KCRag Forum

KansasCityChiefs wrote: Planning a little trip to STL in July... Wanting to stay someplace downtown and looked at priceline to find the Millennium across from the ballpark to be one of the cheapest. I guess my main question is does anybody have any other hotel recommendations that are in the same price range of a little under $100 that is still w/in walking distance to most of the entertainment downtown? And also how much is it to park in the big parking garage across the street from the Millennium? Thanks.

if you use priceline and select downtown you will ALWAYS pay less than $100 for 3/4-star category in STL (assuming there's no big event or convention). i've stayed at the millennium, the ballpark hilton, the union station hyatt... all for around $60 in the last few years. start your request at 4 or 3.5 stars first. definitely name your own price! also, check betterbidding.com (please follow their instructions for using links) for deals snagged by others.

the parking garage across from the millennium is large. we found a spot there the last time we stayed during a large wedding reception on a weekend with no problem. i don't remember the cost (didn't stick out as high), but i'm sure they'd tell you if you call.

KansasCityChiefs wrote: Planning a little trip to STL in July... Wanting to stay someplace downtown and looked at priceline to find the Millennium across from the ballpark to be one of the cheapest. I guess my main question is does anybody have any other hotel recommendations that are in the same price range of a little under $100 that is still w/in walking distance to most of the entertainment downtown? And also how much is it to park in the big parking garage across the street from the Millennium? Thanks.

Next week when I'm in town for the Royals/Cards game, I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Select which is just to the west of the Edward Jones Dome.  It's within walking distance of the stadium.  Not sure how much it normally costs since I'm using rewards points though.

As Dave notes, check betterbidding first - it will show rates that other's got from Priceline and Hotwire.  I always Priceline hotels in StL downtown and always pay WELL under $100.  Last time I got the Renaissance for $64.  For rooms that cheap, just get the hotel valet so you don't have to worry about parking IMO.

One trick I always use is to check Hotwire first to get an average price for hotels in a particular part of town, and then underbid that rate on Priceline.  Start now on Priceline bidding low and then just go up a few bucks each day until you get what you want.  Also, if you want to chance it, I feel like doing Priceline on the day before you check in gets good rate so the hotel can get SOME sort of income.  You should be able to get a good rate...unless there is something like a festival going on while you're there.

kcjak wrote: One trick I always use is to check Hotwire first to get an average price for hotels in a particular part of town, and then underbid that rate on Priceline.  Start now on Priceline bidding low and then just go up a few bucks each day until you get what you want.  Also, if you want to chance it, I feel like doing Priceline on the day before you check in gets good rate so the hotel can get SOME sort of income.  You should be able to get a good rate...unless there is something like a festival going on while you're there.

yes, i think betterbidding tells you to underbid hotwire's prices by 10-15%. of course, that's how you guarantee getting a room on a particular day, but being persistent (multiple 24-hour wait periods if your first bid isn't accepted) on a rock-bottom price when you've confirmed they have been offered in the past is worth the effort.

skip the parking garage and take the train to St. Louis.  The Missouri Amtrak trains are running on time again and the new St. Louis station is served by MetroLink so it's easy to get into the core of Downtown from the train station. 

dangerboy wrote: skip the parking garage and take the train to St. Louis.  The Missouri Amtrak trains are running on time again and the new St. Louis station is served by MetroLink so it's easy to get into the core of Downtown from the train station. 

duh! in fact, they are still running the companion fare special [PDF]. if the schedules don't work for you, try megabus for one or both segments of travel.