jubilada

I am attending a conference at this hotel but they don't have availability for one of my nights so I am looking for somewhere else to stay very close, if possible, and with easy access to parking. Thanks.

sassy_cat

Look for hotels in Back Bay. The nearest hotels are the Back Bay Hotel, the Four Seasons, the Taj and the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

Is proximity the main factor? Budget?

If the hotel you choose doesn't have it's own garage then you could park at the Park Plaza.

If this link works it'll help you find the nearby hotels.
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=s...e&ved=0CCAQ_BI

MFNYC

The Lenox is a lovely hotel near the Park Plaza. Any Back Bay/Copley Square area hotels would work.

jubilada

proximity

MFNYC

If you need to park your car, check out Boston Central Parking. They have several locations, near most hotels and are cheaper than hotel parking garages. The website also has a coupon for a discounted rate http://boston.centralparking.com/. We've parked with them a a few occasions, and it was fine for us.

jubilada

thanks. I had looked on Orbitz, which showed availability, so I called the hotel back and they said oops, we have availability, just not at the conference rate, so I will stay there. I like just being where the conference is. Thanks all for help and I will check out the parking,MFNYC.

Ackislander

The Radisson is within sight of the Park Plaza. It has a boring lobby but nice rooms. It is not as expensive as the hotels mentioned above.

Parking will be north of $40 per night. Cheaper parking is available at Prudential and the Common Garage. Follow MFNYC's suggestion.

I have gotten this hotel on Priceline for a pittance.

sassy_cat

jubilada, ah, that makes sense. I was surprised when you said a room was unavailable as it's a huge hotel but running out of rooms at the conference rate happens!

I stayed there last month for one weekend night while my husband was at a conference and we valet parked at the hotel (it's definitely the easiest option if you're there on business and not concerned about cost).
The rooms vary according to where you are in the hotel. The ones in the tower are newer. We were in the older part of the hotel and while the beds & bed linens were exceptionally comfortable; the room itself was rather tired looking. The bathrooms were definitely a little grubby and in need of an update but the bonus was there were two of them!

jubilada

priceline is difficult for me as we like a king bed. The conference rate isn't bad, and I don't much care about how the room is ( of course basically clean, etc), but like being able to pop upstairs between sessions when I am at a conference, as I find these things very wearing.
I appreciate all your help.

Ackislander

I've been fully retired for two and a half years and still have recurrent nightmares about being is conference hotels, particularly the San Francisco Hilton.

"Wearing" is a good way to put it.

persimmondeb

I had a tremendously uncomfortable and inconvenient stay there once when I was attending a convention, but that was over a decade ago, so hopefully my experience is no longer relevant.

Ackislander

I had a tremendously uncomfortable and inconvenient stay there once when I was attending a convention

Where? Your reference isn't clear.

If the Radisson, that was before the renovations.

Again, it is not the Ritz. It is just close and within program tossing distance of a lot of places to eat.

persimmondeb

The Park Plaza. I don't exactly expect the Ritz, but it was freezing in the room, there was no temperature control, and no sense to be gotten from the front desk, ever. It was easily the most uncomfortable (hard, bouncy, and vaguely lumpy) bed I have ever slept in. There was a homeless man making the rounds of the lobby begging, in view of hotel personnel. We waited 55 minutes after ordering to be served tea in the lobby bar. They kept mixing up the credit cards, since I had been silly enough to make the reservation on one card and try to pay on another. We reserved a room on the "party" floor, and were given one on the quiet floor, which is not as bad as the acquaintances who had a room on the "party" floor, right next to the airline pilots on a layover. There was a lot of tip-toeing going on in that section of the corridor.

In its favor, the breakfast was good, if a little expensive, and the public rooms were really cool. I have not returned since.

starrs

jubilada, two thoughts -
1) call as soon as the reserve dates have passed. When the block of rooms are released, the hotel will be selling off any unsold rooms.
2) check Hotwire.com. Sometimes you can specify the bed type with those reservations.

I've been lucky enough to get the conference hotel via Priceline at 1/2 the conference rate. There are no guarantees of that, of course.

starrs

Use betterbidding.com and the list of Hotwire and Priceline rooms to get a good idea of what hotel you'll "win" with your bid.

jubilada

starrs, thanks. The conference rooms are all sold ( the date is past). this is a very popular conference. I will check Hotwire, but I am not that concerned about price as the conf rate is pretty good. I am concerned, however about persimmondeb's report of bad beds as I have real trouble with that.

persimmondeb

This was in early 2000, so I would hope that they've changed the mattresses since then. Even then, there seemed to be some variation. Some other people complained, but others thought they were fine. I checked out the one in my sister's room, and while not fabulous, it was not AS bad. I will say that I thought the mattresses very cheap in quality for a hotel of any pretension whatsoever.

sassy_cat

I stayed there last month and commented above that the bed was very comfortable. It was probably the best thing about the room!

jubilada, test out the bed as soon as you check in or ask at check for a room with a good bed. I'm sure in an hotel of this size they do rolling renovations. Hopefully no beds left that were there in 2000 though!