Margaret, your comments on a hotel room easy chair hit home. Why don't more lodgings offer them?

A reason why on US travels, we try to stay at Extended Stay America properties. http://www.extendedstayhotels.com/

ExtStay properties are intended for business and trades people on jobs or assignments who temporarily stay for weeks or months away from home. People who stay there generally aren't with kids, don't make a lot of noise, and go to bed early. The rooms are clean, quiet, and spacious and feature cable TV, frig and nuker, and equipped cooking kitchen with stove/oven or cooktop and an actual dining table with two chairs.

Most all of the mid-level ExtendedStay properties have Laz- E-Boy recliner chairs in the rooms and the upper grade StudioPLUS properties have comfy sofas.

If you stay for a week or more, the price per night ranges from $US 40 to $US 70, depending on location, with twice a week maid service. But, as we often do, you can stay just one night for $US 50 to $US 90, again depending on location and day of the week. And their e-mailed newsletter offers attractive deals at particular properties.

Most ExtStays are located close to Interstates and near airports and business areas but a few do break the mold. The ExtStay San Ramon CA is in a nice neighborhood near downtown and has a pool. The StudioPLUS near the Oakland airport is located on Bay Farm Island next to the Oakland Raiders HQ and just down the street from the bayfront park and the ferry dock, great for an evening stroll and the lights of Sfran across the Bay.

Have you ever, after an active travel day, wished that you could just go to your hotel and kick back instead of having to eat dinner in some marginal restaurant, falling asleep in your Minestrone bowl? On those days, we stop at a nearby supermarket and either pick up some quick-fix meals from the deli or healthy frozen items from the freezer case, some salad and bread, and a bottle or two of wine. Once back at the ExtStay, we slip into our jammies, kick back with the TV and a glass of wine, and nuke our dinner on our own good time. Only issue is who gets the Laz-E-Boy.

Jerry in E TN