I have a couple of questions re lax hotels:

1. Will someone please recommend a hotel at lax (no more than $100).

2. What is best way to get from airport to hotel? Should I phone hotel and request shuttle pick-up, or take taxi. Since hotels are near airport is there a set fee for taxis, if so, how much?

Try the Sheraton Four Points at LAX. It's a nicer property with shuttle service. Maybe 5 minutes away. Rates are reasonable, compared with some of the other hotels.

Check out www.betterbidding.com and www.biddingfortravel.com if you're interested in using Priceline.

Dan

Dan, thanks for the info on Sheraton Four Points, I will take a look. I have never tried price line, so think I will deal directly with hotel. I appreciate your advice.

Dean

If you're looking for a cheaper place, try the Hacienda Hotel, which is a basic but perfectly adequate place that runs below $100. They have a good restaurant, and a large grocery store right across the street. It's on Sepulveda, about 3 minutes from LAX, and they have a shuttle.

Warning

Don't book at the Furama no matter how little they're charging. It's a dump.

you beat me to it but absolutely do not stay at the furama

I concur, The place is stuffy and smells like mold. A step above homeless shelter.

One nice feature of the Four Points is that it offers 24 hour checkin ... this means you can checkin at any time and keep the room for 24 hours -- and not the "checkin at 3 pm and checkout at noon" schedule most hotels have. Very useful at LAX if you have early arrival or late departure. Plus free wifi. Several other hotels at LAX also have this 24 hour checkin feature. Finally 4Pts is directly across the street to the car rental agencies, making it quite convenient if renting a car later or dropping it off (in lieu of paying for parking).

I've used the Hampton Inn - LAX in Inglewood. Under $100.00, free shuttle pick-up and return (just call them), free wi-fi in the rooms. No restaurant on site, but free expanded continental breakfast. Very comfortable room.

JR

You can also try the Travelodge, it's a block away from the Hacienda on Sepulveda Blvd. $70/nite. They offer a shuttle. The trip from LAX to either hotel is only three or four minutes.

http://www.travelodge.com/Travelodge...6&brandInfo=TL

Across the street from the Hacienda is a shopping center with a whole bunch of small restaurants and/or fast food joints.

If you're staying more than a few nights, you're only a few minutes from the ocean, so you can take a jog or walk on the beach in the evening to help with the jet lag.

I second the nomination of the Hampton LAX.

I often fly out of LAX early in the morning. When I do so, I return my rental car the night before, sometimes saving a day's rental and always minimizing what I have to do in the morning. While you can get from any car rental company to the Hampton by taking the car rental company's shuttle into LAX and the Hampton's shuttle back out, some car rental companies (in particular Avis) will also just drop you at the Hampton. With Avis they drop you in a separate courtesy car, not the big bus, so you have to ask for this at the check-in counter--don't just get on the bus and ask to be dropped at the hotel.

Avoid the Hilton. Got it via hotwire and the room was a complete dump. The bathroom was so old and disgusting that my wife refused to use it. I would have certainly asked to move except for the fact it was 11:30p and I was leaving at 5:30am and was dead tired.

I, too, stayed at that Hilton and the service was certainly lax.

You would rather pay $50-100 extra for a room than use priceline???? I LIVE in LAX airport hotels. I would NEVER dream of booking a room other than through priceline. I have NEVER had to pay more than about $50. Last week it was $55 at the Hilton (yeah, it's dumpy, but still not a bad deal). This week it's $44 at the Radisson. A couple of weeks ago it was $39 at the Courtyard. (What I really need is an apartment, but at these prices, who's complaining?)

Maybe if you have all this extra cash to spare you could book your room on priceline and just send me a $100 bill?!?

Go to priceline.com and select LAX zone, 3*, and bid $45. If that doesn't work, pick 2.5* and bid $50. You won't know until you pays your money which of these extremely similar airport hotels you'll get, but you won't be disappointed. Just do it!

I understand the Furama is no longer on priceline, nor is it taking reservations past 10/15. They are going to bulldoze the place. After 10/15 it should be safe to bid 2* LAX on priceline (I wouldn't know, I stick to 2.5* and above).