Can you recommend some nice ($100-150 range) hotels between the DFW airport and SMU? Would like to stay at the Crescent but it's out of my budget.

Try the Melrose. It may be within your budget. If not, the Stoneleigh is another classic hotel in a great neighborhood not far from SMU.

I had a business lunch at the Melrose in the spring, it was a pretty hotel. Is Stoneleigh a nice historic hotel or an "old" hotel? What about the Bradford Suites by Northpark?

The Hilton Dallas Parkway has been running some good internet rates lately, like $87 per night for a king room including full breakfast for two. We stayed there twice recently, and although the lobby is undergoing some remodeling, the rooms are very spacious and have been recently redecorated.

Bradford Suites is brand new, but unless it is different from all of the other Bradfords, it is an extended-stay hotel with limited services that caters more to business travelers.

Stoneleigh is a historic hotel, with a well-known sushi restaurant in house.

What about the doubletree at galleria, crownsuites by galleria? Are these new? Nice? Magnolia was too expensive. Melrose is $150 a night, is it worth it?

Pass on the Doubletree @ Lincoln Centre (in the Galleria area @ Tollway/LBJ). Was over there last week meeting an out-of-town friend who came to Dallas for business. This Doubletree looks like it's ready for a make-over. Quite honestly, for that section of town you'd do better at the Embassy Suites--Galleria (on Noel Rd.) It was newly built just over a year ago and I'd rate it as a much better value over Doubletree. Plus Embassy Stes. is on same side of highway as the Galleria Mall & so, easier to get to.

I'm not sure of price, however there's a new Hilton in the Preston Center area of town (easy drive to SMU). I think this Hilton is on Luther Lane.