Would you live in holiday inns for a long time?

A fascinating strategy for those who want to live with none of their own furniture and very few possessions. Puts me in mind of seniors opting to live on cruise ships. They change ships when they get tired of the routes. It's costlier than the Holiday Inn, but a similar concept. Of course, this only works if you're looking at unassisted living. Holiday Inns and cruise ships don't provide nursing home levels of care. At least not yet...

This is his full Facebook post on the matter (paragraph breaks added):

"No nursing home for us. We'll be checking into a Holiday Inn!
With the average cost for a nursing home care around $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble.
I've already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's $59.23 per night.

Breakfast is included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.
That leaves $128.77 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies.
Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc.
Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.
$5 worth of tips a day and you'll have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

They treat you like a customer, not a patient.
There's a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free.
The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).

To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.
For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there. While you're at the airport, fly somewhere. Otherwise, the cash keeps building up.

It takes months to get into a decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today .
And you're not stuck in one place forever, you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city. Want to see Hawaii ? They have a Holiday Inn there too.

TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a mattress replaced? No problem. They fix everything, and apologize for the inconvenience.
The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok. If not, they'll call an ambulance . Or the undertaker.

If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.
And no worries about visits from the family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days for a mini-vacation. The grand-kids can use the pool.

What more could I ask for?
So, when I reach that golden age, I'll face it with a grin."
 
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We just spent a few days on South Padre Island, a lovely laid-back place with a beautiful beach -- and filled with winter Texans. We paid about $100 a night for our 3-star hotel room, including breakfast. We were told by the snowbirds that if you stay longer than a month, you get a cheaper rate and don't have to pay the hotel taxes. (Not sure how that works, but we heard it more than once.) In the parking lot, we saw license plates from as far away as Ontario. Would I want to live there 24/7? Not at this time. But would I do that for a few months? You bet! I've also read about older folks going on a permanent cruise because it's still cheaper than a "home." But the fact is that currently, because we are in good health, and our home is paid for, nowhere is cheaper for us to live than right here.
 

CarolfromTX said:
We just spent a few days on South Padre Island, a lovely laid-back place with a beautiful beach -- and filled with winter Texans. We paid about $100 a night for our 3-star hotel room, including breakfast. We were told by the snowbirds that if you stay longer than a month, you get a cheaper rate and don't have to pay the hotel taxes. (Not sure how that works, but we heard it more than once.) In the parking lot, we saw license plates from as far away as Ontario. Would I want to live there 24/7? Not at this time. But would I do that for a few months? You bet! I've also read about older folks going on a permanent cruise because it's still cheaper than a "home." But the fact is that currently, because we are in good health, and our home is paid for, nowhere is cheaper for us to live than right here.
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Carol...hub and I went down to SPI last winter for a bit. Used to go to SW Florida beach condo.
You are so right...it is a great place to "kick back" for a while. What hotel did you stay in?
Have a good friend in Corpus that lives in a canal house. We're going there and to Port A for a little while this winter. Love the "winter Texans"...lots of great music and good food!
 
CarolfromTX said:
We just spent a few days on South Padre Island, a lovely laid-back place with a beautiful beach -- and filled with winter Texans. We paid about $100 a night for our 3-star hotel room, including breakfast. We were told by the snowbirds that if you stay longer than a month, you get a cheaper rate and don't have to pay the hotel taxes. (Not sure how that works, but we heard it more than once.) In the parking lot, we saw license plates from as far away as Ontario. Would I want to live there 24/7? Not at this time. But would I do that for a few months? You bet! I've also read about older folks going on a permanent cruise because it's still cheaper than a "home." But the fact is that currently, because we are in good health, and our home is paid for, nowhere is cheaper for us to live than right here.
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How interesting that hotel living is becoming a somewhat common practice. The modern version of assisted living facilities didn't exist 30 years ago. Since the better ones are very reminiscent of a hotel or cruise ship with lots of amenities, it makes sense that hotels themselves would join the bandwagon.

