Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Boston (Boston Common - Theatre District) Park Plaza

[travelgirl88]

Hey,

I'm looking for a hotel to stay in Boston or Cambridge (near Boston) in the beginning of September. I checked HOTWIRE and I am pretty sure that the 4-star hotel is the Le Meridien in Cambridge, MA. I've read some reviews online and now I have concerns about the area the Hotel is located. Does somebody know the area around the MIT? Is it really rough and are creepy guys around in the evening? I will travel with my boyfriend but a safe area is essential for us.

Thanks for any help,

travelgirl88

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[crito]

Hm, well, I would not say it is rough and creepy, no. It's not the *best* neighborhood, and it's kind of on the edge of MIT -- Central Square is the closer T stop, not Kendall Square. There is a big supermarket next door so that block will be pretty comfortable even fairly late. Toward Central there are bars, people hanging out on the street, but more hip youth than scary criminal element. (I'm a middle aged white guy. :-))

Do you know Cambridge or Boston at all? Or another big city, something to give me a 'benchmark'?

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What are the dates of your trip and the amenities that are associated with the HOTWIRE hotel offered?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[travelgirl88]

@crito,

thanks for your opinion! Unfortunately, I've never been to the U.S. before so I cannot really give you a benchmark. But you helped me anyway :)

@thereuare:

4* Hotel in Cambridge

Amenities: Free Internet, Pet friendly, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom

Dates: 09/04/13 to 09/08/13.

I'm pretty sure because this guy had the exact same amenities shown in this Boston Hotel from Hotwire

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[thereuare]

I agree that best guess for the Cambridge property would be the Le Meridien.

Unless you have a reason to stay in Cambridge, i would sooner look toward the more 'core' areas of Boston... Boston Common, Copley, Back Bay, Quincy Market, Financial District, etc, etc. A 4* hotel in one of these areas will likely cost you more than a 4* hotel in Cambridge, but if your budget doesn't allow for a 4* hotel, you may be able to get something at the 3.5* level for not much more than this Cambridge property... so you need to decide what is most important to you for this trip... the quality/star rating of the hotel vs. location.

What is your expected budget? (per nite before fees/taxes)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[travelgirl88]

My budget is 160 dollar per night/per room (taxes included - the german site states all prices with taxes included).

Location is important to us, but quality as well. The Le Meridien is located in Cambridge that is true, but we thought it is pretty close to the Boston area (East Cambridge). And there is a T-station nearby. Do you think it is to far away? Any other suggestions? Do you prefer Priceline or Hotwire?

Thanks for any help!

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[AaronJB]

I'm not familiar with the neighborhood, but the issue becomes HOTWIRE allows you to be able to make an educated guess (in many cases) as to what hotel is showing. In terms of PRICELINE (bidding), you have to be willing to accept any hotel at the selected star rating in the selected zone/s.

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches..

[crito]

You haven't said your exact dates, but I think you will save maybe $40/night by staying in Cambridge, unless you dropped a half star to stay downtown instead.

Whether this is worth doing depends on what you want to do in Boston, and also on your personal style. From the Common or Theater areas, East Cambridge is a very easy subway ride -- literally five minutes on the Red Line. From Quincy Market, the North End, or Back Bay, it's a little longer but still comfortable. (The T is not dangerous, don't worry.) Central Square has some great restaurants and bars, Harvard Square more upscale, and the Kendall area has a few. Cambridge also has some of the best jazz in Boston.

But, if you wanted to be in the historic neighborhoods, then go back to the hotel, then go out to dinner in Back Bay, or something like that, it might be worth the extra money to stay more centrally.

I'm sorry I'm not familiar with Berlin so I can't give you a good comparison :-)

[travelgirl88]

Thank you both!! :-)

Crito, I stated the dates in my second post (just under the amenities).

[yellowdog]

travelgirl88

Let us know what you ultimately decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchases and searches.

Yellowdog.

[crito]

So you did!

Right, it looks like you'll save about $50/night by staying in Cambridge. So it all depends on what you want to do in Boston, and how important it is to you to save the money.

[travelgirl88]

We decided to go for a hotel more central and purchased a 3,5 star Hotwire hotel in Boston Common with the following amenities:

Smoke-Free

Fitness

Restaurants

Businesscenter

Highspeed-Internet

Blind, Deaf, Travel, Room and Bathroom Accessible

We guessed and it was the Double Tree by Hilton.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchases and searches.

Thanks for you help, this site is really very helpful!!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success and thank you for sharing your win with the board.

In the future, please change the drop down menu on the top right of HOTWIRE's page to United States and the currency dropdown to US Dollars. Then continue to search HOTWIRE and post to the board in US Dollars so that rates are consistent and not subject to interpretation due to future currency fluctuation. Once you're ready to purchase stay on the US version of their site and simply change the drop down menu to whatever currency you'd like to use and complete your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[crito]

Great location. Beautiful lobby. Small rooms.

Sounds like a good deal, if you aren't going to be unhappy with a small room.

[travelgirl88]

@thereuare: thanks for the advice! Will do that next time!

@crito: thanks. small rooms are totally ok, that does not bother us! hope it will be great :)