When choosing a motel, I don't often go for the cheapest in the area, but this time I didn't expect to spend much time there, and decided to take a chance.
I showed up right at the 3:00 check-in time. My room wasn't ready yet, but the desk clerk quickly recognized that walking and stairs aren't the easiest thing for me. She called housekeeping to have them get a room ready on the lower level (fewer stairs) and near the entrance (less walking).
I asked whether I could leave some things in the room, and she asked me to put them in a room by the office.
She checked my ID and took my Credit Card. She handed me the car-info form, and indicated a small table where I could sit to fill it out. I did so, and went to get the cooler I didn't want left in the car. It was heavy and awkward, and as she saw me coming through the door, she rushed out to take it from me, promising to keep it safe until my return.
I left to visit friends. During dinner, I got a call letting me know I had neglected to retrieve my credit card, and that she would hold it for me until my return.
When I got back after 10:00, she recognized me, and handed me the CC and my room card. She had already taken my cooler to the room!
It may have been the cheapest lodging, but I've never had a warmer, more genuine, enthusiastic, and helpful welcome anywhere I've stayed.
The motel itself is dingy and dated (hence the low price), but clean and neat; obviously well managed.