Need to get away at home

February 13, 2010 12:31 PM

I want to stay at a hotel in my own town. Where in Los Angeles is the best place to do this? As befits an impulse, I want to find someplace near me (within a half-hour's driving time of downtown) which has an opening today, at a reasonable price, which I figure is about 200 bucks a night.

I could grab a Motel 6 for the get-away-ness, but figure for another $150 I could be happier.

posted by goofyfoot to Travel & Transportation around Los Angeles, CA (13 answers total)

You can stay at the Millennium Biltmore downtown tonight for $139. (Wait, I can't tell if you live downtown or not.)
posted by purpleclover at 12:34 PM on February 13, 2010

If you stay at the Magic Castle Hotel, which is a very nice, though simple, hotel, then you can go see a show at the Magic Castle tonight, which is a great experience.
posted by paperzach at 12:40 PM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: Not sure if you've considered this or not, but this is the sort of thing that Priceline bids are pretty good for -- especially if you want to stay somewhere swank, but aren't particularly picky. They let you bid by region.

But I'd kill to stay at the Magic Castle, so you might just want to take paperzach's advice.
posted by Valet at 12:42 PM on February 13, 2010

Best answer: Have you checked out Hotwire or the Name Your Own Price feature at Priceline? Those are great if you have a price point and don't care which hotel you're staying at. Definitely read the forums at Better Bidding if you've never used the sites before though. There are a bunch of tips and tricks.
posted by loulou718 at 12:42 PM on February 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This is what Priceline name-your-own-price was made for.
posted by grouse at 12:47 PM on February 13, 2010

Response by poster: I've never heard of this before. Is that Shatner?
posted by goofyfoot at 1:00 PM on February 13, 2010

I use priceline for hotels in LA whenever I'm there for work. I'm usually aiming for the downtown area, and get the Westin Bonaventure for $80-110. The Better Bidding forum linked above has a calendar of successful bids, showing that someone got the Bonaventure for $74 tonight, and someone else won the Hotel Palomar for $140.

Hotwire shows the Roosevelt for $152.
posted by gingerbeer at 1:03 PM on February 13, 2010

Figueroa Hotel is just downtown and with it's Moroccan theme, feels like a full getaway. Plus you can just wander around downtown like it's a new city.

(get a room with a balcony)
posted by Vaike at 2:35 PM on February 13, 2010

Hotels here might be out of the range you want to spend but you can at least look on: Tablet Hotels.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 3:15 PM on February 13, 2010

Only place I ever stayed in LA worth going back to is Raymonds Secret Garden in Hollywood. I believe Raymond has moved on, but the place is still there.
posted by greatferm at 5:39 PM on February 13, 2010

I had a wonderful time on my last trip through Los Angeles at the Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood. Reasonably-priced for a cozy little spot right off Sunset Strip.
posted by myrrh at 8:53 PM on February 13, 2010

So, where did you stay?
posted by Joh at 5:15 PM on February 14, 2010

Response by poster: I stayed at home that weekend, because I got a touch of "there's no place like home," particularly because we have dogs. But that Priceline feature is something I've kept in mind as a nice out ever since. I'll use it eventually. Thank you all!
posted by goofyfoot at 10:29 PM on March 30, 2010