kkt

My husband and I want to go away for the weekend from June 13-15 -- give or take a day or two, if weekday rates don't kill us. We were originally thinking Baltimore, but I can't get any four star hotels on Priceline for below $80. Since we're normally cheap, camping people, we want to stay somewhere really nice for a weekend. Location doesn't matter as much as price and quaity of the hotel/resort. Although, we would prefer a drive less than four hours from Philadelphia. Maximum price of about $100 a night. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

Scarlett

I can't think of any 4 star hotels that would be in your price catagory. Would you consider a B&B?

kkt

Even with Priceline?

You can let me know (nicely if I'm being unrealistic, this is really the first time we're looking into something like this.

The whole idea of the weekend is to spend some time in a resort/high class hotel. I don't think a B&B will work for this vacation. Thank you, though!

Scarlett

Oh honey, of course I would let you know nicely!
I know of a couple of B&B's that are Very nice high end resorts..but hopefully have specials on certain weekends that are more affordable.
I will look at the prices of some of the places that I know of and see if they are good for you
We live in NYC and just made a lovely trip to Philadelphia. We stayed at the Penns View Inn, know it?

Scarlett

http://www.canyonranch.com/

The Canyon Ranch in Lennox Mass has specials, you have to contact them for rates. There is a wonderful selection of things to do, from hiking, being spoiled in the spa, eating in excellent restaurants and craft/antique markets, historical sights and museums.

mclaurie

On Expedia, the Wyndam Baltimore-Inner Harbor which is rated as 4* has a promotional rate of $119/night for your dates. I know nothing about this hotel. It's big & modern with an outdoor pool, fitness center & on site steak house restaurant.

Forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know, but stars are not necessarily an indication of quality but rather of amenities/services (ie. restaurant, fitness center etc.) Many Inns & B&Bs are very luxurious but may not have 4 stars because they lack a proper restaurant. I think what you may find at your price point for a weekend is a business type hotel that isn't busy on a weekend (which may be what this Wyndam is.) Atlantic City or Ocean City, Md. may also have some "deals." You could also try bidding on priceline for a 4* in NYC. Good luck & have a good time.

karebear4567

if you go to biddingfortravel.com,
you can see that people are getting 4* hotels in Baltimore for under $70

OliveOyl

mclaurie, that is true of Priceline's rating sytstem, that it is more an indication of amenities and services, but that is not true of Mobil (stars) or AAA (daimonds) rating systems. They truly do indicate quality, therefore you might have a 4 or 5 diamond B&B...that still has no restaurant, no pool, no health club, but is an absolutely lovely place to stay.

PCLN's rating system is only the roughest gauge of anything, especially seeing as hotels are rating themselves, PCLN is not doing the rating. I can't emphasize enough, if you want to judge quality, don't bother looking at PCLN ratings, but look instead at Mobil or AAA.

mclaurie

Thanks for the clarification OliveOyl. So on Expedia, do you know what * system they use?

OliveOyl

No I don't Mclaurie...I haven't paid much attention to what is going on there, but assume they use their own. I know hotwire does. I'm sure that AAA and Mobil own the rights to their ratings, and unless the others such as PCLN, Expedia, Hotwire and Orbitz are willing to hire a workforce to go out and evaluate hotels as AAA and Mobil do (annually for 4 and 5* and I believe 3* as well), any information they get will have to come from the hotels themselves. If you want accurate ratings it's best to look at Mobil, which you can see online, or AAA where you need a membership (or a good friend who has one and is willing to share

ChrisS

The point about finding business hotels that are quieter on the weekends is a good one. I've found good deals in DC on Hotwire.com at those types of hotels in the past year.

My favorite chain for mid-price luxury is Westin hotels. The ones I've stayed at have fabulous beds (piled high with pillows and comforters), large bathrooms (tub and shower big enough for two smallish adults), and the usual amenities such as a pool, exercise room, restaurant, etc.

Since you can't find out exact hotels on Hotwire, I would start at the Westin company's Web site and see whether they have any specials on offer.

In my experience, I've also found Marriott's Fairfield Inns fairly nice.

Happy hunting!

horizon

Possibly check on hotels in St. Michael's, Md. A reasonable drive, lovely location, charming town for walking, good food.

nytraveler

You're never going to get a true luxury hotel - Four Seasons, Ritz etc - for $100 per night even with Priceline - because their rack rates are usually $400 plus.

You may be able to get a standard sort of business hotel - Hilton, Sheraton, Marriott - for that - some of which can be quite pleasant - through Priceline - on a weekend.

Otherwise you'll need to search for a special or go the B&B route - as someone mentioned above.

SuzieTrue

horizon, the original post is almost TWO YEARS OLD. Hopefully they went and had a great time.

tracys2cents

I'm confused, you want to go away for a WEEKEND, but you are asking about WEEKDAY rates?