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The most important factor in choosing a hotel for your visit to Los Angeles is location. You may think you're getting a bargain by booking a hotel away from the tourist centers, but when you calculate in how much of your visit you will have to spend sitting in traffic to get where you want to be, it may not be such a good deal.
Of course, where you want to be depends on what you are planning to do. In some cases, it makes sense to split your trip into more than one hotel. Disneyland Disneyland is one of the top tourist draws to Southern California, and if you're planning to visit Disneyland, it makes sense to stay nearby. You can get a shuttle from Hollywood or Santa Monica to Anaheim, but to get the most out of a Disneyland visit, you'll want to arrive early and stay late, possibly with a break in the middle of the day.
The Disneyland Hotels are naturally the most convenient, being inside and adjacent to the park itself, but there are plenty of less expensive options surrounding the park, some even within walking distance. There is an Anaheim Resort Shuttle that picks up at area hotels and drops you at the theme park for a small fee so you can avoid dealing with Disneyland parking. Hollywood If you're coming to Los Angeles to see Hollywood, go to nightclubs and fine restaurants, see TV shows being taped and see movie stars' homes, then staying in the heart of Hollywood is your best bet. This is the area around Hollywood and Highland where you'll find the famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
There are a variety of accommodations from youth hostels to three star hotels (trying hard to be 4 star) within a few blocks of this intersection. From here you can pick up most tour buses, use the Holly Trolley to go to nightclubs and theatres up and down the strip, or take the Metro to Universal Studios Hollywood or downtown for more options. In general, staying west of Vine Street is preferable. Hotels listed in East Hollywood are in a somewhat less desirable neighborhood for tourists.
If you're in town specifically to attend a TV show taping at CBS, like The Price is Right, there are a couple nice hotels in the Fairfax district (near Fairfax and 3rd) right around the corner from the studio. There are also hotels near NBC/Universal Studios which provide easy access by Metro to the heart of Hollywood. The BeachesThe LA area has over 80 miles of beaches. Santa Monica is the most popular tourist beach. It has the widest selection of hotels and nightlife within walking distance and plenty of shopping. It's also convenient for accessing the quirky boardwalk at Venice Beach to the south, or the more scenic Malibu beach to the north.
If you're looking for something more low key, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach have more of a beach town vibe and are popular with surfers.
Long Beach has a nice waterfront, marina and plenty of nightlife, dining options and other attractions besides the Queen Mary. There's plenty of beach to lie on if you're not planning on going in the water. However, a breakwater eliminates any wave action and the water regularly fails health tests, so it's not the best option for swimming.
In Orange County, you'll find most of the surfers at Huntington Beach, bikini babes and resorts at Newport Beach and a thriving arts community and nicest landscape in Laguna Beach. Downtown Downtown is where you want to be if you're coming to town for a convention or a sporting event at the Coliseum, Staples Center or Dodger Stadium. It's also a great place for a performing arts weekend getaway at the Music Center or a visit to the historic and cultural center of LA. You can walk from El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Site, home of the oldest house in the city and a Mexican marketplace, to Chinatown and Little Tokyo. For shoppers, there's also the Fashion District, Diamond District, Flower District, Toy District and the bustling Mexican shops along Broadway among the elaborate old movie palaces. Hollywood is just a 15-minute Metro ride away. Once you've decided where you want to be based in Los Angeles, travel search engines can help you find something in your budget range.
Kayak searches multiple consolidator sites and the hotels' own sites to find the best price on a room.
Some people find Kayak unwieldy because you have to go through a lot of steps to find the information you're looking for. You can also book directly through a travel search engine like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, or Hotels.com. I have not found that any one of them consistently has better prices than the others on the same hotels, so I usually compare more than one.
Try Priceline. My brother Nardo recently shared with me his strategy on getting the hotel he wants at a discounted rate through Priceline. First he calls the hotel where he wants to stay to make sure they have an appropriate room available. Then he makes a Priceline bid for 35% of the reference price listed on Priceline, using the hotel's neighborhood as the location and the number of stars of that particular hotel. This works best at short notice. He has been known to use this technique from the parking lot of the hotel in question and get a room. You don't always get the exact hotel, but something close. Not all hotels participate in Priceline.
He also suggests that you start looking for just one night even if you need more. There's always the option to add nights if you get a hotel you like, and if you don't like the hotel, you can go somewhere else the next night. You can also try another search for more nights if your first offer is not accepted, since you can no longer immediately raise your bid without changing other criteria.
