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You might try Last Minute Travel. I see the James there for $121/night for your dates. (If you're interested, I or someone else can tell you how to positively identify hotels on Last Minute Travel even though it is nominally an opaque site.) The James is more boutique and so (I agree) not quite so teen-friendly, but if your charges are fairly well-behaved it would be a really good option. There are a couple of other good-looking options on Last Minute Travel, too. Check it out. Oh, and I doubt you could win the Hyatt for $60 for those dates. Maybe for February.

The HOTWIRE % recommendation is not consistent, so although it's somewhat useful as a guideline you shouldn't count on it to ID the hotel. You can sometimes (but not always) see the TripAd rating when you look at "details". Finally, many hotels sometimes offer Bed Choice and then sometimes remove that icon. You're right that the Common/Theater area is generally closer to sights -- e.g. the Freedom Trail, or Faneuil Hall. On the other hand, Boston is small -- it's probably quite a bit smaller than you're thinking. And the public transportation is excellent. One advantage of the Westin is that it is connected by a series of indoor spaces (including Copley Place) to the Prudential Center, so in case the weather is horrible in February you would still be able to do a little sight-seeing, have a good choice of restaurants, and shopping, all without going outside. The Colonnade is about fifty yards from an entrance to the Prudential Center, so that's almost as good.

I think the first is more likely to be the Hyatt Regency Financial hiding its pool. Do you see a TripAdvisor rating when you look at details? (I just saw what seems like the same listing and it had a 3.5 Trip Advisor rating.) The second could be the Colonnade. IMHO, the Westin and Colonnade are nicer hotels, but it might come down to location for you.

The breakfast places sound perfect and the ING will be useful because it has free wifi (the Sofitel does not). Here's the deal. I'll be in town for three more nights after this one for some meetings. (Someone else is paying for those three but I'm paying for this night myself.) So I think I won't go for pizza -- pretty sure the others at the meeting will want to go do that. The bottom line is: my tastes are pretty eclectic, my budget for this part of the trip is not big, and I'd rather stay in the neighborhood. Asian? (East or South.)

Oh, one more thing: could you give me one (or more) of your tips for getting a (relatively cheap) dinner or breakfast in the neighborhood? Cafe des Arch. sounds great, but I'm usually just as happy with something... earthier.

I booked the Sofitel for this date, after thinking a few things over -- thanks, Aaron. I think I'm supposed to keep this in the same thread, even though it doesn't quite fit the header anymore. Here's the info: Fitness, Restaurant, Business, Internet. 95% recommended by Hotwire customers. 4.5* in the NMA-Water Tower - Gold Coast area. $111 That's just over half the lowest rack rate right now ($202) for that night, so I'm pretty happy. I've stayed in Chicago a number of times but only once in the Gold Coast and never at a 4.5*, so I'm really looking forward to it. I did remember to use the BB HOTWIRE link to start my purchase.

Thanks Aaron. So the 4.5* Mag Mile is not the James? On this trip I have some preference for the Mag Mile/Streeterville neighborhood, which is why I didn't include the Sofitel. But if you think it's distinctly better than the Conrad or Intercontinental, I might sacrifice my location preference.

4* $81 Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access 95% recommended (Hotwire customers) 4.5* $108 Business Center Restaurant(s) Fitness Center High-Speed Internet Still gathering... I know the 4.5* must be the James, Intercontinental, or Conrad. Any more likely than the others?

Hi, I think I can clarify the transportation issue. (I've picked up lots of great tips about Chicago from you guys, so I love it when I can pay back a little!) The Convention & Exhibition Center is kind of a pain, the only part of Boston that isn't well served by public transportation. The Silver Line is not really the T; it's a bus. As it happens, it's a relatively easy trip from the airport, because the Silver line runs straight from Logan to the Convention & Exh. Center. It's true that most Logan area hotels are not right there, but there is one (a Sheraton, I think) that's adjacent to Logan. From any other area you would almost certainly have to take the T to South Station and change to the Silver line bus. Tolerable, but if you were in Copley or Back Bay it would be Green Line to Red Line to Silver, which is going to be slow. I would take a taxi, honestly. Compared to NYC, Boston is really small and a taxi will be fast (the Mass Pike connects the Center to Back Bay and Copley) and not expensive.

Searching for one adult. $88 4* Fitness, Restaurant(s), Business, Internet. $107 4.5* Boutique, Fitness, Restaurant, Business, Internet. Thanks for any tips!

Just a thought: the Westin has easy access to transportation to Boston. You can walk two blocks and catch the Peter Pan bus, or about the same distance to the train station. Either mode will get you to Boston (South Station or Back Bay) in about an hour. You can do the same to get to the Westin from Logan Airport (assuming that's where your flight lands) -- there is a Peter Pan bus that picks up at Logan, stops at South Station, stops at the Providence bus terminal -- but take it one more stop to Kennedy Plaza. Or else the Silver Line to South Station and then a train to Providence. Driving is likely to be a hassle (because of Boston traffic) and the parking at the Boston end will be expensive. And rentals at Logan are waaaaay off site, kind of a pain.

