<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by obscure2k:
I have relied on the concierge at the hotel where I will be staying to arrange for the limousine service. The top-tier hotels (in my experience) have always used excellent limo services. </font>
This is the only safe alternative - if you go it on your own, you risk getting someone cheap and still overpriced since the service will be unreliable or the car in bad shape.
My rule is to ALWAYS book my airport pickup via the hotel since they will always get someone to meet you, even the if the city is sold out. Plus, in most cases, they will ring the hotel before your arrival so that you can be met curb side and escorted right to your room -
What I will then do is get the name of the service from the driver and have my assistant arrange directly the use of the car that I need while in town - usually cheaper and they know the hotel anyway and the doormen know the drivers, etc. Basically, same service at a lower price.