The World of Travel

This short article in the Los Angeles Times talks about how the Red Roof In chain received the highest customer satisfaction for economy hotels, in a survey done by MarketMatrix research.  The article notes that Red Roof Inn makes a concerted effort to pay attention to user comments on the Internet, and keeps making little additions that get suggested, like outlets near beds for portable electronic devices, and free Wi-Fi.

I happened to stay at a Red Roof Inn last year, when I went to Asheville, North Carolina, for a cousin's wedding.  And the room was indeed terrific.  (They screwed up on the first room they gave me, which hadn't been made up yet, but the room they switched me to was wonderful.)  In fact, one of the things it was easy to notice was that free Wi-Fi the article mentions.  My recollection is that it was free for only an hour, but that's fine.  Simply offering it for free, whatever the length, made a good "we actually care about the customer" impression.  (And for all I know, it might have been longer.)  And the rest of the room was clean, well-appointed and comfortable. 

The price was good, too -- probably on the high-end of economy, but still very reasonable and worth it.  I wouldn't hesitate staying at another Red Roof Inn.  I'd just double-check to make sure they got the room right the first time...