I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but if you had used Hotwire and this forum carefully, you could have figured out that the hotel you were looking at wasn't the Intercontinental. The pool icon is sometimes missing from the Intercontinental, but that hotel never shows Laundry or Spa. So the sensible conclusion isn't that you should go back to using Priceline, but that you should use Hotwire and this forum just a little more carefully!

I booked the Providence Westin on Hotwire. Phoned in advance to ask for two beds, and was told (as is pretty typical) that they couldn't promise Hotwire customers any particular room type. But when I checked in they were happy to give me the two queen beds. (Though in fact they were not queen beds but double beds -- this seems to be a very common trick/mistake.) And the room was on a high floor, far from elevators, good view.

I'm not sure where the 'Harbour Front' is. The Waterfront area (near the Convention Center) is not a good choice for tourism. You would be better off in Cambridge, which is a nice area in itself and also a short T-ride away from Park St. To some extent it depends on what interests you. For shopping, Fenway Park, Museums, I'd pick the Copley area, also good for high-end restaurants. For walking around and seeing the historic sights (which your Philadelphia trip suggests might be your kind of thing?), the Quincy Market - Commons - Theater districts are a little better (Hotwire and Priceline divide these up a bit differently). Keep in mind that Boston is small -- it's quite a bit smaller than Philadelphia, for instance, and much smaller than NY. Any city district you choose is going to be fairly close to whatever else you want to do, and the T (subway) is excellent for tourists, too.

Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Very pleased with this win. I had to have a hotel room, and prices are high right now -- even the 3* and 3.5* in Providence are going for twice this price. (And I am happy to say that I remembered to use the BB HOTWIRE link for the booking!)

Here are a couple of key facts. First, on the minus side, Midway is not a nice area to stay, and you will not find really nice cheap HOTWIRE deals there (as you would in the Rosemont area around O'Hare). Second, on the plus side, Midway to downtown is easy. You can just take the El. It would be nuts to drive, IMHO. It would be hard to get to Arlington from there, but I guess you could rent the car for just the one day for that purpose. If it were me, I'd do a HOTWIRE search particularly in the MagMile/Streeterville area. You'd be near everything you want to see downtown, and that area also contains the Metra station -- and you could take Metra to Arlington.

No tips, really, but as a HOTWIRE customer this spring (off-season) I got an excellent view.

That's an amazing deal. I was just looking into staying in Newport and the rack rate for the Marriott (my favorite) is $299, and Hotwire doesn't have anything I wanted. I wish I had waited a few days and seen your win! (Instead I went with a different short vacation plan, which will also be fun.)

Finally remembered to use your HOTWIRE link! Smoke Free Rooms Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Tennis Nearby Hm, maybe because the name of the zone is so long, but in the Topic my checkout date got cut off. It's a one night stay, checking out 7/23.

This is the Palmer House. No guarantees, blah blah blah... but it's the Palmer House. There are no other 4* with a pool in this zone, and the Palmer House does now have Spa services.

Aug 30-31. And I *again* forgot to use this site's link. Argh. Sorry.

Total with tax+fees $64.77. Smoke Free Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Very pleased -- this is "move in" day for the University of Wisconsin and the rack price for the Sheraton was more than double.

I think this is a good result for you. The Metro is the train -- the subway. The Hilton Washington is about six blocks from the Dupont Circle stop. You can take the Red Line to Gallery Place, a short walk to the Mall. The hotel is well reviewed at Trip Advisor, and the recent reviews are especially good. (The one mildly negative one this summer complains about paying $249/night!) You can park at the hotel. Have fun!

I am answering with some hesitance, since I don't feel I'm quite expert enough to give you a really good answer. Maybe a local will chime in. (I have relatives who live in DC and I've been a few times for the 4th.) I'll let someone else try to id your HOTWIRE hotels, but you should list the Amenities shown on HOTWIRE, to give the experts a better shot. Parking will probably be somewhat easier in the Dupont area than in the Mall area on the 4th of July. Driving out of the Mall area after the fireworks is going to be a real drag. Driving out of the Dupont area would not be as bad. If it were me, I would take the Metro out of the Mall area after the fireworks, not a cab. Even with kids. But I suppose that's partly a matter of taste. I would also consider staying in Crystal City. You avoid the traffic completely, you're still an easy Metro ride away from the Mall etc., and the hotels will be cheaper.

Yes, the fireworks are best viewed from the Mall. It would be very easy to get there from WH or CAP areas -- you could walk. From Dupont Circle (or the Virginia burbs -- Alexandria or Crystal City) you would want to take the Metro, but again this is a very easy, comfortable way to get around. On the 4th there is a folk festival on the Mall as well. With only one day, you might want to just stay in that area, with all the museums and monuments and memorials. Of course, the National Zoo is also excellent for kids (and also free); that's in the Dupont Circle area, but again very easily accessible by the Metro. One other thing -- it's going to be expensive to park your car at the hotel; I say this only so you won't get a nasty surprise. I don't think there's any alternative, though.