Rate-shopping tip from Rick Steves: Call. If you're not willing to risk Priceline putting you in a hotel other than the one you chose, there's another strategy that might work to get a reduced rate. Once you find the best rate you can on a third party site like Expedia or Travelocity, you can call the hotel and ask for the sales manager. Tell him or her the price you found online and ask if they will give you the room for 10% less. Since this is what the hotel would get paid by the discounter anyway, they will usually give you the same rate directly if you ask.
Additional Discounts: Additional discounts are available for members of AAA, Costco and certain credit card holders. You can also find hotel discounts in the Entertainment Book.

All of the rates cited in the following pages are what are called "rack rates." That means they're typical prices listed in the hotel brochures or the ones that hotel clerks give over the telephone. You can almost always negotiate a better price by purchasing package deals, by assuring the clerks they can do better, or by mentioning to the clerk that you belong to one of several organizations that receive a discount (such as AARP, AAA, the armed services, or a labor union). The Orlando Magicard can save you plenty of cash as well. Even the type of credit card you use could get you a 5% to 10% discount at some of the larger chains. Any discount you get will help ease the impact of local resort taxes, which aren't included in the quoted rates. These taxes will add 11% to 12% to your bill depending on where you're staying.
The average, undiscounted hotel rate for the Orlando area is currently about $101 per night double, and that rate in good times climbs about 5% a year. The lowest rates at WDW are at the Pop Century and three All-Star resorts, which, depending on the season, can run from $82 to $141. They're pricier than comparable rooms in the outside world, but though they are small and basic, they are still Disney-owned and offer the same on-property advantages as Disney's more expensive resorts.
WDW's 2007 value seasons or lowest rates are generally available from January 1 to February 14, August 5 to October 3 (except Labor Day weekend), and November 25 to December 19. Regular season rates are available from April 15 to May 23 and October 4 to November 24. Summer rates (only at Disney's value and moderate resorts) run from May 24 to August 4. Peak rates apply from February 15 to April 14, and holiday rates from December 20 through December 31. While the actual dates will shift a little (and will also change depending on the level of hotel you choose), the same periods should apply in 2008.
If you're not renting a car or staying at a Walt Disney World or Universal resort, be sure to ask when booking your room if the hotel or motel offers transportation to the theme parks and, if so, whether there's a charge and exactly what it is if they do. Some hotels and motels offer free service with their own shuttles. Others use Mears Transportation, and rates can be as high as $16 per person round-trip (some hotels make these arrangements for you; others require you to do it). On the other hand, if you have a vehicle, expect to pay $10 a day to park it at Disney and SeaWorld, $11 at Universal.
If you stay at a WDW resort or one of Disney's "official" hotels, transportation is complimentary within WDW.
In or out of Walt Disney World, if you book your hotel as part of a package, you'll likely enjoy some type of savings. The Walt Disney Travel Company (tel. 407/934-7806) offers a number of Disney resort packages.
Outside Disney, you'll probably be quoted a rate better than the rack rates contained in the following listings, but you should try to bargain even further to ensure you get the best rates possible. Ask about discounts for students, government employees, seniors, military, firefighters, police, AFL-CIO, corporate clients, and, again, AARP or AAA, holders of the Orlando Magicard, even frequent traveler programs (whether you have hotel or airline membership). Special Internet-only discounts and packages may also be featured on hotel websites, especially those of the larger chains. No matter where you end up staying, always ask again when you arrive if there are any additional discounts or promotions available. But never come to Orlando without a reservation: Taking chances on your negotiating skills is one thing, taking chances on room availability is quite another. Orlando is a year-round destination, with a heavy convention and business trade, and international vacationers flock here during periods when domestic travelers aren't. If you come without a reservation, you may find yourself extremely disappointed -- or completely out of luck.
In the "Amenities" section of the accommodations descriptions, I mention concierge levels where available. In these hotels within a hotel, guests pay more to enjoy a luxurious private lounge (sometimes with great views), free continental or full breakfast, hot and cold hors d'oeuvres served at cocktail hour, and/or late-night cordials and pastries. Rooms are usually on higher floors, and guests are pampered with additional special services (including private registration and checkout, a personal concierge, and nightly bed turndown) and amenities (such as upgraded toiletries, bathroom scales, terry robes, hair dryers, and more). Ask for the specifics when you reserve a room.
You'll also find counselor-supervised child care or activity centers at some hotels. Very popular in Orlando, these can be marvelous, creatively run facilities that might offer movies, video games, arts and crafts, storytelling, puppet shows, indoor and outdoor activities, and more. Some provide meals and/or have beds where a child can sleep while you're out on the town. Check individual hotel listings for these facilities.
Staying for Less -- Although many people participate in the airlines' frequent-flier programs, not many take advantage of the major hotel chains' frequent-stay clubs. Even if you don't stay in a hotel for more than your yearly vacation, you may be able to realize real savings by joining its program.
