holiday sublet in Providence

September 18, 2006 8:15 AM

Finding a place to stay in Providence for two weeks in November?

I will be visiting Providence, RI for two weeks in early November. I need to stay in the city centre or East Side. (This is unfortunately a requirement.) Travelocity and other aggregators are showing about $170+ per night for a hotel room!!! Given that it's well below $1,000 pcm for a 1br apartment, I'm trying to find alternatives, if they exist.

I'd be willing even to pay for a full month's rent at $1,000, for instance, as that's still much cheaper than a hotel.

I'm already trolling Craigslist for short-term sublets (and having almost zero luck), but other than that, anyone have ideas for cheap(er) accommodation? I'm surprised there's not a website for holiday-makers looking for a place to stay, or even people checking out Brown/RISD. (All the Craigslist listings for vacation sublets are for towns elsewhere in RI.)

I need privacy so hostels are out, and I don't want to rent a room in a house.

(I'm flying in from Scotland, if that's in any way relevant.)

Many thanks for any suggestions!

posted by Marquis to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

How far east are you willing to go? There's a Ramada in Seekonk, MA (which is right next to East Prov) that's pretty decent - I stayed there last summer and it was fine, and it was about $99 a night I think.

Seekonk is about 15-20 min east of downtown, and not far from East Providence - even if the Ramada is full there's probably other options there...
posted by pdb at 8:51 AM on September 18, 2006

Pull the list of hotels off Travelocity and telephone them yourself. I admit, I haven't stayed in any Providence hotels; but I live about 40 minutes away, and I know what the Boston rates are, and I find it difficult to believe that you can't find anything cheaper than $170 per night.

You might also consider calling the admissions department at either Brown or RISD. Tell them you're a prospective student interested in touring Providence colleges, and ask for advice on where to stay in the area.
posted by cribcage at 8:53 AM on September 18, 2006

Brown has a hotel of its own, somehow affiliated, that if it is not fully booked may be a good try. I stayed there for about $70 a night in the summer, maybe two years ago?, and have zero affiliation with the university. The name is Brown University: Inn at Brown. It's quite nice, definitely private.
posted by whatzit at 9:38 AM on September 18, 2006

Thanks for the suggestion, whatzit. That might tie into cribcage's tip that I call Brown for ideas...

And yeah, Seekonk is not what I'm looking for. I need somewhere in Providence proper.
posted by Marquis at 10:04 AM on September 18, 2006

And yeah, Seekonk is not what I'm looking for. I need somewhere in Providence proper.

Then I would second Inn At Brown.
posted by pdb at 10:19 AM on September 18, 2006

How nice do the accomodations have to be? The Sportsman's Inn is a hovel/strip club, but it's only $40 a night (and also has weekly rates), and it's right downtown.
posted by Ruki at 10:33 AM on September 18, 2006

I lived across from the Old Court Bed & Breakfast when I was a RISDoid. Their rates are better than one of the big chain hotels ($115/night for most rooms), and I can vouch for their magnificent breakfasts. Really I think most of those Benefit Street b&bs will have better rates, but it's all about room availability.
posted by Marit at 5:31 PM on September 18, 2006

If you stay at the the Inn at Brown, you will be sharing a building with a bunch of noisy college students. It is on the fifth and sixth floors of a dorm on a quad that houses a busy late-night eatery. But if you don't mind that, the rooms are fine, and it's a good location. Also, if you can request a room that faces the street and not into the quad it would probably be quieter.

(I live across the street from the Inn.)
posted by puffin at 5:41 PM on September 18, 2006