We opened a Lonely Planet to the USA in the bookstore, found the chapter that included Bloomington, found a cheap Hotel and went to the Hotel and got a room for half the price of the others.
In the USA, it is possible to check out one to three Guidebooks from a Library, go on vacation, then return the book after you return.
is my Internet solution to this situation, presently guidebooks are still the best way to find cheap room on Planet Earth. Yes, it is possible to find the stray hotel, however to consistently find cheap rooms, the guidebooks still are the best resource.