Like the airlines, many hotels will let you build points for staying at a participating property, dining in its restaurant, or using another service they include as a partner. Although programs vary, points can generally be traded for free nights, discounted rates, special perks, or, in some cases, frequent-flier miles. And the price to join is right -- it's free. Simply joining a hotel club may make you immediately eligible for discounts, give you express check-in and checkout privileges, and provide free breakfast, local calls, or a morning newspaper. And there's no reason you can't join more than one.
Here are a few frequent-stay programs that offer perks to travelers:
InterContinental Hotels Priority Club (tel. 800/272-9273; http://www.priorityclub.com/) covers the InterContinental Resorts, Crowne Plaza hotels and resorts, Holiday Inns, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and Hotel Indigo. Priority Club members get express check-in, access to discounted rates at select hotels, and other perks. The perks vary according to hotel but often include breakfast, local phone calls, late checkout, and/or parking.
Choice Hotels International Guest Privileges program (tel. 888/770-6800; http://www.guestprivileges.com/) covers Sleep, Quality, Comfort, Clarion, Cambria, and Mainstay properties. Participants receive perks such as express check-in, special rates, room upgrades based on availability, extended checkout times, and free local calls and newspapers.
Hyatt Hotel's Gold Passport program (tel. 800/304-9288; http://www.goldpassport.com/) gives members a private reservation phone number and express check-in, complimentary newspapers, and access to the hotel's fitness center. You'll also receive special offers and discounted rates from select Hyatt properties including Hyatt Place and Hyatt Summerfield Suites.
Hilton Honors Worldwide program (tel. 800/548-8690; http://www.hiltonhhonors.com/) covers Hilton, Conrad, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, and Homewood Suites. It offers expedited check-in, a dedicated reservation line, late checkout, and a free daily newspaper among other perks.
Other frequent-stay programs include Starwood Hotels Preferred Guest (tel. 888/625-4988; http://www.starwood.com/), Marriott Rewards (tel. 801/468-4000; http://www.marriottrewards.com/), and Loews First (tel. 800/563-9712; http://www.loewshotels.com/).

You are planning a holiday abroad for your family, and want everyone to have a good time. You surf the internet for hotel descriptions, but from the pictures that you see and what you read, all hotels project a perfect image of themselves. How can you tell which ones are better? You have never been there and know no one at your destination. At the same time, you don’t want a hotel room that will bust your budget. How do you choose?
Check Independent Hotel RatingsWell, the first step you can take is to visit hotel search engines for guest ratings for hotels represented by the search engines. In addition to pre-negotiated rates with individual hotels, most agents ask for ratings and comments from previous guests. Reading their comments will give you a fair idea on what to expect from the hotels located in your destination. Be sure to read a few comments in order to get a fair overview. Certain incidences described may only be rare occurrences that may already have been corrected.
Hotel Chains and FacilitiesAre they part of an international hotel chain? Most international chains have stringent standards that are adhered to as well as a standard theme across all chains. They may have similar facilities (health clubs, spas, business centers, etc) which are important to maintain the hotel’s high standards. Other things you can look out for include concierge, shuttle services to the city, airport transfers as well as good laundry services.
LocationPerhaps one of the most critical things when selecting a hotel is its location. Hotels that are near to shopping areas, train stations or the city center charge higher rates as compared to those located elsewhere. Analyze a map of the area before you book to determine the nearest shopping areas or access to trains which will give you much convenience in moving around. Also, check with the hotel if they have any large tour groups coming in at the same time. Hotels charge higher rates during high occupancy periods and do not have the flexibility of late check-outs. These are important aspects which, if overlooked, may affect your tour schedule as well as your impression of the hotel’s level of hospitality.
Rates and DiscountsHotel rates are a huge factor when it comes to choosing a hotel. However, paying more does not necessarily mean that you will receive an equivalent level of service and standards. One of the ways to maximize on prices would be check if they are part of an alliance with flights or car rental companies, which offer discounts to customers of their allies. Sometimes, credit card companies offer their cardholders exclusive rates to special hotels which can be pretty attractive. Additionally, if it’s possible to use your frequent flyer points to redeem hotel discounts, this could help reduce hotel costs as well.
Boutique HotelsFinally, apart from chain hotels, boutique hotels may are great alternatives for romantic getaways for couples or families seeking hotels of a more distinctive theme. Many boutique hotels have fewer rooms but offer more value added services such as spas within the bedroom, breakfasts in bed or even in-room massages. In the end, your choice of hotel really depends on what you want out of your holiday.
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