Bike 'friendliness' of US hotels?

[DaveBishop]

Hi all,
I'm playing around with the idea to do some form of cross country riding in the US.
Plan is still very immature, and many remains to be researched and worked out. But based on previous trips (work trips, vacations, etc) where I brought a bike along and wasn't always greeted by hotel staff in the most enthusiastic way, I have the following question:

What is your experience with hotels while touring on a bike across the US?

Are they generally fine with somebody showing up with a bike and taking it to their room? Have you ever been told that's not allowed?

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

[John Nettles]

I have toured for 45 years.  Over the past 10 years, I use hotels more and more so have probably stayed in a hotel 200+ rooms nights over the past decade or so.  A lot of this is that there are fewer campgrounds out there and many of the campgrounds that do exist do not accept tents. I do not count the plethora of permanent communities of RVs as campgrounds as to me, a campground should be more from transient (temporary) campers. 

In my 45 years, I have had a hotel refuse to accommodate my bike less than a handful of times so maybe 2% of the time (5 divided by 200). 
If they do not want the bike in my room (maybe 10% of the time), I ask about or they offer a storage room, unused conference room, or once the main lobby. Basically, somewhere secure due to the value of the bike.  As a side note, it is not uncommon to see take off work boots, motorcycle boots, etc. before entering room signs in the lobby of hotel in areas where I guess a lot of dirty boots occur. No common but not uncommon either. 

I have always taken care to keep the bike from dirtying up the room to prevent the hotel from having a valid reason to refuse bikes.  If it has been raining, I ask for a couple of dirty towels to keep under the bike while it drips.

These observations occur regardless of the hotel's "quality".  I traveled a lot for work and am a lifetime top-tier status at 5 national chains (high end to mid-level range) so I rarely have to pay for a hotel at them due to the bazillion points I accumulated while working.  However, in places that require what I think are too many points or in most small towns in North America that don't have a Marriott, Holiday Inn, etc., I pay at the small independent hotels.  They and the franchised properties are the ones that seem to initially raise an eyebrow toward a bike but have almost always agreed after some polite discussion/compromise. 

Overall, I do not think you will have an issue.

Tailwinds, John

[DaveBishop]

Thank you for the very reassuring note John!

[davidbonn]

Some hotels, especially on popular tour routes, do advertise as "bike friendly".  That can mean a lot of things but usually you'll be better off at lodging that advertises as bike friendly.  It would be nice if we kept a list of bike friendly lodging and private campgrounds online somewhere.

It is a good idea to call the hotel before booking and confirm they are okay with bikes.  When you book the room note that you'll be arriving by bicycle and request a ground floor room.

I also look for hotels with a great hotel breakfast included and guest laundry.  I've noticed over the years that fewer and fewer lodgings have guest laundry anymore, especially at lower-cost motels.

[Pat Lamb]

I don't ask anymore; I assume they'll let me wheel my bike right through the lobby.

I was asked to lock it up outside once at a small "historic" hotel in eastern Colorado, and a B&B let me store a bike in their barn.

If you're in an outdoorsy area (lots of hikers, hunters, fishermen), ask if they have an old towel to clean it up before you roll the bike inside.  That's after a towel was a room towel, a pool towel, and finally a cleaning towel.  Most places are happy to provide you with one.

[John Nelson]

I've never been refused. I don't ask. I leave my bike outside when registering. Then I wheel my bike in through the front door directly to the elevator (if there is an elevator). If they say anything to me at all, it's usually an offer of help.

[rootchopper]

It's very rare that the hotel will say "no" to bringing your bike into your room. But I always as when reserving the room.

One time my bike was rejected was in Dove Creek CO on the Western Express. The motel was pretty dumpy but the owner insisted I leave my bike outdoors. Don't tell anybody but about 10 pm I brought it inside. He never knew.

In Redmond Or my 3-man tour posse called the Motel 6. They said they had one room and would hold it for us. When the manager saw we were on bikes he said he had given the room to someone else.

A Holiday Inn in Niagara Falls NY put my recumbent in its luggage room. A few other hotels have done something similar.

I asked to bring my bike into my room in a hotel in Delaware OH. The kid behind the counter needed to consult her boss. I heard her say, "He wants to bring his motorcycle into the room." So make sure you say "bicycle" instead of "bike".

I agree that you should ask for a rag to wipe down your bike.

[davidbonn]

I'm always truthful and up front and let them know I have a bike.  If they have a problem with it being in the room with me and don't have adequately secure storage for my bike (most places do not) I go elsewhere.  It just isn't worth it otherwise.  If they are particularly obnoxious about it I give them a bad review on Tripadvisor (e.g. "CYCLISTS BEWARE:  BICYCLES NOT PERMITTED IN ROOM, NO SECURE STORAGE").

When I look for lodgings, I always try to look for "compact town" situations where everything I'll need is within a short distance of the hotel.

Some really good motel stay situations I've had over the years:

1.  Golden Lion Inn, Raymond, WA.  Markets and food within a few blocks.  When I showed up here soaking wet and muddy they let me use their hose to clean myself and the bike, put an old bedsheet down on the floor, and gave me a couple of rags to wipe down my bike.

2. Pacific City Inn, Pacific City, OR.  Rags provided on arrival.  Also they moved another guest to a second-floor room so I could have a ground floor room.

