[EarlyBird]

Yes, could be... And why do you think that?

[Doohickey]

Because the phone number to the Ponderosa is easy enough to find, and since the place obviously isn't open for business the perp can be relatively sure LEO will answer.

As for the hotel...that's going along the theory that the perp got a room at a nearby motel while he cased the joint. Plus, the guy likes to make cops look like idiots, so why not leave a note and drop some misleading evidence in a motel room?