Hey, Blue,

I've used them a couple of times and the rates were really not much better than the direct hotel sites.

When I aim to be in one place for a longer time, I look for non-chain/privately owned places and call to negotiate a flat price for my entire stay. I have gotten several deals for an entire month's stay for around or under $1k.

The other thing you can do is use the incentive systems by joining the appropriate "club". Example: I'm member of Priority Club and use their website as a portal for all my internet purchasing. I get points every time toward freebies and also points on my credit card. Right now, I have enough points for two or three nights free and some free stuff from Cabela's.

When it comes to bang for buck, Holiday Inn Express wins my loyalty every time. Beware of regular Holiday Inns, they're consistently crapholes all over the country (from my own experience).