How far away to look for major events?

[j38129]

I'm looking at trying to get a hotel for the 2012 US Grand Prix in November in Austin, Texas. Obviously, trying to find a room that hasn't been marked up to rack rate plus 20% in the Austin area will likely be impossible. So I want to use Priceline to get an excellent rate, but with the understanding that I'm going to have to look outside of the Austin area.

Based on other people's luck at trying to get rooms at known-in-advance major events (Super Bowls, auto races, Kentucky Derby, etc.), how far out (in miles) from the event site do you start to see deals becoming available? To use Austin for example: do I bother to look in Killeen (50 miles away)? San Antonio (60 miles)? College Station (80 miles)? Houston (120 miles)?

[AaronJB]

It all really depends on the event; for massive events, some cities may be completely sold out. In some instances, hotels may free up inventory closer to the stay, although that should not be counted on and one should be persistent in trying to lock something in. Unless this is a really insanely busy period, I definitely don't think you should have to go 50 miles out.

What are the date/s of travel for this stay?

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[j38129]

November 15-19 (the race itself is on the 18th). Obviously I have tons of time (they haven't even announced ticket sale dates yet), but I was doing some thinking and dreaming. They're expecting 100K in town for the race, so I'll probably start looking once I purchase the tickets.