Budget Travel - Cheap hotel in or around Calgary

Hello,

First-time poster in this section.

I have to be at YYC for around 9am on April 30th. Rather than get up at 6 am to leave Edmonton, I'm looking for a cheap place to stay the night. The cheapest I've found is around $80, which really breaks the budget. I've checked all around Calgary as I'll have a rental car with a prepaid tank of fuel so driving a bit isn't an issue. Surrounding towns seem to be more! :eek:

I'm moving that day so I'd like to avoid making it a 16 hour day with the drive back to Edmonton and then on to Hinton later (plus loading the truck and cleaning house). I'd also like to avoid having to just sleep in the car or outside on a campground, as late April would still be chilly at night. Finally, I looked into the Hi-Canada Hostel, shared accomodation is cheap but I'm not the best roommate (sleep apnea), and private accomodation is as much as a full-service hotel.

Any other ideas?

First-time poster in this section.

Welcome to BT !

Let me be first to suggest Priceline. Start with www.betterbidding.com (http://www.betterbidding.com) to get idea of what's available.

Saw this after a search in Canada section for Calgary
3.5* Calgary (Downtown) Marriott Calgary, $65 ... 4/27/09-4/30/09

In the morning you'd be going against traffic on Memorial Drive out of downtown and then Crowchild Trail will get you to YYC pretty quick.

EmailKid

Thanks emailkid!

I poked around Trip Advisor and found the Traveller's Inn in Red Deer for $65 ai. Then I discovered an Econo Lodge right off the highway for only $2 more. That way I'm staying with a chain I know and being in Red Deer I'm only an hour from the airport, not 2.5 hours driving plus time to drop my mattress off to donate (can do it the night before instead).

I've never tried Priceline and I'm wary of being charged for a hotel room and not knowing where it is until after the fact. I've heard others rave about though so I might try it out one day.

Thanks for your help!

I've never tried Priceline and I'm wary of being charged for a hotel room and not knowing where it is until after the fact.

You're welcome :)

Done it a few times, most recently about two weeks ago near the Needle in Seattle. Read up on above-mentioned Betterbidding.com, and since I know Seattle fairly well I was confident. Also Pricelined SEA airport hotel (visit family in Victoria, and connecting in SEA can be a .....). When I was homeless after Hurricane Ike had several opportunities to use Priceline for my weekend stayes, as I was on the road for work during the week. Never had a problem.

EmailKid

If you dont care where you stay, priceline a 2.5* for under 50 bucks im sure.

Thanks for the input about Priceline everyone!

I've booked myself to the Red Deer Econo Lodge for now. Since it's pre-pay, I'll probably try Priceline closer to the date to see if I can get a deal right near YYC. I'd like to stay out of the city as much as possible. If my hotel cost is already paid for, do the hotels still authorize a set amount onto my credit card at check-in?

If my hotel cost is already paid for, do the hotels still authorize a set amount onto my credit card at check-in?

Probably. When I arrive I hand over a credit card and driver's license as any other hotel. They do something with it, but since I don't charge anything to my room there's never a charge. And I have high enough credit limit where I don't have to worry about having a hold for a few hundred dollars.

Believe hotel where I'm at right now is also part of Priceline program (it is listed on Betterbidding), so I can ask them.

EmailKid

I guess you already booked OP, but if anyone else is looking or you're coming through again in summer term both SAIT and U of C offer rooms - I've done this on several occasions at U of C the last 2 summers, can't remember the exact price but it was ~ $30-40 a night for trad dorm. This means own room for up to 2 ppl but shared bathrooms, kitchen, lounge on each floor. The rates were better if you stayed a week or more. link (http://www.ucalgary.ca/residence/summerhousing)

A second idea is the short-term accommodation on kijiji.ca - there's generally a dozen or so ppl offering accommodation, and sometimes rides to YYC, at different rates depending on the time of yr. I did this once when there wasn't a single room to be had in the city under $300. (I'd pass on the info for the place I stayed but the hosts have since moved).

I guess you already booked OP, but if anyone else is looking or you're coming through again in summer term both SAIT and U of C offer rooms - I've done this on several occasions at U of C the last 2 summers, can't remember the exact price but it was ~ $30-40 a night for trad dorm. This means own room for up to 2 ppl but shared bathrooms, kitchen, lounge on each floor. The rates were better if you stayed a week or more. link (http://www.ucalgary.ca/residence/summerhousing)

A second idea is the short-term accommodation on kijiji.ca - there's generally a dozen or so ppl offering accommodation, and sometimes rides to YYC, at different rates depending on the time of yr. I did this once when there wasn't a single room to be had in the city under $300. (I'd pass on the info for the place I stayed but the hosts have since moved).

Thanks for the tip! I looked into both of those and it seems the good dorm rates only kick in May 1st, which is after I'm heading down. Right now I'm waffling. I got some extra money from the rents to help with the move so I'm tempted to book the Super 8 YYC at ~$100/night, then try to PL something closer to the date. Or, I have an $85 Westjet flight credit that I won't be able to use until December at the earliest, so I might use that to just fly down instead, saving the 2.5 hour drive and need for a hotel...

If you dont care where you stay, priceline a 2.5* for under 50 bucks im sure.

Just to tie off the loose ends in this thread, I ended up trying Priceline just to see if it would work. I only selected the YYC area and put in a bid for $50 even knowing my CC was maxed out. Somehow, it worked! With taxes and converting to CAD I got the Travelodge Calgary Airport for just under $80, or only $13 more than the roadside motel in Red Deer.

I called them and they said they'll put a $200 hold on my credit card when I check in to cover incidentals. They also said I could pay it with debit and get it refunded in the morning, which I'll probably do so the hold doesn't linger on my card while travelling.

Thanks again for the help everyone! I'll be sure to keep this forum in mind in the future.

They also said I could pay it with debit and get it refunded in the morning, which I'll probably do so the hold doesn't linger on my card while travelling.

From talking to a hotel employee I understand that it's usually not the hotel, but the bank where the delay is. Especially on a weekend, it can take SEVERAL days. He suggested calling the bank, as apparently this can really speed up the release of $$$.

EmailKid

From talking to a hotel employee I understand that it's usually not the hotel, but the bank where the delay is. Especially on a weekend, it can take SEVERAL days. He suggested calling the bank, as apparently this can really speed up the release of $$$.

EmailKid

Yes. It's a one-way process. The hotel requests the authorization, and after that, if they don't use it, they have no control over it. The length an authorization stays on your card is determined by your bank. You'd need to speak to your bank to figure out how to void an unused authorization.

I posted a small snippet of something that may help here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/833911-buy-presidential-dollar-coins-cc-face-value-free-shipping-45.html#post11519214), which then also includes a link to another much longer post with many more details on another forum which may prove interesting. (The gist of it is that if you use a Visa--not a MasterCard, Amex, etc.--the merchant may be able to do an "authorization reversal," but most don't know how to do this.)

Thanks for the advice, again!

I'm just going to pay debit for the deposit, since it is rather high. Usually I just charge the room to the card, so if it's $85 tax in and they round the hold up to $100, it's not a huge deal. In this case, the room is paid for and it's an extra $200 I'd have to find. Since I need my CC for another hotel and other expenses down the road, I'd rather not risk having it linger around for days, blocking my available credit. It's the same reason I stick with renting National instead of other companies with higher holds such as Enterprise or Thirfty (sorry Jackal :D). Their rates may be competitive, but I don't have the room on my CC for their holds.