Holiday Inn Express or Hampton in Baltimore?

[bunchesofun]

We are looking at the Holiday Inn Express @ $110.00 a night for room and parking for a week vs the Hampton which is $174 for the week and parking. Both include free shuttles to/from the port. The Hampton is rated higher than the Holiday Inn, but is it worth the difference in price. They also add 13% hotel tax to the rates so it's more like $124/194 in the end. Anybody stay at either of these?

 

I've seen people recommend other hotels as a seemingly better rate, but when I've checked our dates those rates are not available.

[ryanpatricksmom]

Assuming that these are both the Inner Harbor locations, I'd just go with the least expensive. The only possible difference to consider is where will your car be parked....It's possible that one has a more secure garage. Frankly, I'm not particularly comfortable walking around the Inner Harbor area except for the middle of the day, so none of the hotels hold any tremendous appeal for me. Any of the name brands near the stadiums/harbor should be fine on the inside, and probably give you a slightly oogey feel once you step outside.

 

Baltimore's sort of a strange city on the weekends. It feels alot like a ghost town, and there are alot of very aggressive panhandlers. It's not my favorite place to explore, and I have a home 5 miles from the city center, LOL!

 

I would recommend a walk over to Little Italy for lunch if it's close enough. Yum!

[bunchesofun]

These are both near the airport if that makes a difference. One is considered Hanover, and one Lithicum.

[qdr]

We just used Holiday Inn Express on Russell Street in January and had no problems. We booked through Stay123.com for $99. Not a bad motel if you have a car since there wasn't too much right around the hotel. You sign up for a shuttle time but they were running late so we reached the port later than planned. But we ended up with no waiting and were eating on the Lido deck by 1 pm so it was all good.

[ryanpatricksmom]

I haven't stayed at either, however, I have used a couple of other BWI hotels for a park and fly stay with absolutely no problems whatsover. The parking will be outside in either case, so I would definitely go with the cheaper alternative. I can't imagine that there is a significant difference between the two.

[finoky]

I just stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Hanover last night! I was up there for work. It was quiet as there isn't much really within immediate eyesight of the hotel besides a 7-11 and Denny's. The hotel itself was clean. Staff was friendly. Great gym if that's your thing. The TV's are 32in Phillips LCD but the signal is crappy SD and only 22 channels. The beds and pillows were comfy, not real soft nor real firm. I prefer really soft mattresses and I thought theirs was just fine. There is a Denny's that is in the same parking lot as the hotel. There is a mall that is less than a mile away. The shuttle driver can take you there if you want. Hope this helps.

[finoky]

Forgot one important bit of information. They have a free continental breakfast downstairs from 5:30 to 10. They had powdered eggs, yuck, bacon, biscuits and gravy, cereal, toast, muffins, apples, bananas, pastries, bagels, juice(3 flavors), milk, water, and coffee. All is pretty good except for the eggs. For free it did the trick.

[roscoegirl]

We are looking at the Holiday Inn Express @ $110.00 a night for room and parking for a week vs the Hampton which is $174 for the week and parking. Both include free shuttles to/from the port. The Hampton is rated higher than the Holiday Inn, but is it worth the difference in price. They also add 13% hotel tax to the rates so it's more like $124/194 in the end. Anybody stay at either of these?

 

I've seen people recommend other hotels as a seemingly better rate, but when I've checked our dates those rates are not available.

 

 

Hi Bunches!

 

I've stayed at the Hampton Inn, downtown B-more, near the inner harbor. It was a bit pricey but we chose it because a snow storm was predicted for 12/25 and 12/26/10--our embarkation day. We felt the downtown location was best...less than 15min to the port! The stay included the 7 days for parking, double queen beds (microwave and fridge) full breakfast in the a.m. The shuttle was not from the Hampton Inn but thru Apollo Transportation. All you had to do was call the number (they give you their card at check-in) the night before. Fresh, new, clean vans...drivers very professional and dressed in suit/tie!! The stay was called "Cruise and Snooze''. I thought it was worth the price for the convenience and style:) I'll try to upload a few pics for you the see. Good luck with your choice and enjoy your cruise!!

[10XCruiser]

We just sailed the Pride out of Baltimore at the end of January and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Russell St. One thing to consider is they have limited parking and only one small shuttle bus (12 ppl) van for transport. It was very caotic both going and coming back. It worked out well for us because I am very presistent but I would consider the cost of a cab instead of the hassel of the shuttle.

[careywv]

When we cruised out of Baltimore 2 years ago, we stayed at the Fairfield Inn White Marsh. They had a park and cruise package that included transport to the cruise terminal and even had a trolley/transport to the shopping complex nearby. It was a very nice hotel.