RV living is a similar option. Modern RVs can be quite luxurious (including fireplaces!), and many campgrounds are resort-level. They offer gorgeous landscaping, pools, workout rooms, libraries, etc. Most have a good mix of a few who remain year round, snow birds who come back each winter/summer, folks who come for a week or two, families who breeze in for a few days.

While "glamping" (luxury camping) we've met a surprising number of people in their 60s - 90s who've sold their homes to live in their rigs full time. Resorts can start as low as $30 per night, though the norm is closer to $50-$60, which includes power, water, and sewer. Monthly rates are lower.
 
I wouldn't want to do it. I prefer my own home. But awhile back when looking into time shares and the like, we were told that some people used their membership as a living option when retired. Every week or so, they simply switch places to stay in the rules. Easy access to many things and no maintenance.
 
Rojo said:
I wouldn't want to do it. I prefer my own home. But awhile back when looking into time shares and the like, we were told that some people used their membership as a living option when retired. Every week or so, they simply switch places to stay in the rules. Easy access to many things and no maintenance.
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You'd have to own a helluva lot of time share to pull that off. Can't imagine the annual maintenance fee tab! :eek:
 
I have to say that NO, I wouldn't want to live in hotels full-time. I have lived in hotels for two months, a few years ago, while my husband was working contract work. Surprisingly, what I grew to dislike the most was having to get dressed up to eat out. We got rooms with a mini fridge and microwave, but you can't really cook in them. We got deli meals at grocery stores sometimes. We occasionally ate fast food, but tried to have a decent sit down meal every day. Eating out daily gets old in a hurry.
Living on the road is very different than going on vacation.
I'd rather be in my own home as long as I'm able to care for myself.
 
I wish that they would bring back residence hotels or some form of extended stay arrangement for people of all ages.

There was an elderly couple in my city that lived in two adjoining rooms at one of the last grand hotels for many years. They used one room as a sitting room and the other as a bedroom. The hotel provided cleaning and linen service. They also allowed the couple to have a sort of dorm room kitchen in the second bathroom for coffee, snacks and storing/reheating leftovers from restaurant meals.

The old man, a former stockbroker, died and when the hotel changed hands the elderly woman was relocated to an assisted living facility.

I also remember reading about a lady that spent her retirement years living on a cruise ship, why not.
 
Love Padre Island. The sand is so white, not like the sand we have here in Galveston! Food and people are fantastic. Have to say that the food and people are also great in Galveston! There are times the water in Galveston is blue, so when we hear it on television we plan a trip there to eat and enjoy the blue water for a bit.
 
It's good to know that San Padre Island is so beautiful. After researching the area this morning, I discovered that it's easy to access by vehicle (don't have to fly there or take a ferry), and has numerous RV campgrounds. Hubby and I will make a point of getting there during our next visit to the extraordinarily charming city of San Antonio.
 
katlupe said:
No, I wouldn't want to do that. I like having a kitchen because I cook all my meals. And my neighbors in my building are my friends too.
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I'd also need a kitchen, which is why I like RVing. We bring our kitchen with us!

Of course, it would also work to live on a cruise ship because a wide variety of surprisingly healthy foods are available 24/7. My sense is that full-time cruisers develop friendships with the crew because they serve 3-10 month contracts, rather than the guests who come and go every week or so.
 
In the early 80s I returned to the U.S. from Europe on the QE II and met a woman who was doing just that. She had done several crossings prior to that one and had plans to switch to a round-the-world ship when she go back to Southhampton. She planned to do that until she died.

She was a wealthy widow without close family and loved the ocean. She was like the ship's mascot.
 
Liberty, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. It had a beautiful pool area, and direct access to the beach. Breakfast was extraordinarily good -- way more than just the usual cereal, bagels and muffins. There was an omelet bar, and one day I got a breakfast taco. The restaurant there (Barry's) is highly rated on Trip Advisor.

Restaurants on the island were not overpriced, at least not much. We never had a bad meal. Port Isabel, just over the causeway, was also very charming. I think we'll go back.
 
