I was in Detroit as a junior reserve Captain at Pinnacle and I just stayed at the hotels right around the airport - there were a handful that were charging pilots $25/night (circa 2005). I was flying so much that most months, it was cheaper to do that rather than pay $200-300 a month for a crashpad plus you got your own room.
I got burnt a couple of months but overall, doing it on a night-by-night basis actually worked out in my favor.
Jason
PS - All of the aforementioned hotels had reliable van services to the airport and were within easy walking distance of food places (not a great variety but food nonetheless) negating the need for a car.
