crito

In case this helps: both the Hyatt in Cambridge and the Constitution Inn would be an easy, relatively inexpensive cab ride from anyplace downtown (Hyatt would be closer to Back Bay, Copley Sq., Fenway, while Charlestown is convenient to the North End). Of course, it's a lot more expensive if you take a taxi to (or from) the airport. Also, the airport hotels are in an unattractive area with the exceptions of the Hilton, which is on-site at Logan, and the Hyatt Harborside which has a water shuttle to the Aquarium area. Maybe you don't care about that... {edit} Oh, the neighborhood around the Constitution Inn is not the greatest (since you asked), but it's not really *dangerous*. I'd definitely do the taxi rather than walk from the T station.

Aaron probably knows better, but I can give you my subjective assessment. The Inter-Continental is a very impressive building, with a big front directly on Michigan Avenue. It has an interesting history and a striking and memorable swimming pool. It has some very nice rooms, but opaque customers are more likely to be put in the smaller rooms, which are nice but not as nice as the other two hotels. (In case you do book this and get a choice, you want to be in the Historic Tower, and to my mind it's worth paying $20 or $30 for an upgrade.) The Hyatt has the rooms you would expect at a Hyatt -- very functional and comfortable and well-maintained but kind of cookie-cutter -- and the views are really amazing (esp. if you can get a high floor, of course). I have not seen the rooms at the Amalfi, but it is a more personal, boutique-y hotel. The views are not going to be as good as the other two, but I think the rooms will have an elegant, signature touch. One good thing: all three of these have incredibly good locations. Walking around this area at night is pretty dazzling (even for a native New Yorker like me!).

The same (I know because the Hotwire reviews are the same) hotel is now listed as having a 3.5 TripAdvisor rating. Glad I didn't book it! I decided to book the Hilton Garden Inn from the HH site -- it was only $79/night. But I'm afraid I didn't see your request to use the link from your support page before I booked -- sorry about that. (I do book at the Hilton Honors site fairly frequently, so I will try to remember to use your support page next time.)

The Sheraton used to be 3.5*, but I guess it could have been downgraded by Hotwire. The HGI was my best guess, actually, but here's why I ruled it out: one of the HOTWIRE reviews ("see all reviews") says that the pool is huge, but the HGI has a tiny pool. Hm, maybe not decisive? If I were confident that this 3* was the Hilton Garden Inn, I think I'd book it. Otherwise my plan is to book off the rack, because it's important that I get a nice place for this trip (bringing some relatives who are more interested in quality than price).

Could be the Radisson Blu Aqua. Better Bidding has no reports of amenities listings for this hotel yet, but it does actually have laundry and spa, which I think is an unusual combo in the Loop.

Hi, I'm looking at a Cleveland Airport area hotel on Hotwire for May 26-28, searching for 2 adults 1 child. 3*, with these amenities: Free Parking, Shuttle, Fitness, Restaurant, Pool, Internet. But here's the thing: it has a 4.0 TripAdvisor rating. Not only are there none of these in the Better Bidding win list, but as far as I can tell there are no 4.0-rated 3* hotels in that area at all! In the unlikely event that someone reading this knows the area... can you give me any tips?

If you end up picking among these, I would slightly favor the Omni, for its slightly better location (close to Commons and historic sights and the Park St T station) and the nice historic feel of the building. And be sure to join Omni's "Select Guest" program if you do book the Omni (even if you get it through an opaque site), because you get surprisingly valuable freebies. You wouldn't go wrong with the Hilton either -- an Art Deco building and close to the Aquarium and Quincy Market. And the Hyatt Regency is close to the Boston Public Garden and Back Bay.

As thereuare notes, the Convention Center area is dull and not convenient (except that it is convenient to the airport). The Harbor/Aquarium area is much nicer. In that zone, the Inter-Continental is a couple of blocks from South Station, the Long Wharf Marriott is right next to the Aquarium, but the Fairmont is not convenient to the T (although its neighborhood is pleasant and they will give you bicycles to use while you're there!). I'd give the Aq/Harbor area a shot, myself, since in the worst case you'd end up taking a few taxis, which wouldn't be so terrible.

1. To some extent it depends on what sorts of things you want to do. But in general, Quincy Market, Boston Commons, and Back Bay/Copley are the best areas for sight-seers. The next area I'd add would be Cambridge, but again that will depend on what you're interested in doing. All those areas are highly accessible to public transportation. 2. I don't think you're going to get in under $100 in late May. Remember, Boston will be just loaded with college graduations. You'll probably have to pay over $150, unless you stay in outlying areas.

The marathon does start in Hopkinton. The T doesn't go out there. There is a commuter rail (the Purple Line) that goes to Framingham and then a bus to Hopkinton, but that's a long trip from Boston. However, since the marathon ends in Boston you'd have to make the trip one way or the other! (The Framingham-Natick and West Loop are the Hotwire areas most convenient to Hopkinton, but if you're staying for several nights those areas are not going to be much fun.)

