Jay

Hi. I am going to be in Albany for the NCAA hoop tournament in March. I am travelling with 2 young boys and am looking for a room before they get all booked. I am looking at:
Wingate Inn
Best Western - 200 Wolf Road
Cresthill Suites
Hampton Inn - New Loudon Road

Can anyone help with this? Are any of these better than the next?

Thanks.

r-travels

You'll be the furthest from things to do at the Hampton Inn. There is another Hampton Inn off Wolf Rd between the Best Western & Wingate.

All are newer properties, with the exception of Best Western, at least 25 years old, but on busy Wolf Rd with nearby restaurants, fast food, and shopping. Cresthill Suites (Washington Ave) is not really close to much either - except a car drive to Crossgate Mall. Wingate is probably the newest and caters mostly to business travelers. I would be inclined to use Best Western. I've not stayed in any of them, as I live nearby.

Parking in downtown will be tough during the tournament. You may find it easier to take a bus (#55 or #1) from Colonie Center to downtown. $1/pp each way.

Ben

Jay, all four are OK. The Cresthill Suites and Wingate are the newest of the bunch, both open only a couple of years. The Cresthill is the closest to the hoop action at the Pepsi Arena, so that could be your deciding factor; only nearby food, though, are the Dunkin Donuts and the Sunoco station. If you'd prefer to stay someplace convenient to shops and restaurants, then I'd go with either the Wingate Inn or the Hampton Inn on Wolf Rd. that R mentions. Note, too, that all of these are in high-traffic areas: the Wingate is between I87 and the Albany Airport, Best Western between I87 and busy Wolf Rd. and under the planes landing at the airport, Hampton Inn-New Loudon is on US9, and the Cresthill backs up onto I90. The Hampton Inn-Wolf Rd. is set back a little, which might make it a little quieter.
Hope this helps.
BAM

Meg

We go there each August for 1 week during the Saratoga meet. We've stayed at various hotels, but believe it or not...the one we prefer for location, cleanliness etc. is the Marriott Courtyard on Wolf Road. The rooms have been immaculate and we love the coffee makers in the room, complimentary newspapers etc. It is probably only rated maybe a 21/2-3 star (not sure about Courtyards) but if you stay there, you won't be sorry. We've also stayed at the big Marriott across the street as well as the Hilton but really prefer the Courtyard. We've also stayed at the Sheraton in Saratoga Springs...still prefer the Courtyard. Throw out the ratings!! They're very misleading in my opinion.

Jay

Thanks for the replies.

The convenience to downtown and shopping is not really an issue. We will head downtown and park on Friday and Sunday for the games. The main thing I am interested in when deciding for this is cleanliness and size of the rooms...the comfort things to make our stay more pleasant. We have an off-day on Saturday so the pool at the Best Western looks enticing. I wish I had been on the ball to get something downtown but those rooms are all booked.

Jay

jhm

For cleanliness and room size, I would have to go with the Desmond, which is just off of Wolf Road on Albany Shaker Road.

r-travels

The Desmond is the BEST, but most expensive too, but deals can be found (I worked there). I think you'll enjoy the location OUTSIDE city of Albany much more then downtown, so don't regret not being there. Visit NYS Museum while in town, which is somewhat "connected" to Knickerbocker (I refuse to acknowledge the beverage) Arena.

Jay

I would love to stay at the Desmond but the rates are $169 instead of $95-99 elsewhere. I need to check to see if there is an indoor pool there. I found the $169 at expedia.com - I don't mind staying on Wolf Road. I lived in Albany awhile back so I know my way around. It would have been nice to get a room at the Crowne Plaza to be right down the street from the Knick to completely take in the environment of the games.

cdt

Yes, the Crowne Plaza would be the most convenient, and it has an indoor pool.

Desmond has indoor pool, as does the Holiday Inn Turf and the Marriott (both Wolf Road).

Candy

We stayed at both the Holiday Inn on Wolf Rd. There was an indoor pool but it smelled so strongly of clorine everytime we walked past it (never went in). We've also stayed at the Marriott Courtyard on Wold Rd. which was very nice but not sure if there was a pool or not?? I'd definitely stay out of the downtown area, stay closer to Shaker Rd or Wolf Rd. in my opinion.

Jay

Hey....I love this site...such great information and kind folks willing to share it. The hotels in my original post are the ones that have vacancies for the weekend of the tournament and are my options. I am now thinking that the Desmond is the way to go...what is $50 a night anyway? A pool is a must to have some fun on our off-day. So, is the Desmond worth the extra $50 a night over the Best Western on Wolf Road (which has a pool and vacancies). Can anyone familiar with the Desmond give me some info about their pool area? Is it a pool where kids splashing around would be tolerated?

Thanks again for everything.

Jay

r-travels

The Desmond has been greatly expanded and modified since I worked there, but it is a busy hotel, mostly business on weekdays, and leisure travelers weekends. It features two large atriums with the pool in one. I think they sometimes close the pool when they have some special functions poolside, but cannot say for certain. I seem to remember sometimes hearing some occasional noise from the pool, but don't ever recall complaints about the noise. Just not at 9am Sunday morning! <g> Walking around in the hallways and in the atriums you will almost feel like you'r strolling in a New England town. It is a top-notch operation with a constant upgrade being done, rather than occasional renovations (e.g. "every 10 years whether it needs it or not") that other hotels do. No, I don't work there anymore (not even in hospitality in fact), but I consider it to be one of the best places I've ever worked.

Only you can decide if it's worth it. Most kids would be happy no matter where you stay, as long as there's a pool.

Jay

bump bump bump

Ben

Jay, to answer your question, the Desmond is the nicest in town, a dozen notches above the Best Western. Worth an extra $50/night? In comparison to the BW, definitely; in comparison to the Marriott, not sure. The Marriott is close to the Desmond in quality and often has weekend packages and deals. Check the Albany Marriott for vacancies. If they're available at a better rate, take it; if they're not available, then the Desmond's worth the extra $.
BAM

sera

you've probably have booked already, but out of town friends with two kids love staying at the holiday inn express on western ave. It has a pool too, and my friends find it reasonably priced and very family friendly.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

http://www.cdta.org/2003%20NCAA%20Ba...y%20update.htm has info on special bus & parking arrangements for the tournament. If it's not found, go to the cdta.org home page to get the newest link.