The Official Cheap Hotel Thread

This thread is for you nice people out there to post the contact info for cheap hotels and motels relatively close to the Convention Center for Celebration II!

 

I will tell you right off the bat that the cheapest hotels in downtown or downtown vicinity are the Days Inn (8 blocks from ICC) and the Econo Lodge (about 2 miles from ICC). But also remember, we want you all to be safe as well, so don't go for just any cheap hotel. Most of the cheaper ones can be found near the airport and right off of I-465 which is generally about 15 min from downtown.

I gotta admit when I saw the title of this thread I got a little chuckle out of it. Good luck to you all!

 

The Days Inn Downtown is booked up.

 

I got a room at the EconoLodge on Harding St. It's about 5 miles from the Convention Center, but it's only $40 a night and I'm driving to Indy from MD, so it's not a prob for me.

 

My dad and I booked our room at the Days Inn a month ago or so.

Thanks to Shara's help.

 

We got a great huge room at the Embassy Suites for $139 a night through Wizards of the Coast. Split up between a couple people that's quite affordable.


!snap

 

The Econo Lodge at 16th and Meridian Streets are closer. I'm trying to think where the one on Harding is. *blush* Np Sithman. I guess I'm the C2 forums travel agent aren't I?

Yeah Embassy Suites, you can fit 3-4 people in their king sized bed (I've done it comfortably at 3) and then there is a fold out couch that fits 2.

good luck to you all. Also, if the rare chance that the WotC reserved hotels are gone, there are other hotels that aren't affiliated with WotC as well

 

The room we booked has two of those huge beds plus the fold out couch.


!snap

 

I don't have a hotel room yet...should I get one soon?

 

I would.

 

Nice room snap!

 

Trust Captain Kirk for the solution to this dilemma. I booked through Priceline last week. I got a room in a downtown hotel for $40 per night. Wizards listed this hotel as $134 per night.

Regards,
M.

 

Which hotel is that?


!snap

 

I think it was the Radisson, but I can't find my paperwork right now to check. The downside of Priceline is that you can't specify which hotel to query. But, I picked 3 Star rating and within the Downtown area and that's what came back. It's about two blocks from the Convention Center so I'm happy.

Regards,
M.

 

I was calling around today with a list I got from AAA. A lot of places where already full or only had the real spendy rooms left. Sounds like a big weekend for them. I got a room at a hotel near the airport around 69 a night. Is that an ok place? As long as there isn't shootouts every night.

 

Near the airport should be ok, though if you want to give me the name of the one you're staying at it would be helpful. Any hotels around I-465 for the most part are relatively safe, cheap, and only a 15-25 minute drive into town....keep parking $$ handy though. The airport hotels might have a shuttle servie (ie a short bus) that may take you downtown, plenty of cabs too.

Edit:
If you're driving into town, the best place to park is Circle Centre Mall...the hourly rate is aroung $1-3 (last time I was there) and there's always a ton of parking. The Mall has about 3 or 4 well lit garages only a block or two from the Convention Center.

 

Don't they have some sort of all day fee or event parking fee? Here in the minneapple its a few bucks an hour but you can park all day for one fee.

I am at work so I do not have the name of the hotel with me. I will have to get back with that one.
I called so many.. LOL. I am not even sure what one I made the reservations at.

 

Different parking garages have different hourly rates and time frames. If I find more info on it I'll let you know. Circle Centre's Parking rate scale goes as follows:

"Parking - Circle Centre offers 3 parking garages: the Sun Garage (entrances on the south side of Washington Street between Illinois and Meridian Streets and on the north side of Maryland Street between Illinois and Meridian Streets); the Moon Garage (entrance on the north side of Georgia Street between Illinois and Meridian Streets); and the World Wonders Garage (entrances on the west side of Illinois Street between Georgia and Maryland Streets and on the south side of Maryland Street between Illinois Street and Capitol Avenue). Monday - Friday rates are as follows - from 9:30am - 5:00pm: 0 - 3 hours $1, 3 - 4 hours $3, 4 - 5 hours $5, 5 - 12 hours $8, 12 - 18 hours $9. After 5:00pm, Monday - Friday, and all day Saturday - Sunday, the rates are: 0 - 5 hours $1, and over 5 hours $2. Event parking is $10, unless you have $20 worth of Circle Centre receipts and present them to the parking attendant."

