Inexpensive lodging near Boston

Boston isn't cheap.
Residents and visitors alike know that whether they're finding a permanent home or just a place to lay their heads for the night, the cost of sleeping is expensive.
The town of Bedford, however, has found the formula for cost-effective hotel stays in Greater Boston. Visitors willing to stay nearly 20 miles outside the city will find the best rates in Eastern Massachusetts.
According to travel websites offering hotel service, such as Hotels.com, Travelocity, and Expedia, two Bedford motels are among the least expensive places in the region to get a room: the Bedford Motel and the Bedford Plaza Hotel.
Leading the way is the Bedford Motel, which is almost always the lowest-priced per night, with rates between $55 and $60.
"We aren't a part of any franchise, so we don't have the overhead," said Sheila Patel, general manager.
The 40-room motel is family-owned and has four employees. The only amenity offered outside the rooms is Internet access, so the motel doesn't have to spend money on upkeep of a pool, restaurant, banquet hall, or exercise room.
The Bedford Motel does offer in-room necessities such as shampoo, soap, and other bathroom amenities, but those are available only upon request, so savings can be passed on to guests.
Despite low rates, the Bedford Motel has vacancies in the summer, which is its busiest time, along with October, when motel visitors tend to be Boston tourists and sightseers looking at fall foliage. However, on some weekends in those busy times, the occupancy rate nears 100 percent .
For the visitor looking for more than a bed, bath, and TV for the night, the Bedford Plaza Hotel offers a step up at still low rates.
Unlike the no-frills atmosphere of the Bedford Motel, the Bedford Plaza Hotel offers the room plus an indoor heated pool area, an exercise room, Internet access, banquet facilities, free breakfast, and a lounge. This time of year, rooms for two start at $89 but room rates vary with the season.
The Bedford Plaza is also independently owned -- by Jalaram Kutir Inc. -- so its rates aren't dictated by a franchise.
Its busy season, much like the rest of the Boston area, runs April through October, but it never reaches full capacity.
"It is difficult because people judge us from the look on the outside, which isn't as nice as what is on the inside," said Patel, who is not related to the Bedford Motel's Sheila Patel.
The Bedford Plaza Hotel is a triangular-shaped building with two sides flush against the busy streets and the third against a McDonald's parking lot. The parking is underground and at a lot across the street.
To improve the image of the hotel, Patel plans renovations to the outside of the building in addition to what is being done inside.

Posted by Brad Kane, Globe Correspondent