mid-May trip to USF questions

[cnderellen]

Hi,
I'm trying to plan a trip to USF in mid-May for 3. 2 adults, 1 teen (boy). I'm not striving to get the best deal ever but I would like to save some money. We want to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel, 4 nights. Should I get an Entertainment Book? Is is cheaper to book room/tickets package? We are not Florida residents. Is Loew's card helpful? I'm pretty sure booking flights separately will be better for us because none of the packages online had nonstop, direct flights from our city and I know other airlines offer that. I don't want to mess with changing planes if I don't have to. I tried to get the 4th night free offer on US website but it wouldn't compute. Does anyone know the best number to call and what questions to ask to get a good room/tickets deal or even just a good room deal? Thanks for any help.
Ellen

 

[E.Jane]

If your flights are taken care of, there are several things to try to get a bit of a deal on the room. Don't purchase the entertainment book until you have secured those rates. Call 1-800-BE-A-STAR and ask them for the best rates for your dates. You will need to ask specifically for the entertainment rate. If your original dates aren't available, it sometimes helps if you can be flexible with your arrival date. If you manage to get the entertainment rate, you then have lots of time to buy the book. If they aren't available now, they may become available later, so it is possible to book at rack rates, and keep phoning back (say, weekly) to check on a better deal. You should also keep an eye on hotelkingdom.com and expedia.com - they often have deals, but I believe they don't show many deals until closer to your arrival date. You may have to decide if staying on-site is essential, in which case you may have to book at rack rates and hope a deal will become available.

 

[cnderellen]

Thank you E. Jane for reply.
I got Entertainment rate for HRH for 5 nights @ 125./night. (The lady on the phone was really nice. She warned me about the constant music. I think we can take it! Traveling with husband and 17 year old son who plays guitar. Sort of a high school graduation trip for him.)

Also got 5 consecutive day tickets online from USF for $89./adult. We'll be out of there morning of 6th day so that should work. Plus, good flights (non-stop both ways) from Southwest Airlines.

Does anyone know if you can use Loew's card benefits at HRH if you have Entertainment rate? I'd rather have the Entertainment rate than the Loew's card goodies but both would be nice, too!
Ellen