Definitely do not rent a car! If you look more carefully, I think you'll see that the Hyatt in Cambridge is not all that far from downtown. Boston is pretty small. You could walk over the bridge and down to Fenway Park and it would only be a little over a mile. There is also a bus that will take you to the Fenway area and it stops about a block from the Hyatt. The Hyatt is unfortunately not close to a T stop. On the plus side, the hotel will give you a free shuttle ride to many places in Cambridge, including Harvard Square or another T stop. As to sights, there are many to choose from; it depends on what you like. The Museum of Fine Arts is great, the Science Museum is close to the Hyatt (they might shuttle you there, not sure) and it's really fun for kids and adults. The Copley Square and Boston Commons areas are very nice to walk around in, and the North End is Boston's Little Italy, very pleasant in the evening. You might find a concert (Boston Pops, maybe) at the Hatch Shell by the Charles, and the music scene in Cambridge is excellent (esp. for jazz). Have fun!

I think you're okay with the Cambridge area hotels. I mean, almost all of them are in the Kendall Sq area or the Harvard Sq area, which are both very T-accessible. You could jump on the Red Line and be at Park St (and the Boston Common) or Downtown Crossing in ten minutes. And the Tudor Wharf Residence Inn, which is not in Cambridge, is actually walking distance to downtown -- not a short walk, but a cool one. So, in short, if I were you I'd include both Cambridge regions too.

You are guaranteed bedding for three people. It could be a queen plus a small bed (a pull-out couch, say). And as you probably know, lots of hotels call a double bed a 'queen'. But they aren't allowed to give you just a king.

It does seem like you got a very good deal for that time period. You could not find a place more convenient to Grant Park (and very close to the aquarium), and the building is beautiful (I've only seen it from the outside but it's a Chicago classic). I'm sure Aaron will give you neighborhood restaurant tips, but you can always take a quick cab ride to River North/Streeterville, or Greektown, or other more eatery-filled neighborhood -- it would just cost a few bucks and take five minutes.

Last Minute Travel has The James and The Palomar both for $211, and the Wyndham for $200. I know these are a little higher than you were looking for, but the first two in particular are very highly rated hotels.

Yeah, the problem is that your conference is during the graduation days of Boston University, Boston College, and Harvard. Wow, that is bad timing! Will you have a car? Staying in a suburb and then doing a park-and-ride might save you a ton of money. The Peabody-Danvers area seems to have rooms at reasonable prices now. (Purple commuter line MBTA train to North Station, then green line to Hynes.)

This is a common confusion. The Hynes Center is indeed on Boylston St. in Back Bay, quite close to Fenway Park. The "Convention Center" region a la Priceline and Hotwire contains the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, and is quite isolated and generally a lousy place to stay (although it is convenient from Logan). Thereuare is correct that the Brookline-Brighton area is more suburban and residential (though Brookline has some decent nightlife). And the T is by far your best transportation option. The Hynes stop is on the Green Line, but the Back Bay Orange Line stop is also just fine (the most direct way is to walk through the Copley Place mall and Prudential Center, so in bad weather you can get from Back Bay Station to Hynes without going outside at all).

Great! I have stayed there many times. The public space is stunning -- beaux arts architecture and interior design. Some of the rooms are kind of small, and very few have any kind of view (many of them face the inner courtyard space, which is not pretty). If they give you an opportunity to upgrade, you should consider it -- rooms on the Executive floor are bigger, many have two bathrooms(!), so you might try telling them you'll pay for the upgrade if you can also get a view. (The Exec level also gives you the usual Hilton exec perks.) The neighborhood is excellent for museums and Millennium Park. It's a half mile walk or so to the Magnificent Mile, but you can just jump on the Red Line subway or take a short cab ride.

I think it has to be the Palmer House. That's the only 4* in the Loop with a pool -- at least among HOTWIRE wins.

Are you seeing a Trip Advisor rating of 4.5*? (You have to look in 'Details'.) If so it's likely to be the Four Points. I've never been there, but it gets rave reviews.

It did. Good place -- I think they were a little overwhelmed by a wedding (which is why my room wasn't ready), but overall they dealt with it well. And really well located, very nice views, good property. It's a 3.5* that's better than many 4*s I've stayed at.

Following up: The winter resort fee is $20. But my room wasn't ready at the check-in time, so by way of compensation they waived the resort fee, and I got $25 in food+drink vouchers too.

Well, you're in good hands with Thereuare, but I'll toss in a couple more thoughts. On O'Hare: I'm pretty sure all of the 4* Hotwire winnables have pools. The Inter-Continental does not, but it's 4.5* so you can avoid it. The Hilton is particularly convenient (located in O'Hare itself). On LMT: browse the link that Thereuare gave you. But briefly, the way I know that 5* is The James is that it includes photos, which I recognize. There are other tricks you can use to be 100% certain even if you don't recognize the hotel from the pix (and don't feel like researching every possible hotel to see if the pix match!). Those tricks are outlined in the Better Bidding thread Thereuare linked.

Someone just won the Renaissance on Priceline. I wonder if your HOTWIRE hotel is the same one. It does have the really high TripAd ratings, and I wonder if the Renaissance recently decided to start selling off some empty rooms on the opaque sites. Is it possible that they just haven't decided what amenities to show yet and so are trying out just listing nothing? Or could it be an oversight? I hope it's true -- nice for Chicago travelers -- esp. those (like me) who have business in the Loop but like to stay closer to the Mag Mile action.

Oceanfront Property Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Spa Services 2/19/12 - 2/21/12 $74 This star rating + amenity set is consistent for the Hyatt. Good price in the winter! I'm expecting the resort fee to be lower than the summer fee; if I remember I'll report back when I find out. And I did remember to use your HOTWIRE link, I'm happy to say.