Been there, done that - definitely money to be saved.

Tip: dealing with a local Hilton AND a Starwood will yield good results (I mean - worth checking out: if the Hilton offers a vastly better deal you'll be Diamond VIP in no time anyway... ) Ask the more expensive one to match the other - if they don't - move...

It's also worth checking out if your client/employer (I assume you'll be working for someone) have corporate deals with any hotels - quite often there is money to be saved by ordering using their rates.