I'd love it, except I'm not a Holiday Inn type of girl. For me it would be Marriotts or Hyatts except I don't even have to pay those kinds of prices. I can stay at our ocean front timeshare in Atlantic City pretty much whenever I want. Sometimes I pay $118 for the week (studio...via exchange club) or between $440 and $451 per week, according to the season, if I book directly with the resort due to my 5 star ownership. I get one free week in a one bedroom, the level of my ownership.
The resort has a cafe that has entertainment on Saturdays, a full service restaurant, a mini mart, fitness room, arcade and fun zone that offer free movie rentals and games for children. It also has a nice sized pool and something I'd never use...a hot tub. The balconies are spacious and the boardwalk is right outside the door. The resort also offers free shuttle service which takes guests shopping at the Acme supermarket on Sundays and Tuesdays and makes stops all along the boardwalk area, close to amusements, casinos and entertainment. Studios and one bedrooms feature kitchenettes with stoves (no ovens), microwaves and dishwashers. If I wanted to live there full time, I'd have to choose a one bedroom just to have enough space for my stuff. That would up the weekly price a bit....still doable. No doctor on site but a hospital is close by.

A similar concept was circulated in an email about a woman who chose to live on cruise ships. Now that would be expensive, but she'd have plenty of entertainment, get to meet new people every week and of course, never have to worry about meals though it would cost a pretty penny to get her laundry done. The crew members got to know her and everything she needed was at her disposal. Pretty cool way to live except I admit...when I'm away too long, I want to come home.
 
StarSong said:
A fascinating strategy for those who want to live with none of their own furniture and very few possessions. Puts me in mind of seniors opting to live on cruise ships. They change ships when they get tired of the routes. It's costlier than the Holiday Inn, but a similar concept. Of course, this only works if you're looking at unassisted living. Holiday Inns and cruise ships don't provide nursing home levels of care. At least not yet...

This is his full Facebook post on the matter (paragraph breaks added):

"No nursing home for us. We'll be checking into a Holiday Inn!
With the average cost for a nursing home care around $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble.
I've already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn. For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's $59.23 per night.

Breakfast is included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.
That leaves $128.77 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies.
Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc.
Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.
$5 worth of tips a day and you'll have the entire staff scrambling to help you.

They treat you like a customer, not a patient.
There's a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free.
The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).

To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.
For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there. While you're at the airport, fly somewhere. Otherwise, the cash keeps building up.

It takes months to get into a decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today .
And you're not stuck in one place forever, you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city. Want to see Hawaii ? They have a Holiday Inn there too.

TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a mattress replaced? No problem. They fix everything, and apologize for the inconvenience.
The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok. If not, they'll call an ambulance . Or the undertaker.

If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.
And no worries about visits from the family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days for a mini-vacation. The grand-kids can use the pool.

What more could I ask for?
So, when I reach that golden age, I'll face it with a grin."
Click to expand...
If you can live in one room without a kitchen, yes, go for the Holiday Inn.
 
It would never work for me because I like to own what I have and use.

But, I was fascinated reading about these people who live full time in hotels and cruise ships. It even makes sense. They get maid service and if anything happens to them, the staff will get them help or find their body before it decomposes. It would be ideal for someone with no family or friends, have no pets, and like eating out or have their meals delivered every day. All they have to pay is their discounted room fee, no house maintenance or house taxes, or insurance etc. and they get those services that they would not get even renting an apartment. The problem with doing that on cruises is that you have to get different cruises and sometimes you can't get another cruise right away so you have to stay at a hotel temporarily.
 
Catlady said:
It would never work for me because I like to own what I have and use.

But, I was fascinated reading about these people who live full time in hotels and cruise ships. It even makes sense. They get maid service and if anything happens to them, the staff will get them help or find their body before it decomposes. It would be ideal for someone with no family or friends, have no pets, and like eating out or have their meals delivered every day. All they have to pay is their discounted room fee, no house maintenance or house taxes, or insurance etc. and they get those services that they would not get even renting an apartment. The problem with doing that on cruises is that you have to get different cruises and sometimes you can't get another cruise right away so you have to stay at a hotel temporarily.
Click to expand...
If you can afford to live on a cruise ship, you can afford an occasional hotel stay.
 


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