by Yvonne Moore

Created on: August 15, 2008   Last Updated: August 20, 2008

Due to the numerous out of town project assignments throughout my career, I know more about temporary lodging than I ever imagined. Many extended stay hotels are franchise owned, thus differences in service and pricing are prevalent. Therefore, should you find yourself in a situation requiring an extended stay I encourage you to call several hotels, asking each the four questions below, before securing a reservation.

First, ask what the square footage of the room is. If the passage from the stove to the bed is less than your height, and the television is at arm's length from the bed, claustrophobia will set in. Also, inquire about the storage size of the closet. If too small, you will be living out of a suitcase and wearing crinkled clothes each day. I once stayed in a room so tiny that I could not set up the ironing board. Furthermore, if an iron and board is not included, proceed to the next hotel on your call list.

Second question to ask is about the size of the refrigerator and freezer section. Some do not have ample space to store a frozen boxed dinner. There will be a need to purchase frozen and fresh food. Restaurant dining gets expensive and is notably high in calories. Perhaps optional for some, but I prefer a small oven and stove top in the room. Hotels that provide this luxury usually have larger living areas. Cooking your own meals, plus having a separate kitchen and living space, helps to create an atmosphere more similar to one's home.

Third, ask if the front desk is open 24 hours a day. If the answer is no, inquire if there is an emergency phone number or an on call maintenance employee. During one of my stays, at 2:00 a.m. the bathroom ceiling collapsed from an overflowing bath tub one floor above. I could hear the water running, no one would answer the door, and there was no emergency phone number. After sharing this story with others, I learned I was not the only victim of such circumstance.

Last, inquire as to what standard amenities are available in the hotel. There should be at least one ice machine, a coin operated laundry room, guaranteed parking space, a small exercise room and preferably an outdoor pool. The longer your stay, the more valuable these become. When these amenities are present, more often than not, cleanliness, safety and friendly employees are included in the package.

The question of extended stay pricing was intentionally omitted. My experience has shown that you can negotiate a price with most of them, especially if your stay requires more than two weeks. This is not an option with most short term lodging establishments.

Learn more about this author, Yvonne Moore.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.