October is THE most expensive time to visit Boston (at least the first half of the month) because of fall foliage. Hotel rooms will be at a premium and room rates will be at their highest.

That being said, I highly recommend using Priceline.com for hotels. In fact, I know of three different people who've used Priceline for hotels in Boston recently. All were very satisfied with what they got.

If you go to their website, you will be able to choose the area of the city and what quality of hotel. You may want to start by bidding on a 3 star hotel for around $100 per night, and if your bid is not accepted, then re-bid on a 2 star hotel.

Two weeks ago, I started a "Club" on Yahoo to share winning bids from priceline.com for both hotels and airfares. Please feel free to stop by http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/pricelinedeals for any questions or comments about Priceline, and if you decide to use them, I hope you will share your winning bid.

Just FYI, I know of someone who successfully bid $80 for a 3 star hotel in downtown Boston for late August. He got the Swissotel. I think that bid may be too aggressive during October, however, because of fall foliage.

Good luck.