There will be home Indians games (minor league baseball) durning that weekend, but it's unlikely that you'd get stuck paying event parking if you're at the convention all day....Sunday might be a problem though since it's an early game.

I did find this PDF map of parking garages. Not too useful, but you can see there are plenty of other parking options.

 

How long did it take to receive confirmation your room was booked by WofC? I called them yesterday and booked a room at the Courtyard Marriott. They said it could take up to 2 weeks to get an email confirmation?
Is that true?

 

If there are events downtown that CC charges higher prices for parking, here's a little catch: if you buy something in the mall and hold on to your receipt, you don't have to pay the majorly expensive price.

As long as you're not staying at the Ramada at the Airport, you should be fine. A friend of mine just had a meeting at the Ramada and said the place was a wreck due to remodeling, the food was moldy, and they promised to refund some of her money for the inconveniences and never did. I don't know how long they'll be remodeling, but you might just want to avoid the Ramada. there are quite a few hotels/motels in the general vicinity at the airport, just to make you aware. All of them seem to be good, except that report I just got.

Reminder: If you're not sure about a hotel, as Seb-X or I first. There have been some busts on some really cheap motels in town and not all of them have been closed down, but some have. Or you can just post here and we'll pick it up.

The Radisson downtown is a good choice. You lucked out. There really are not bad hotels downtown, except maybe Econo Lodge and only because that's in a not-so-good neighborhood and doesn't look like much from the outside. Never been in it myself, though. And it's technically not downtown either.

One more thing, I looked on the map Seb-X has posted a few places, and there are 2 Courtyard by Mariott's downtown, actually about 3 blocks away. I always forget about the Courtyard and Residence Inn by the state capital buildings. So you might want to double check your addresses, but it doesn't really matter, I think.

 

Shara, you mentioned the Courtyard hotel near the Capitol. I have my SWCII room reserved at that particular hotel, got it a long time ago so it was only $89. Is this going to be an OK place? And how far is it, actually, from the Convention Center? Looks like about a half mile or so by the map -- is that correct?

Thanks in advance for info! You're doing a great service.

 

Both are Courtyards by Mariott, both are in relatively safe areas...the CbM Downtown is the one that's catecorner from the back entrance to the Convention Center, CbM at the Capitol is a few blocks away.

These are weird links, so just cut and paste them.

Courtyard Indianapolis at the Capitol:
http://www.courtyard.com/dpp/PropertyPage.asp?MarshaCode=INDCD&checked=True&Marriott_BD={15063E23-FCCF-4ECC-BF94-A89253FE5898}

And
Courtyard Indianapolis Downtown:
http://courtyard.com/dpp/PropertyPage.asp?MarshaCode=INDDC&checked=True&Marriott_BD={15063E23-FCCF-4ECC-BF94-A89253FE5898}

 

The Courtyard at the Capital actually looks nice. I think it sits onthe canal, which is really nice for a walk. You can take the canal to the state capital building. Really I think the Capital Courtyard is about 4 blocks from ICC. Not too bad, and as Seb-X said, relatively safe. I just wanted to make people aware that, if they cared about location, that was the difference. Don't want anyone showing up and finding that they are staying at the wrong Courtyard Mariott.

This is almost as confusing as Rosemont in Chicago: "Yeah, let's put a Hyatt and and Mariott on one side of I-94, and another set on the other side, and both right across the street from the other. That will confuse those pesky tourists!"

 

Thanks to Sebulba-X and Shara for the hotel info! I'm really, really looking forward to to this....

 

I don't know if I can speak for Seb-X, but we're happy to help everyone. It's kind of become part of my job as well as most of his