Category Archives: Featured

Getting the Best Deal

If you can save 5 bucks on a room, you can spend it on so many other nice things! A book for your kids, a latte for you, a couple of gallons of gas. . . so many nice things! The same is true for independently owned and operated hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts- any money they save is returned to make their lodging nicer or goes back to their community. Savings benefits all involved- it’s win-win!

Presently, the most convenient way to reserve a room is by using one of those giant booking companies- you know who they are, they advertise all the time, and that one guy is CONSTANTLY on the news! While they certainly do advertise plenty, their bread and butter is serving the Big Guys- the franchises. And many of them are even owned by the same company, creating only the mirage that they compete against each other! How do lodging facilities get advertised on those sites? Generally, by paying a fee. Who pays that fee? You do!!!!

If you want to get the very best price, call the hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast directly. Ask them if they have any discounts. Not only will you be presently surprised at how much cheaper an independent lodging facility costs, but you also can gauge how friendly the management is, and have any questions you have answered. Ask them, “Is it cheaper to book directly through you or can I get a better deal through the internet?” Get the bottom line, and book your room. Who wins? You do, and the independent hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast gets your business. Save your 5 bucks for yourself, and let someone else’s 5 bucks go to some corporation somewhere!

Happy travels, from Mom and Pop Motels.

New Owners and a Fun New Look in Joliet, Montana!

The new owners of the Botts Family Motel know there’s nothing like a new look! And the Botts family in Joliet, Montana are excited to present the Botts Family Motel (formerly the Joliet Motel), and welcome new travelers to their quaint little hamlet in south central Montana.

Like they say, “Fresh paint is always good.” Travelers love updated lodging facilities- fresh linens, fresh towels, nice new snackie-type things, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. While it’s always nice to find places that are adequate, the delight is in finding the sparkling bauble, and a sweet little room with all the pleasantries of owners excited to show off their new motel is always a fun find!

Located 40 miles south of Billings, Montana, and 30 miles north of the Beartooth Pass on the way to Yellowstone Park, the Botts Family Motel looks like it’s a nice little place to spend the night.

Exciting and fun, new motel owners bring new energy to a great lodging location In Joliet, Montana

Keeping up on things!

Here at Mom and Pop Motels, it’s important to us that we keep our listings up to date! We want our travelers to easily find all of our fun-interesting-lovely- great independent hotels, motels, and bed & breakfasts!! We constantly comb through our listings, weeding through the listings to keep the ever-changing independent lodging list current. We start with the letter “A” and work our way down. Sooooo, do you have a motel that needs a nicer picture, or a link to their website, or the addition of a lovely new amenity? Send us a note, drop us a line, give us a call, messenger us on Facebook, but let us know! It’s all free (and hey, it’s not that hard!) Summer is here (or at least it feels like it is) so get out there and enjoy it!

Happy travels,

The Mom and Pop Motels Management Team.

Get the Map Back Out!

When was the last time you used a map? A real, folding map. Or atlas. Using one of these old-fashioned things is a lot of fun. It makes you a lot less destination-oriented, and shows you all the little roads that you could take.

When you use a mobile phone or some other mapping device, you go directly to your destination. When you pull out the old paper map, you can see so many other places to go! Maybe you can stop for dinner somewhere else, or maybe there’s a nice park where you can stretch your legs. And it’s good to familiarize yourself with the communities along your route- you might want to visit sometime!!

Ever Visited Pipestone, Minnesota?

Amazing! That’s just how I’m going to start this post, because once a person gets off the interstate, life changes from “blah-blah-blah” to “WOWZA!” So, I imagine most of you all have at least heard of the “Twin Cities”, those being Minneapolis, MN and St. Paul, WI, and nearly everybody has heard of Walnut Grove, where the famous little pioneer girl, Laura Ingalls Wilder, grew up, with all her tales of the banks of Plum Creek and the notoriously awful little Nellie Olson. But have you ever heard of Pipestone?

Pipestone is a deliriously rich little town in Eastern Minnesota. The buildings are all made of this completely enchanting “pipestone”, a brilliantly pinkish-mauve rock that makes the whole town full of a vibrant color- seriously, like no other! And, smack-dab in the middle of Pipestone is (drum-roll please). . . The Historic Calumet Inn. Folks, this inn is nearly worth the trip all in itself. If you are completely going “off the beaten path” on Highway 30, Pipestone is 8 miles from the South Dakota border, about 36 miles north of I-90. So much to say about this little place- not only is it historically significant and cool, but the food is knock-your-socks-off excellent- The ribs? The dessert? Delicious! And it is EXACTLY the little locally-owned, mom-and-pop you will love. http://www.calumetinn.com (and it is amazingly affordable too).