My first 4 years with HSE in the late 1970s was with a small team whose inspection remit covered Northern Scotland, a geographical area notably larger than that of any other HSE team, and almost wholly devoid of bypasses and dual carriageways at that time. Thus, single and multiple nights away on business, almost wholly by car, were common for all us. Though staying away in hotels was a new experience for me and quite enjoyable at first, the novelty of it wore off over time. Each of us had our own geographical inspection areas within the overall team area, so we'd each find hotels or guest houses where we preferred to stay in regular locations as well as having scope to try out new ones elsewhere. Inevitably some proved to be very good as regards facilities and cuisine while others were mediocre. Looking back, perhaps we could have considered additional jobs and income as undercover hotel inspectors/assessors!
Our journeys by car could be affected in summer when using roads popular with tourists driving at a leisurely pace to admire the scenery and sometimes in winter by adverse weather conditions. In general the highway authorities in Northern Scotland all seemed to be very competent at planning for and dealing with ice and snow, so it was quite rare for us to be significantly delayed or snowed in. My recollections about the road conditions some 30 years ago admittedly might be blurred by hazy memory and nostalgia. (As an aside, some older people find nowadays that nostalgia just isn't as good as it used to be!) However, I clearly remember driving along the A9 through Speyside in early 1979 and having to discontinue my intended journey because persistent snowfall was adversely affecting visibility and road surfaces. The bad weather proved to be an advantage because it prompted me to stay by chance at a small unpretentious guest house which provided excellent accommodation and cuisine, including fresh lobster and venison, for a reasonable price compared with hotels.
Safety Smurf - You've had some good sensible answers to your original question, and here's another: As an alternative to staying ensconced in one's bedroom or the bar, there's often scope for exploring and/or sightseeing in the local area, whether urban or rural, if conditions such as daylight and weather, etc. are favourable. Those who enjoy a stroll or longer walk, perhaps including places to eat or quaff, could remember to take trainers or even walking boots and a map. Such excursions - short or further - can be a good way of getting some gentle physical exercise and mentally unwinding after a long day's work and/or driving a significant distance. As an example, a year after joining HSE I spent a week with an experienced inspector working on Orkney. We hired a small car which came with a full tank of petrol included in the hire charge. As our combined inspection journeys would consume only a proportion of the petrol, we used the car after work each day to explore Orkney (Mainland) and visit various places of interest such as the Churchill Barriers and the well-preserved Neolithic age village remains at Skara Brae.
Also, to avoid any confusion about my earlier comments about the 'Purple Prison' chain, I fully agree with your points at #24 that its places are reliable, consistent, clean, warmable/coolable, reasonable value and in good locations. They're precisely the reasons why my missus and I have tended to use them over the years. Additional reasons include pleasant, helpful and evidently well-trained staff. As for noise, one place we liked to use when driving north to visit the in-laws was in the Scottish Borders and overlooked a lake. We usually asked for a room overlooking the lake as it was pleasant to be wakened gradually in the morning by the sound from birds on it. Furthermore, the rooms overlooking the lake were away from the noise of vehicles on the nearby motorway and afforded superb views to the hills beyond - if the weather was clear.
Finally, although you've included "Friday Thread" in your thread title, here's a plea that it doesn't become locked and thus prevents others from joining in with more comments whether serious or humorous.