Linda

Hello,

My husband and I will be attending a conference at The Westin La Paloma in February. The rates seem to be a little more than we wanted to pay. Can anyone tell me if there is a nice place fairly close to this resort(driving distance)? Thank's Linda.

Bill

We stayed at the Westward Look Resort. It may be a bit less expensive, probably fewer ammenities, but quite nice.

Merilee

Hi Linda. I once stayed at the Sheraton Tucson Hotel and Suites on Grant Road. It's considered moderate. The suites are nicely decorated and very clean. There's a heated outdoor pool and spa and a fitness center. Free parking. A full complimentary breakfast is served in a nice dining room overlooking the pool. It's located on a busy street with many shops and restaurants in the area. I paid $85.00 per night (this was in April 1999 with a AAA discount). La Paloma Westin is considered luxury level. Others on that level are the Sheraton El Conquistador and the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort and Spa and they are closer to the conference location. If you get a chance go and have a meal at the Hidden Valley Inn. It's worth it just to see the handmade miniatures on display.

Linda

Check out The Windmill Inn at River & Campbell. Very nice hotel, all rooms are suites. We use it for clients all the time and everyone likes it. Feb. is "high season" in Tucson, thus higher rates. Lots of conventions here in the winter usually too which drive rates up. The Windmill is not very far (couple of miles) from LaPaloma (considered a ****start type place thus quite expensive). There are basically no other "motels" in that general area, it's the foothills and the hotels there are all expensive (Westward Look can be quite high in the winter too), Sheraton Suites is on Grant Rd. - it's a nice hotel too but our guest like the Windmill better.

westy

I've stayed at the La Paloma, and it is expensive, and maybe not quite worth it. So consider the places given in this thread, and be aware -- of location matters -- there are lots of places within about a 3-mile radius of the La Paloma. That part of north Tucson has tons of hotels in all different price ranges.

E.

I've stayed at the Windmill several times and have been very pleased. It's a cut above motel-level, and the mini-suites are spacious and clean, the staff friendly. I like that the shopping mall that it's in has several good restaurants and upscale shops. I have no idea what the rates are now, but I used to get a mini-suite for $90/night and thought it was a good deal.

Don

Linda, We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel and Suites on Grant Road, too (like Merrilee). We paid just $28/night (plus $5/night bonus money) last month thanks to Priceline. This hotel is in the Tucson East zone on Priceline. Somebody else who bid the Tucson East zone recently got the Doubletree Guest Suites on Speedway for $30/night (plus bonus money). These hotels are rated 3* on Priceline.

Merrilee gave a perfect description of the Sheraton Hotel and Suites. The free all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast was outstanding--eggs, fried potatoes, sausage or ham, cereal, toast, pastries, bagels, coffee/tea, fruit juices, and fruit salad. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Sheraton.

Anyway, if you decide to consider using Priceline, be sure to check out http://www.BiddingForTravel.com first. Read the Hotel FAQs to learn about how to come up with an opening bid and how to use free rebids to maximize your chances of getting a winning bid. Also check out the Arizona--All other cities hotel thread for details on other people's winning bids in Tucson, especially if you'd like to consider a different star-rating of hotel and/or a different area of the city. And be sure to use the bonus money link to add $5/night (up to five nights) to your bid.

Usual disclaimers apply--no vested interest in your using Priceline or the Web site mentioned above, you can't select a specific hotel (just a zone and a star-level), yadda, yadda...

Anyway, enjoy your stay in Tucson. If you get a chance, go to the Sonoran Desert Museum just a few miles west of town. Also consider dinner at Cafe Poca Cosa or La Indita--both really good.

Don

Linda, One more thing on our $28 room at Sheraton Hotel and Suites--we got a single hotel room, not a suite.

If you really want a suite, you might want to stay away from Priceline. We've stayed in several hotels that had both single rooms and suites, and we've always gotten a single room for our Priceline winning bid.

It's possible some hotels might allow you to upgrade from a Priceline single room to a suite (usually for an added cost), but there's no guarantee that they'd do that.

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