St. Augustine Historic District: Has anyone stayed at the new Hilton?
Mar 21st, 2005, 01:33 PM
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St. Augustine Historic District: Has anyone stayed at the new Hilton?
Hi:
I'm a bridesmaid in a friend's weddings that will be in the St. Augustine Historic District (October). My friend just told me that her mom wants the bridal party to stay at the new Hilton in the historic district. I looked it up and their rates are starting at $230 for a basic Hilton room. Compare that to $211 at the Casa Monica.
Normally I wouldn't take issue with it, but we have two weddings to go to this summer (in NC and FL, and we're in Louisiana), and we'll be new attorneys with only two months of paychecks under our belts by October. Adding in the airfare to St. Augustine (via Jax) and the car rental costs, it will be pretty cost prohibitive for us to pay the $200/night rate. I was thinking something more like $100/night or so, and I would be okay w/anything up to $150/night.
Would it be completely taboo to stay at a different hotel? We really cannot afford to pay for that at this early stage in our soon to be careers (I nearly cried yesterday paying the $1000+ plus for the Bar prep course). There are only 3 bridesmaids in the wedding; her 21 year old sister (whose parents will pay for the hotel room), her childhood friend (whose parents are going to be at the wedding and will presumbably foot the bill for the room), and me.
Please advise b/c I don't want to look like a total tight wad but I don't want to pay $230 for a run of the mill Hilton.
I'm a bridesmaid in a friend's weddings that will be in the St. Augustine Historic District (October). My friend just told me that her mom wants the bridal party to stay at the new Hilton in the historic district. I looked it up and their rates are starting at $230 for a basic Hilton room. Compare that to $211 at the Casa Monica.
Normally I wouldn't take issue with it, but we have two weddings to go to this summer (in NC and FL, and we're in Louisiana), and we'll be new attorneys with only two months of paychecks under our belts by October. Adding in the airfare to St. Augustine (via Jax) and the car rental costs, it will be pretty cost prohibitive for us to pay the $200/night rate. I was thinking something more like $100/night or so, and I would be okay w/anything up to $150/night.
Would it be completely taboo to stay at a different hotel? We really cannot afford to pay for that at this early stage in our soon to be careers (I nearly cried yesterday paying the $1000+ plus for the Bar prep course). There are only 3 bridesmaids in the wedding; her 21 year old sister (whose parents will pay for the hotel room), her childhood friend (whose parents are going to be at the wedding and will presumbably foot the bill for the room), and me.
Please advise b/c I don't want to look like a total tight wad but I don't want to pay $230 for a run of the mill Hilton.
Mar 21st, 2005, 02:37 PM
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This is a beautiful property in a perfect location, but I can sympathize with your stress over the hefty price tag.
Has your friend checked into group rates? I'm sure the price can be lowered if she assures the hotel of a set number of rooms. You could end up at half that rate, which would be a lot closer to your goal.
At the very least, be sure to register at the Hilton site as an "Honors" guest, or whatever their program is, before you go. At least then you can accumulate some points for a future Hilton stay.
Good Luck!
Has your friend checked into group rates? I'm sure the price can be lowered if she assures the hotel of a set number of rooms. You could end up at half that rate, which would be a lot closer to your goal.
At the very least, be sure to register at the Hilton site as an "Honors" guest, or whatever their program is, before you go. At least then you can accumulate some points for a future Hilton stay.
Good Luck!
Mar 21st, 2005, 02:58 PM
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I checked the Hilton website and the Hampton Inn is half the price of the Hilton for the October dates I checked (less than 2 miles away).
First, I'd join Hilton Honors. Then I'd make a reservation at the Hampton Inn to make sure I had a place to stay. I'd keep checking the Hilton to see if the price might go down. Be sure to join AAA if you aren't already a member because that saves 10% automatically.
Good luck. The best solution is what Dreamer2 suggested. If the wedding is at the hotel, they should offer some discounted rooms (sometimes up to 50% off) for the group.
PS - Your friend's family should already be members of HHonors so THEY get points for all the $$$ they are spending.
First, I'd join Hilton Honors. Then I'd make a reservation at the Hampton Inn to make sure I had a place to stay. I'd keep checking the Hilton to see if the price might go down. Be sure to join AAA if you aren't already a member because that saves 10% automatically.
