The nightly rate can be as low as $9, but your roommates are strangers and no bellhop will tote your luggage. Oh, and that luggage is a nylon-and-metal sack, not a suitcase. As traditional tourists ...

Instead of "water features" there's a modest pool, ready for a quick dip on a hot desert afternoon. Instead of a buffet with hundreds of dishes from ramen noodles to prime rib, there's a communal ...