3.  Quality Inn, Port Angeles, WA.  There are three inexpensive motels here, all ran by the same owner.  Laundry on site.  Safeway is about two blocks away.  Many restaurants and the ferry terminal is just to the north.  Good bike repair shop close by.  This location is very close to the Olympic Discovery Trail.

4.  Evergreen Motel, Libby, MT.  Used to advertise as cyclist friendly.

5.  Spoke'n Hostel, Mitchell, OR.  Famous stop on the Trans Am.

[Westinghouse]

Several times across the US by bicycle.  Nobody reacted like having the bike in the room was a problem.

[davidbonn]

On the average you'll get better rates in cities, even small cities, at business-oriented hotels on the weekends.

In most touristy areas in the States you'll get better rates on weeknights, and especially better rates before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.

I keep a couple of booking apps on my phone and start checking rates a couple of days before I expect to make it to where I plan to stay.  Under most circumstances I do not actually make the reservation until the morning of the day I plan to arrive there -- largely because I can't plan with very much precision beyond the current day, and sometimes not even then.

Also keep in mind that if you book with a third party like Expedia or booking.com usually it will take 3-4 hours before the reservation will show up in the hotel's computer system.  But you can be pretty confident that if an app shows there is availability you can just show up at the front desk and have very good odds of getting a room.

[DaveBishop]

Some hotels, especially on popular tour routes, do advertise as "bike friendly".  That can mean a lot of things but usually you'll be better off at lodging that advertises as bike friendly.  It would be nice if we kept a list of bike friendly lodging and private campgrounds online somewhere.

It is a good idea to call the hotel before booking and confirm they are okay with bikes.  When you book the room note that you'll be arriving by bicycle and request a ground floor room.

I also look for hotels with a great hotel breakfast included and guest laundry.  I've noticed over the years that fewer and fewer lodgings have guest laundry anymore, especially at lower-cost motels.

Good tips! Thanks.

[DaveBishop]

I don't ask anymore; I assume they'll let me wheel my bike right through the lobby.

I was asked to lock it up outside once at a small "historic" hotel in eastern Colorado, and a B&B let me store a bike in their barn.

If you're in an outdoorsy area (lots of hikers, hunters, fishermen), ask if they have an old towel to clean it up before you roll the bike inside.  That's after a towel was a room towel, a pool towel, and finally a cleaning towel.  Most places are happy to provide you with one.

Thanks Pat!

[DaveBishop]

It's very rare that the hotel will say "no" to bringing your bike into your room. But I always as when reserving the room.

One time my bike was rejected was in Dove Creek CO on the Western Express. The motel was pretty dumpy but the owner insisted I leave my bike outdoors. Don't tell anybody but about 10 pm I brought it inside. He never knew.

In Redmond Or my 3-man tour posse called the Motel 6. They said they had one room and would hold it for us. When the manager saw we were on bikes he said he had given the room to someone else.

A Holiday Inn in Niagara Falls NY put my recumbent in its luggage room. A few other hotels have done something similar.

I asked to bring my bike into my room in a hotel in Delaware OH. The kid behind the counter needed to consult her boss. I heard her say, "He wants to bring his motorcycle into the room." So make sure you say "bicycle" instead of "bike".

I agree that you should ask for a rag to wipe down your bike.

Thanks!
lol, I’d like to bring my Harley in my room please. Is that ok?

[DaveBishop]

I'm always truthful and up front and let them know I have a bike.  If they have a problem with it being in the room with me and don't have adequately secure storage for my bike (most places do not) I go elsewhere.  It just isn't worth it otherwise.  If they are particularly obnoxious about it I give them a bad review on Tripadvisor (e.g. "CYCLISTS BEWARE:  BICYCLES NOT PERMITTED IN ROOM, NO SECURE STORAGE").

When I look for lodgings, I always try to look for "compact town" situations where everything I'll need is within a short distance of the hotel.

Some really good motel stay situations I've had over the years:

1.  Golden Lion Inn, Raymond, WA.  Markets and food within a few blocks.  When I showed up here soaking wet and muddy they let me use their hose to clean myself and the bike, put an old bedsheet down on the floor, and gave me a couple of rags to wipe down my bike.

2. Pacific City Inn, Pacific City, OR.  Rags provided on arrival.  Also they moved another guest to a second-floor room so I could have a ground floor room.

3.  Quality Inn, Port Angeles, WA.  There are three inexpensive motels here, all ran by the same owner.  Laundry on site.  Safeway is about two blocks away.  Many restaurants and the ferry terminal is just to the north.  Good bike repair shop close by.  This location is very close to the Olympic Discovery Trail.

4.  Evergreen Motel, Libby, MT.  Used to advertise as cyclist friendly.

5.  Spoke'n Hostel, Mitchell, OR.  Famous stop on the Trans Am.

That’s encouraging David. Thanks for the tips.

[rootchopper]

If you are planning on taking the C&O and GAP there are two hotels worth noting.

In Hancock MD on the C&O they have a hose set up out front for you to clean your bike. They also provided rags. (Once cleaned, bikes are allowed in rooms.)

In Connellsville PA on the GAP, a Comfort Inn near the trail offers showers (towel, soap, and shampoo provided) for $10. I would expect they are used to having bikes in rooms but don't know for sure.