We have stayed at many of the budget options in Ithaca while looking for housing, including Best Western, Holiday Inn, and Ramada. Comfort Inn was the one we kept returning to, for its winning combination of price and (relative) cleanliness. (Best Western was slightly better, but MUCH more expensive.) Every place we stayed in Ithaca for some reason smelled mildewy and needed redecorating, but Comfort Inn was one of the least offensive. The included breakfast is also pretty extensive.
Pros: not as disgusting as most Ithaca hotels
Cons: pervasive waffle smell from the breakfast buffet
more