Premier inn equivalent in USA ?Budget mid range accommodation in Virginia

Some people might say Motel 6 but there really is no equivalent, certainly not away from interstate highways,

Motel 6? That is pretty much the bottom of the budget hotels...only stay in them when best choice compared to even worse...

I was wondering if there is an equivalent of the UKs Premier Inn brand of hotels in the US?

Probably around Holiday Inn, Hampton Inn, or Ramada ... something like that.

We travel a lot in the US and use motels a great deal ... we generally stick with Wyndham Group properties - Super8 the most. They're fine ... not really to Premier Inn standard, but still okay in the US context, where you basically want a place for a night on a road-trip.

We do not use Motel6 ... there a bar we won't go under.

The one caveat is that every hotel in a chain is managed independently. We've stayed at some which were just fine and others which were not so. You have to check the reviews on each to see how well they're reported to be maintained.

If Premier is similar as Hampton Inn or Holiday Inn...

Then the Marriott Brands of Courtyard, Spring Hill Suites, TownPlace Suites, Fairfield Inn would be good options too.
Other Options would be Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, Drury Inn, Holiday Inn Express. La Quinta Inn has upped there game too in this 3 star market. Keep in mind prices vary on location, not so much how modern the property is.

Wyndam Group is not nearly as big as Marriott and very limited choices as well, and older properties compared to Marriott...

I travel 100 days a year for work, and stay Marriott, SPG, Hyatt and sometimes Hampton or Holiday Inn (more when on my motorcycle)

If you require a small kitchen, then Marriott Residence Inn, Towne Place have fully stocked kitchens, sinks, washers and fridges, pots pans and silverware/ microwaves, and include free breakfast and internet, gyms/workout rooms, and swimming pools...

The most consistent of the budget chains probably is Hampton Inn, which is a Hilton franchise, and is usually more expensive than Motel6, Super8, etc. Many of the lowest end chains are located in properties that started out with some other brand--sometimes a higher end one, sometimes another budget chain Motel6 used to be an exception, but now they have hotels in locations that they did not purpose build. Virtually all chains are franchised, although the chain may manage some of the hotels--usually the higher end "flagship"brands (Hilton, Marriott, etc.)

Wyndham now owns La Quinta.

We end up in a Holiday Inn Express a fair amount of time- they're generally pretty good at keeping their properties consistent with brand standards. As are Hampton Inn and Fairfield by Marriott. Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, etc.) tend to be a little cheaper but more inconsistent.

The big players are currently trying to come up with a slightly cheaper but still pleasant brand more in line with Premiere/Ibis/Motel One. Hilton has come the furthest with its Tru by Hilton, but they've still got a limited number of locations

Read the reviews of a property you're interested, and at that level, the newer the property, the generally better it will be

Wyndham Group is not nearly as big as Marriott and very limited choices as well, and older properties compared to Marriott...

We travel cheaply in the US - Super 8, Comfort Inn, Days Inn, La Quinta ... and there's usually plenty of Wyndham properties to look at. Sometimes we use a completely independent (or not obviously aligned) place, and have had some beauties for the price, and only one or two dodgy ones.

Marriott and Holiday Inn are definitely a cut above - and in a price range above what we like to pay.

BTW - the Super8 in Charlottesville Virginia is probably one of the least pleasant we have stayed in ... it was old and stale, so I would look elsewhere. And visiting Thomas Jefferson's home at nearby Monticello is excellent.