and Casino were tantalizingly close, almost too close. Cheap as hell, too — weekend rates were about $80 a night, compared to at least double that anywhere else on the strip. Since I found out about the Motel 6 on Tropicana, I I’ve stayed there every time I’ve been to Vegas. It’s small, sure — but clean. And man, is it cheap!

That’s my Motel 6 story. Rest in peace, Mr. Becker. We’ll leave the light on for ya.

[News via World Hum]

Dating Vacations: First Time How Tos

by Jamie Rhein on

With the weather perking up and flowers bursting in bloom, maybe you and your honey are planning to take that first vacation together. You are thinking that the experience will be marvelous and love will spill over into get-a-way bliss–but, not so fast. Instead of hitting the road for a good time, you could be heading down the path of ruining a perfectly fine relationship. Here is an article written by Kimberly Dawn Neumann I came across that outlines 10 tips to achieve success on a first vacation together. I thought back to my first vacation away with my husband, then boyfriend, to see how we faired when compared to these tips. Not bad.

While our first vacation as a couple was in the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico), it was a simple journey with fairly low expectations. I had a grand plan to take photographs of the neon signs in Gallup, New Mexico and he was willing to go along. Off we headed from Albuquerque where we lived. Like with many vacation plans, the end result didn’t match the vision. I didn’t take any pictures since he was on crutches from surgery and couldn’t walk. I wasn’t willing to leave him by himself while I headed out with my camera. Deciding not to take pictures fulfilled Rule #9: Be Flexible. Staying at a Motel 6 met Rule # 2: Consider the Financial. We were both beginning teachers on a limited budget.

Cost aside, I did insist we stop at the New Mexico Mining Museum in Grants, New Mexico on the way home. Because I’m a sucker for small museums, I stuck to my conviction that this was an “I have to stop here” kind of place. This is an example of Rule # 5: Identify Your Travel Styles. My travel style is to go to museums. As it turned out, he liked the mining museum which is probably one of the reasons we stayed together. Another reason we still enjoy traveling together is because we have learned to follow Rule # 8: Don’t be afraid to separate. Sometimes we just don’t like the same things and are more than happy to go it alone. For the rest of the rules, read the article.