jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

In about 1977, I got a job as a part-time auditor at the local Ramada Inn, working weekends 11:00 PM - 7:00 AM. The cost for a double room was $28. While I was working there, Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits), Muddy Waters, and an official for the UN stayed there.

A friend is coming to visit in a couple of weeks, and he wanted me to look for a good price for a room. We offered him our guest room, but he prefers to stay on his own. On a weeknight, a room at the Marriott costs $165. For the weekend, that goes to $350. That's $350 to sleep for one night. Amazing! Yes, I know that if people didn't pay that much, they wouldn't charge that much. Still, when I think of all I could buy for $350, there's no comparison.

The Marriott is upscale, but the other places charge similar rates. You know how Motel 6 got its name, right?

When I was a kid traveling with my parents one summer, it was very hot, and everyone was worn out. My father pulled into the first motel he saw - price didn't matter. The cost for a night was $18! We were all surprised at how expensive it was, but we didn't care.

Iron Sight Loc: Utah

Consider real estate we should have purchased.

Ollieboy

Wasn't bread about .25 fifty years ago? What did you pay for your house years ago as to today's market value? What's your point?

FredCM Loc: Central Illinois

I may be making this up, seems to me hotel rooms are more expensive Sunday through Thursday in Chicago. Or maybe they used to be. There are/were more business travelers than weekend tourists.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Considering the prices, he's accepting our offer of a guest room.

JRiepe Loc: Southern Illinois

The one thing people who plan on an early retirement need to consider is inflation. It's never too early to start saving for retirement.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Although the Marriott hotels are beautiful, I prefer to use their timeshare units. Bedrooms, kitchen, living room space for about the same price per night.
You may need to rethink what an upscale hotel is. These are the rates for the Fairmont Grand Del Mar just north and east of San Diego. Of course they have on site dining at very upscale restaurants (dinner for two runs in the hundreds of dollars), on site golf course, a day spa, an adult pool and much more. It’s not so much for having a place to sleep, but having a getaway and grand experience. I usually save all year so I can take the wife there on her birthday for a special treat. But we haven’t gone for the last two years because of the pandemic. Next year I’ll have enough saved for several nights stay with meals and a round of golf for the two of us. I suppose I could spend that money on gear, but I’m satisfied with what I have and keeping my Lady happy is much more important.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

The cheapest motel room I recall cost me $7.28. The $0.28 was tax. The year was 1966.

When I started to think about buying a house, they cost around $10,000 for a small reasonable house. When I finally bought a house it cost me $30,000 (it was larger than the earlier one I thought about). The second house was a lot more than that. The third house was over the moon.

The only real problem is that now $30,000 is a psychological limit to buying things, even though that first house was bought almost 50 years ago. To date, I have never bought a car that cost more than my first house. I don't expect that limit to hold for the next car. The most expensive tractor I ever bought was $30,000, but I had to cobble in a trade in and some special deals to make that price. It was a used tractor. I think $30,000 covers ALL my digital photo equipment, bodies and lenses. I have not factored inflation into that number. I don't have good records for the photo equipment between 1950 and 2000 (which includes several 35mm cameras, several large format cameras, and darkroom equipment).

HOHIMER

I have read, for less than those prices($350/night), you can travel the world on the best luxury cruse ships with all the free food and entertainment you can stand 24/7/365. Seems incongruous to me!

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Pretty steep nowadays, but don’t forget to factor in yearly income then and now. Doing so changes the numbers a lot.

whfowle Loc: Tampa first, now Albuquerque

Because it happens slowly, inflation mostly goes unnoticed but it is a "tax" we all continue to pay. When I looked at the financial side of the home I grew up in, I was amazed. My parents bought it in 1935 during the great depression for $3,500 on a 30 year mortgage. Monthly payments were $18.00. The property consisted of a 1,800 sq. ft. house with four bedrooms and two baths, a bungalet in the back yard that was a one bedroom with bath and kitchenette, full living/dining room, a full front screened porch and a two car garage beneath. We had orange, grapefruit, papaya, Japanese plum, and guava fruit trees in the yard. With the money I make now, I could have bought the property in one month yet I don't live any better off now than we did then.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Jerry, The Marriott chain made it's hotels/motels all business class from its inception. They cater strictly to business travellers. The Griffin Gate, their store in Lexington, KY once tried offering rooms on the weekend only for $69.00/per nite, no limit to the number of occupants. The Clampets descended upon the place and business travellers said "NUTZ!" and started going elsewhere in the week. The folks at Marriott realized their stupidity and the Clampets stayed home. Why would anyone think they were going to get reasonable hotel rooms at reasonable prices when they try to stay at the top-line chain?

markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

When I was a kid, gas was 13 cents a gallon, corn was .29 a dozen, the movies cost $.09, ... BTW: When I was 14, I worked for $.20 an hour, kids had polio, measles, mumps, ...
We can't go back and maybe do not want to.
Mark

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

redtooth

Just remember---- Hitler rode to power on inflation !