I unashamedly enjoy the dark side of motelling and to get my fix, I need to voyeuristically seek out news stories offshore. In America it is not uncommon for motels to be perceived as establishments of ill repute, teaming with crack cocaine and prostitution. The image of a classic American motel will often provide a suitable backdrop for tacky B-grade movie.
In God-zone the perception is wildly different - Thankfully the majority of savvy travellers in New Zealand can appreciate that Kiwi motels offer quality, convenience and value for money.
The motel industry in America hasn't seemed to have moved-on from the 1940's when FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover waged war against motels that he labeled "a new home of crime in America, a new home of disease, bribery, corruption, crookedness, rape, white slavery, thievery, and murder."
The Red Carpet Inn in Houston Texas seems to nicely fit the MO of what J. Edgar Hoover was so inflamed about all those years ago.
Recent TripAdvisor reviews probably give a good overview of what you can expect if you happen to be in the unfortunate position of checking-in to Houston's Red Carpet Inn:
The city has had enough and has filed a nuisance abatement suit against the motel calling for it to clean up it's act - like doing away with hourly rates, condom machines and XXX video links...
