How do you pick a hotel??

[dislal]

We are going to Williamsburg, VA in a few weeks and I have been looking for hotels. So many come up when I search, How do you pick a hotel? We want something nice with a continental breakfast. There will be 5 of us and we will be staying for about 5 days, so I don't want to spend more than $100 a night, if possible.

TIA

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I use tripadvisor.com to see reviews, then go backwards and see what I can get for deals on the better recommended ones.

 

[kimmyann]

Ditto about tripadvisor. The problem though with hotels in Williamsburg is that unless your willing to spend alot (esp for a family of 5), you will have to settle for an older motel style place. I don't understand what the deal is there, why it seems that some of the hotels are as old as Williamsburg itself We have stayed at a couple there, none that I would say are great & I have never been able to score the deals I can in Florida for what you get. Good Luck.

 

[HeatherC]

We are also a family of five. I usually rent timeshares for the extra space when we travel...which is a lot.

In Williamsburg, we stayed at Kings Creek Planatation twice. Great resort timeshare with indoor and outdoor pools. We paid about $300 for a two bedroom for the week in the Townes section each time we went. Highly recommend it.

Check out skyauction.com and their vacation rental section. We rented through govarm.com and have also used myresortnetwork.com as well as getravelop.com.

Hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We look at our usual spots--the Hiltons, the Marriotts and their extended chains (Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Fairfield, Residence Inn, etc).

We went to Williamsburg, last Sept and my husband ended up snatching a Marriott--a full fledged Marriott for $99 a night. Oddly, I could not find the same rate when I was booking, so he snatched it. While they did not offer a breakfast, we had a microwave and mini fridge--so brought our own stuff for Continental breakfast. The location was a Marriott timeshare, but we were in a small hotel building. We were 5 + an infant when we went.

Some of the hotels are hit or miss, so I tried to stay with chains we were familiar with when we booked.

Just keep looking around.

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

We like Hampton Inn. They include a decent breakfast with warm options - they even have the self-serve waffle makers now! Usually runs $110ish/nite, depending where you are, but think about how much a breakfast would cost for 5 people at a restaurant and it's not a bad deal. They have nice linens too. Very consistent.

 

[luvmy3jewels]

Our family of 5 has stayed at 2 of the Hampton Inns in Williamsburg and both were very nice and had great breakfasts!

We have also stayed at Powhatan Plantation and while it was much bigger than a hotel room, we were less than impressed. It was not very clean or well maintained.

Last summer to save a few bucks we decided to try Country Inn & Suites in Hampton. I wouldn't recommend that either because of the distance from Williamsburg. The accomodations were OK, but they put us in a room with only two beds and told us no cots were available our first night (even though I had booked a room for 5).

I usually use tripadvisor to read through the comments that are made in reviews.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Tripadvisor is a good source. We generally try to stick with Marriott hotels, as my husband is an elite member and the more stays, the more perks!

Also, look for a place with a free breakfast and free wi-fi.

 

[tlbwriter]

We look at our usual spots--the Hiltons, the Marriotts and their extended chains (Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Fairfield, Residence Inn, etc).

I do the same thing, to get points. If it's a hotel I'm not familiar with, and we're staying more than one night, I'll check the reviews.

 

[eduk8r26]

I stayed at a Comfort Suites--2 queens and sofa bed--last summer. It was brand new and walking distance to Golden Corral. Had an indoor pool and breakfast. We really liked it. Driving distance to attractions was less than 10 minutes.

 

[csharpwv]

I am an active reviewer on Trip Advisor - and I use the website every time I am booking a hotel that I have never stayed with before.

Trip Advisor has NEVER - and repeat NEVER lead me to a bad hotel.
I have found a couple of them on my own!
But that was without consulting Trip Advisor!

I know there was a fuss recently about false reviews, but when you look at 100 reviews, they can't all be false. Usually if a hotel as more than 10-15 Horrible reviews, I won't chance it.

So, rely on people who have been there before, and took a minute to share their experience!

 

[Mickeyluver37]

I have done Hotwire twice for 2.5 star with continental breakfast- got Holiday Inn Express once and La Quinta the second time.

OR....

We stay at Great Wolf Lodge. Not sure when you are going, but the Williamsburg one has their 48 hour sale going on right now. You'd have to book by Friday. http://www.greatwolf.com/williamsburg/plan/deals

GWL rooms are a great size for a family of 5, and have a microwave, sink and fridge. We only go when we can get a great deal.

 

[beansmom]

i also use tripadvisor, taking it all with a grain of salt...both horrible and glowing reviews.

It can, however, bite ya, too. I booked a room in Newport, RI for this weekend at a small hotel based on the reviews. I happened to go down last week with a friend and we decided to cruise by to check it out. Thank goodness we did! Calling it a 'roach motel' is a compliment. I came home and cancelled the reservation and booked at our old faithful in Newport. At least I know it's clean and bedbug free.

TA let me down this time but that's a first.

 

[kimmyann]

i also use tripadvisor, taking it all with a grain of salt...both horrible and glowing reviews.

It can, however, bite ya, too. I booked a room in Newport, RI for this weekend at a small hotel based on the reviews. I happened to go down last week with a friend and we decided to cruise by to check it out. Thank goodness we did! Calling it a 'roach motel' is a compliment. I came home and cancelled the reservation and booked at our old faithful in Newport. At least I know it's clean and bedbug free.

TA let me down this time but that's a first.

This reminds me of our one letdown from reviews on TA.
My DD went on a road trip (her first) to Ohio & we researched & booked hotels before she left. The hotel had very good reviews so she was shocked to get there & find it was nothing more than a hole in the wall place (famouse brand too). The room was moldy & the view from her window was of a brick wall. Her & her friend went to another hotel that was in a better location & the people there even said that the other hotel is known for being called "the jail" by the locals. And we are by no means really picky about hotels either.

