Over the years I have stayed in many different motels. Some were chosen out of desperation (only one available). The most expensive was Comfort Inn in Allentown, PA $90.
The cheapest was in the 70s and 80s Motel 6 $9.95 if you wanted a wake up call you rented an alarm clock for 50 cents and black and white tv was a buck, but it was clean and quiet. The one we stayed at wouldn't rent to school groups as they tended to be too rowdy.
Comparing so called luxury hotels with moderate chains I prefer the chains, with Comfort Inn and Super 8 our preference.
We stayed in the Radisson last week, as that is where the meeting was. It was overpriced, and the first night our heat didn't work the alarm clock couldn't even get an AM station. On the other hand the Comfort Inn in the same city, where we usually stay is clean, everything works when you check in, and most of all there is a complimentary breakfast, the price is about half of Radisson.
We have also stayed in Country Inn Suites, Hawthorne Inn in Seattle (very nice), Select Inn, and various non-chain inns.
We prefer a motel w/o a pool as we never use, it and it just adds to the cost, but not always. By the way be careful of pool side rooms, one time a company I worked for placed us in pool side rooms thinking it was a treat. Well it was noisy and at 2am some guests decided to have a pool party. They were escorted out, but it was still a sleep disruption.
Stayed in a Holiday Inn and the local high school had their prom in the ballroom below us, at a Ramada we had court side room and the wedding guests across the way would take a fresh air break right outside our window and wern't very quietly conversing.
It is because of these experiences we are turnd off premium motels and prefer the moderate ones, without lounges and pools.
Ernie