Good luck. The best solution is what Dreamer2 suggested. If the wedding is at the hotel, they should offer some discounted rooms (sometimes up to 50% off) for the group.
PS - Your friend's family should already be members of HHonors so THEY get points for all the $$$ they are spending.
Mar 21st, 2005, 03:29 PM
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If the hotel does not offer a group discount, I would take starrsville's advice and stay at a nearby hotel. Is there a reason the mother wants the bridal party to stay at the Hilton? I would hope that your friend would understand your situation. If the mother is adamant about this maybe she should pay for your room. I don't think you look like a tight wad, I think you are using good common sense about what your budgets allows.
Mar 21st, 2005, 04:37 PM
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Thanks for the advice. I don't want to appear difficult but paying $500 for two nights at a hotel that we'll barely be at is a hard pill to swallow. It's one thing if we'll be on vacation, but as any of you know that have been in a wedding it's definitely not a vacation!
TxTravelPro: The dates are October 21-23, 2005. I just saw that the Hilton in question has rates in April for $110. Of course the date I need would be in the peak season!
I just called the Hilton reservation line and the rate for the bayfront Hilton is actually $259 for the group rate! That's definitely off the table. Clearly the rate hasn't been reduced, and if anything, the rate they gave me for the wedding party is more than I've seen online.
I'm already a member of AAA, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like the new Hilton gives reduced rates for membership.
WTM003: The reason the mother of the bride wants us to stay at the Hilton is almost certainly due to miscellaneous wedding stress. The wedding will be close to the Hilton at the Oldest House and Gardens. Her reception will be at Government House, also in the historic area.
I was looking at alternate hotels and wanted to know if any of y'all have stayed at the following(unfortunately Starrsville the Hampton Inn is sold out for the dates I need):
-Holiday Inn historic District ($107/night AAA rate)
-Sleep Inn Anastasia Blvd
($80/night AAA rate; I've never stayed at a Sleep Inn and don't know how nice it would be)
-Hilton Garden Inn Beach location
($119/night AAA rate)
-Clarion Collection Castillo Real
($126/night AAA rate)
Thanks for your help!
TxTravelPro: The dates are October 21-23, 2005. I just saw that the Hilton in question has rates in April for $110. Of course the date I need would be in the peak season!
I just called the Hilton reservation line and the rate for the bayfront Hilton is actually $259 for the group rate! That's definitely off the table. Clearly the rate hasn't been reduced, and if anything, the rate they gave me for the wedding party is more than I've seen online.
I'm already a member of AAA, but unfortunately, it doesn't look like the new Hilton gives reduced rates for membership.
WTM003: The reason the mother of the bride wants us to stay at the Hilton is almost certainly due to miscellaneous wedding stress. The wedding will be close to the Hilton at the Oldest House and Gardens. Her reception will be at Government House, also in the historic area.
I was looking at alternate hotels and wanted to know if any of y'all have stayed at the following(unfortunately Starrsville the Hampton Inn is sold out for the dates I need):
-Holiday Inn historic District ($107/night AAA rate)
-Sleep Inn Anastasia Blvd
($80/night AAA rate; I've never stayed at a Sleep Inn and don't know how nice it would be)
-Hilton Garden Inn Beach location
($119/night AAA rate)
-Clarion Collection Castillo Real
($126/night AAA rate)
Thanks for your help!
Mar 21st, 2005, 05:09 PM
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Another idea - The Holiday Inn Express at I95 is only 71.98 for your dates. It has a good review on TripAdvisor. It's not in the historic district or the beach, but the weekend will probably be too busy for you to spend much room at the hotel. I've booked at a HIX for an April wedding for the same reason - good rate but won't be there much.
Mar 22nd, 2005, 04:53 AM
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The new Country Inn & Suites on San Marco has a 107$ rate w/ AAA membership. The link to their website is http://www.countryinns.com/
Apr 3rd, 2005, 11:57 AM
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Just wanted to update y'all about the hotel situation. My friend's parents are paying for the hotel rooms for the bridal party so it looks like I'm staying at the new Hilton in the historic district.
Thanks anyways for alternate suggestions!
Thanks anyways for alternate suggestions!
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