 

[SeattleRedBear]

I can't speak specifically about Williamsburg, but I've used Priceline (and occasionally Hotwire) for years and only once regretted it (and saved myself literally hundreds of dollars over that time). Priceline & Hotwire are not for you if:

• You're part of a hotel loyalty program and travel enough that you actually get rewards you can use
• You're uncomfortable with purchasing a hotel room without knowing the specific hotel
• You require a reservation you can cancel without penalty

I've ended up in staying at some great hotels that I never would have thought of and for a budget traveler, it can be a god send. Both programs are good about pulling hotels from distribution if they get a significant amount of negative feedback...my only regret on one occasion had to do with hotel location when I didn't have a car. Again, if you plan for that type of situation, you can usually avoid a problem.

 

[Pembo]

I can't speak specifically about Williamsburg, but I've used Priceline (and occasionally Hotwire) for years and only once regretted it (and saved myself literally hundreds of dollars over that time). Priceline & Hotwire are not for you if:

• You're part of a hotel loyalty program and travel enough that you actually get rewards you can use
• You're uncomfortable with purchasing a hotel room without knowing the specific hotel
• You require a reservation you can cancel without penalty

I've ended up in staying at some great hotels that I never would have thought of and for a budget traveler, it can be a god send. Both programs are good about pulling hotels from distribution if they get a significant amount of negative feedback...my only regret on one occasion had to do with hotel location when I didn't have a car. Again, if you plan for that type of situation, you can usually avoid a problem.

OP said she has 5 and Priceline only lets you put in 4. I know, we are a family of 5! I too use Trip Advisor. It seems to me that the internet has made travelling harder! lol My mom used to pull out her AAA book on our road trips and start looking for hotels as we approached a place. We'd pick the hotel based on price and looks of it. Ah the good ole days.....

 

[descovy]

I can't speak specifically about Williamsburg, but I've used Priceline (and occasionally Hotwire) for years and only once regretted it (and saved myself literally hundreds of dollars over that time). Priceline & Hotwire are not for you if:

• You're part of a hotel loyalty program and travel enough that you actually get rewards you can use
• You're uncomfortable with purchasing a hotel room without knowing the specific hotel
• You require a reservation you can cancel without penalty

I've ended up in staying at some great hotels that I never would have thought of and for a budget traveler, it can be a god send. Both programs are good about pulling hotels from distribution if they get a significant amount of negative feedback...my only regret on one occasion had to do with hotel location when I didn't have a car. Again, if you plan for that type of situation, you can usually avoid a problem.

Being a family of 5 makes using hotwire/priceline tricky. Fine if you are booking 2 rooms, but may not work if you are booking one. And since you have to prepay, you may find yourself in a bind at arrival.

Because of fire codes, etc... we have had mixed results renting a room for 5. Some places allow it, some places say absolutely NO. One was a Comfort Inn in Savannah that had 2 queen beds and a couch.

We do a lot of road trips, and have finally come to find that Hampton Inn's and Embassy Suites are our best bet. We usually spend $100-$125, there's enough room for all, and we don't have to lie/sneak. And the full free breakfasts at both places make the deal even sweeter... shoot that's a $50 value right there!

Nowadays, we don't even sweat it, it's Hampton/Embassy all the way!

 

[csharpwv]

OP said she has 5 and Priceline only lets you put in 4. I know, we are a family of 5! I too use Trip Advisor. It seems to me that the internet has made travelling harder! lol My mom used to pull out her AAA book on our road trips and start looking for hotels as we approached a place. We'd pick the hotel based on price and looks of it. Ah the good ole days.....

UGH Pembo!

You remind me of the days traveling with my family who NEVER made reservations. We would invariably hit a town with a convention, fair, or festival going on - with NO VACANCY for MILES!!!!! We would drive, and drive, and drive, and drive until way after midnight, - pull up to the hotel, Mom gets out and goes into the lobby, and as usual - NOTHING is available.

OHHHHH how many trips were like that for my family growing up!

I travel a lot for work usually over 100 days a year - and out of that number of days, last year there were two days that I didn't have reservations because my plans changed at the last minute - but even then I was thinking ahead, and planning as far in advance as I could.

We make reservations as far in advance as possible now - and rely on the internet for so much information, route planning, and local interest things.

I really enjoy all the planning that goes into a vacation or a trip (for work or leisure). It is such a relief to put the keys in the ignition at the beginning of a trip, and know that the only thing that will change our plans in as emergency! I can breathe a sigh of relief - and travel comfortably knowing that there is a plan!

 

[DawnM]

We stayed here too and the boys loved it.

I booked through a SkyAuction.com blowout deal I had for $199 including tax.

We stayed on the 3rd floor because TripAdvisor said you can hear those above you.

Dawn

We are also a family of five. I usually rent timeshares for the extra space when we travel...which is a lot.

In Williamsburg, we stayed at Kings Creek Planatation twice. Great resort timeshare with indoor and outdoor pools. We paid about $300 for a two bedroom for the week in the Townes section each time we went. Highly recommend it.

Check out skyauction.com and their vacation rental section. We rented through govarm.com and have also used myresortnetwork.com as well as getravelop.com.

Hope this helps! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[FeelnFroggy]

My family and I are planning a vacation there, too. If you go to the website gowilliamsburg.com and click on specials on the top right, you can choose from several hotels to get a buy three nights, get the fourth night free. I also use the tripadvisor reviews to help determine which one to pick. Hope this helps!!