Basic budget hotel, free wifi, free breakfast – Super 8 Experience

Super 8 is Wyndham Worldwide’s largest hotel brand with more than 2,700 hotels, making it also the biggest budget hotel brand worldwide. When Super 8 launched in 1974, the price for a room was $8.88 – giving it the iconic name. A lot has changed since – so read my review to get the background of the brand and what experience to expect!

Who are they? Super 8 started as a single motel in 1974, broke ground on its 100th location in 1981 and opened the 1000th property in 1993. Today, there are more than 2,700 Super 8 hotels, with ⅔ in the US and Canada and ⅓ in fast-growing China. With an Average Daily Rate (ADR) of only $46, the Super 8 brand is at the bottom of the Wyndham brands, even below Knights Inn, and about 30% less than the budget Days Inn brand.
According to Wyndham, Super 8 is “…offering free breakfast and free high speed internet… Super 8 is one number you can count on for a great night’s rest!”
That’s about as basic as a description as you can offer – and that makes it pretty honest. You get basic accommodation, breakfast and internet at a basic price!

What experience can I expect? While they are budget hotels in each market, they vary greatly from hotel to hotel. In North America, many of the properties are roadside motels with exterior corridors and parking in front. Similar to other Wyndham brands, the brand standards are only loosely enforced and your stay experience will depend greatly on the individual owner and manager. Some properties are recently renovated, well maintained and managed and will offer a solid budget experience. My stay at the Super 8 Monterey is a great example – basic, but good. You’ll also have run-down motels that haven’t seen a renovation in years and “feature” decades old furniture. To find a new and well managed one, it’s important to read online reviews and check the property photos – you can see below an example of an old room (left) vs a newly renovated one: The newest Super 8 decor features location specific, large scale photos as bed headboards – it’s easy to spot online and an indication of a recently built or renovated property.

wyndham-super8-oldnewIt’s more difficult for China. Super 8 has quickly grown, mostly through converting existing budget hotels to the brand, resulting in a very different look & feel from hotel to hotel, so you’ll have to rely even more on online reviews to figure out what to expect!

Bottomline: So, what you can expect is a bed and a bathroom with free WiFi and a very basic breakfast, promised to consist of known food brands, like Kellogg’s cereal and Danone yoghurt. Because the experience you will find can vary so greatly, I recommend to be careful and not book on brand loyalty alone. Check online reviews and photos to make sure you stay at a new or recently renovated and well managed property. Then, you’ll get a budget hotel at a budget price!
Because Super 8 participates in the Wyndham Reward program, which has been rated as the top value among hotel reward programs, you’ll earn points and can redeem them for great value cash & points awards! You can read my review of the program here! That can give a Super 8 hotel a leg up over non-branded economy hotels with all else being equal.

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