What does an RVer look for in a Hotel Room?
A good friend of mine got married in Florida. Being fully mobile we brought our home on wheels to the occasion. There was only one problem, we have a 44 ft Toy Hauler and there wasn’t an RV park with availability near where the wedding was at. We had a choice, to drive back to Orlando from St Pete Beach after the wedding (almost two hours), or to stay at a hotel. With Danielle being pregnant it was an easy decision to choose the hotel.
It’s funny to me, being full time travelers it’s been quite awhile since we had stayed in a hotel. Since I was in the wedding we knew we would be enjoying the festivities with the rest of the group and wouldn’t be spending a lot of time at the hotel. We wanted something nice and clean, but not something expensive since we weren’t going to be lounging around much. Here’s the list of what is important to us (in no particular order) when staying at a hotel:
- Wifi
This is a bonus for us. We have internet anywhere that we have Verizon coverage with our Jetpack but to get good wifi is critical to upload/download pictures and videos that would normally use up our data. We have 20 gigs with our package but typically end up using around 30 gigs per month.
- Friendly Staff
When staff is smiling and upbeat it passes that along to their customers. It’s always refreshing to spend your life around people who are friendly and positive people. I wouldn’t want to spend my vacation around downers.
- Affordable (we would rather spend our money on experiences rather than an expensive place to stay)
I’ve stayed in some of the best hotels around the country. I understand why someone would want that type of experience. However for what we enjoy doing, we want to be frugal in the hotel, and rich in the experience.
- A Clean Room
It’s nice to not have to make your bed in the morning…
We found the perfect place for us to stay at the Days Inn St Petersburg North.
It’s centrally located between St Pete Beach, Downtown St Pete, Clearwater and Tampa. When we got to the hotel to check in the friendly staff greeted us and set us up with a room. The rooms were newly remodeled and far exceeded our expectations!
They had work stations which was great to be able to comfortably sit and catch up on work. 
They had a small workout facility to stay in shape while you travel. Also laundry facilities so you don’t have to worry about a laundromat if you need to do laundry.
The pool was our favorite part! It’s HOT in Florida and with the Palm Trees lining the pool it felt like a tropical vacation! They are in the process of building a Tiki Bar in the pool area!
The lobby is nice and meets up to the breakfast area. Yum!
The wedding was absolutely gorgeous! Gareth is Scottish so we wore kilts and had swords.
Living In PCB and surrounded by lots of condos, I have always asked myself this question “why do I see RV’s in the parking lot?” I have always thought that maybe the wife (more than the husband) wants to be pampered a little bit, byway of a bathroom large enough not to put your elbow through the walls, or simply a place where she can go in one room, and he in the other. I never thought about your reason for getting a hotel. Makes sense. Also, your wife looks radiant.
Thanks for the kind words! Yeah we’ve come to realize there’s quite a few reasons to stay in a hotel while RVing haha! I just recently figured out when people get their RVs worked on they often stay in a hotel.