Both are nice. Biltmore is the old classic. Westin in brandy new. Both are in great locations. Have fun.

How big is Providence in general? I'd love to rent a car when I go there in early October and just venture out.

Is it pretty in early October or is there a better time of year?

As of today, we now have a Providence Miniguide on the Web site, and it includes info on both of those hotels. Let us know what you think of the new site!

Matt, what is the addy for that please?

to Matt: love the new format of Fodors. I did check the miniguide.
To Fodorites: Realized we will be in Providence the last 2 days of "Gravity Games". We need quick access to highway as my husband has business in East Sandwich early Sat. Would Providence be terribly crowded? Should we stay in Warwick perhaps at Crowne Plaza or Radisson (near airport)?

Elaine: The Gravity Games attract tons of people; but the Biltmore and the Westin are both right near entrances to Rte. 95 and 195, the latter of which takes you to the Cape. I don't think you'd have much trouble getting on the road. Warwick is okay, but very commercial; there's a beach there (Oakland), on the Bay, but otherwise, Warwick is blah. Also, you would have to travel through Providence to get on the Cape anyhow (only other way would be to go south, through Jamestown, to Newport, up to Middletown . . . taking 195 from Providence would be MUCH quicker).

Also, for Annie, Providence is a rather small city. Not sure what to compare it to--maybe Rochester, NY, or Wilmington, DE.
There's a downtown area, with Federal Hill (Italian district) to the west and College Hill (home of Brown University and RI School of Design) to the east. October is one of most glorious times around here. A stroll on College Hill on an October morning is great; also, tooling around in South County, from beach to beach along the coast, is great too (quite a contrast to doing this in July and August, when the parking at beaches costs and beach-goers abound). A possibility for a long day: start out early at Narragansett, go down Ocean Road and check out Pt. Judith, then head to the fishing port of Gallilee; from there, tool it to Charlestown Beach and take a stroll on Ninigret Point; BUT save some strolling energy for Napatree Point at Watch Hill, then check out Westerly. (From there you can check out Stonington, CT, or just get on 95 and head back up to Providence.) Newport is lovely in October too. You picked a good time of the year for visiting, though in mid-October I think you'd get to see more of the fall foliage.

Hope this helps!