For the last three weeks, I've been getting trips to BOS from my client on three days notice or less. This being graduation season, it's been very difficult to book rooms.

Next week is the worst it's been so far. I found out today I was going to be back in Boston from 6/12 through 6/16. Once again, the city is booked solid. I can't even get a room as far out as Burlington or Wakefield.

(This time, the client gave me notice that I will likely be back for the following two weeks, so at least I was able to book rooms for the 19th and 26th.)

Does anyone have any suggestions for BOS hotels in this kind of situation?

Try checking on availability one or two days at a time. Of course, this would involved staying in more than one hotel, but it beats the Y. Or just show up someplace when you arrive. They very well might have cancellations.

motnot: I've tried looking at individual days, without much luck. The whole city is booked up for Monday and Tuesday.

I'll definitely see if I can get someone's cancellation...one hotel suggested calling at 5:55.

One follow up question: has anyone had any luck with Priceline or Expedia in this kind of situation?

Check out cheaptravel.com, punch in Massachusetts only, and search by town. I was able to find rooms at the Wyndham Andover, on the dates you specified,(formally the Andover Marriott) starting at $149.00($128.00 if your in AAA). This property is conveniently located off I-93,a straight shot from Boston, or 20 minutes more than your trip to Burlington. You can click through different hotels in different cities until you get what you want without reloading dates every time you check a hotel. Hope this helps and good luck.
I just checked out some other towns, and there are rooms in Woburn at the Red Roof Inn, 19 Commerce Way starting at $89.99 and the Susse Chalet, 285 Mishawum Road starting at $81.70.

[This message has been edited by general45 (edited 06-08-2000).]

[This message has been edited by general45 (edited 06-08-2000).]

You could try travelscape.com. I've used them in the past when trying to get rooms in a booked out city. The only problem is that they charge your credit card straight away, and if you need to cancel/change, they charge you so be sure to read the small print. Good luck (by the way, just looked and they seemed to have some rooms, although not many)

How's this for a kick in the head....


I needed a hotel room in NY for Monday night...as HHonors, I checked all of the Hiltons (all 4 in Manhattan). No rooms anywhere, except the Waldorf Towers for 1k for the night.

After almost giving up, I figured I'd call the 800 number and see if they had any secrets...they did. Book to arrive one day earlier (Sunday arrival, Tuesday departure) for a two day stay. Bingo! rooms for Monday night available at all four properties...decent rates too.

Very wierd....but worth trying - book a day earlier, and just call and say you missed your flight, but you'll pay for the room and arrive the next day.

What about using your elite status (if any?) with hotel programs for a guaranteed reservation?

Unless things have changed there, I'd rather sleep in the subway than the Red Roof Inn in Woburn.

The Ramada (close by) is much better. And that's not saying much...


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"I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

All's well that ends well. The front desk manager at the Marriott Cambridge checked me out this morning and I asked him about my waitlist status. (It was probably my 5th or 6th inquiry at the front desk this week.) He looked in the reservations system and opened something up for me. Said something like "we like to take care of our Cambridge customers."

Re: elite status: I have black with Marriott and it didn't help me at all. Every time I called reservations and told them I was black, they said it's platinum you need for the guaranteed room reservation. Gold status at Starwood didn't help, either.

IMHO I think elite status in hotel programs isn't that special. I get seriously better treatment from the airlines for being an elite, relatively less from the hotel chains. But then again, I've never been a top level elite.

Dgolds,

This shows the value of hitting Platinum with either Marriott or Starwood, e.g., the ability to open up rooms in a sold-out situation. Let alone the free upgrades to concierge levels (at least with Marriott and Hilton) which in some expensive downtown locations will save you a ton on breakfast costs.

Dgolds:

Many others and myself included have much look using the Priceline service. I was able to get the Regal Bostonian (a Preferred Hotel & Resorts property) at the Faneuil Hall on a $129 bid, which may even be high.

Kyklin: Specifically, have you had luck with Priceline in situations where it was difficult or impossible to get a room reservation using a travel agent or hotel chains' 800 numbers?

Hmmm, I have not tried it in situation like yours where availability was an issue. Nevertheless, using various sources (agent, 800 #, etc.) I was not able to find a price lower than what I had paid (beside anothe Priceline bid?).

Sheryl I think has a comprehensive if not definitive forum on using Priceline for (Boston) hotels on an Yahoo Club.

In such situations, I find it considerably
more productive to contact the hotel directly
rather than dealing with a central/800 resv
service ... even the chain's own service.

Just this week, AEXP-TS said that my favorite
Embassy Suite was full. I asked them to
call the hotel directly ... and explain that
I am a rather frequent guest. I got the
reservation at the typical (corp) discount.

One advantage to Hilton HHonors is making
room for Diamond-level members who schedule
more than 48 hours ahead. Seldom have I had
less than 48 hours of notice.

-doug

Reminds me of the time I ended up in the Ramada in Norwood. There was a sign behind the desk about "paying in cash". Not the typical business trip hotel....... but the staff did give me a lift to the purple line in the morning.