Fll hotels in January....$$$$$$$ any ideas...

[Kelownabccan]

have two cruises booked out of Fll...back to back but........have to arrive the day before as flying in from West Coast....was looking at hotels around 17th area .....like that area as can walk to lots of stuff....and even the small water taxi.....have stayed at the Hyatt Place but "wholey cow".....rates into the $250 plus a night.....but holding a reservation anyways.......any other suggestions that will save me some.....I hate paying for a hotel room that costs more than the cost of the cruise....lol..........PS......was going to arrive an extra day ahead but at the high cost that is out of the question now.....what about airbandb??? any tips on places you can use that are not too far from the airport.......also.......do prices go down if I wait closer to the time to go in Fll area or just stay high as the "get out of winter crowd" are flocking there.....

[JohninDC]

Prices will likely only go up!  January is peak tourist season as lots try to escape the winter weather. You might save a little staying near the airport, but would then be more isolated from the amenities you value.  Hold your reservation and keep shopping, but don't expect to save much.

[Paulinda]

Did you look at value trips dot com?  They show lower rates but it depends on when you are going.  If you are going at peak times you will see a spike in rates.  We stayed at Hyatt this past March and paid over $300 per night but used booking do com.  Lots of people suggest using v t dot com.  You can only make reservations about 6 months ahead using that site. 

 

Also follow thru if you use them.  There are threads on this site discussing the pluses and minuses.  Call them for reservations numbers, call the hotel for followup etc.  At the time we went we could have saved about $50 per night.  That's peanuts in comparison to what our cruise cost.

 

Happy cruise!

[lx200gps]

You're quite right that hotels on the 17th St strip can be outrageously expensive at certain times of the year, particularly for us Canadians with our weak dollar.  When this happens, our usual fall back location has become Plantation, a few miles down the 595 from the airport. Although it's farther away from the Port, the prices can be significantly less than on 17th St, and the area is very well served with shopping and restaurants. I believe there is at least one hotel in the Plantation area that even offers both airport AND Port Everglades transfers, perhaps someone can chime in and confirm?  We've always found that the slight inconvenience in being farther away from the Port with a slightly longer drive is more than offset by the cost savings. In the past, we've pocketed upwards of $200CAD a night  by staying there over 17th St hotels.

[antmaril]

The Hampton Inn in Plantation offers a free shuttle to and from the airport, as well as to the port in the morning.  I have stayed there twice before and will be there again in January prior to cruising on the Sky Princess.   Nice hotel, decent free breakfast and walkable to restaurants and stores, including a wine store.  

 

My rate in January, 2020 is $211.  

[Kelownabccan]

2 hours ago, antmaril said:

The Hampton Inn in Plantation offers a free shuttle to and from the airport, as well as to the port in the morning.  I have stayed there twice before and will be there again in January prior to cruising on the Sky Princess.   Nice hotel, decent free breakfast and walkable to restaurants and stores, including a wine store.  

 

My rate in January, 2020 is $211.  

Thanks for the tips all of you......I suppose the best thing to do is book a few places that I can cancel for no cost and see what comes up.....and "bite the bullet" so to speak for one night before the cruises start....Ken

[Kelownabccan]

2 hours ago, antmaril said:

The Hampton Inn in Plantation offers a free shuttle to and from the airport, as well as to the port in the morning.  I have stayed there twice before and will be there again in January prior to cruising on the Sky Princess.   Nice hotel, decent free breakfast and walkable to restaurants and stores, including a wine store.  

 

My rate in January, 2020 is $211.  

Wow....just checked the prices....Hilton Honors.....$245 a night plus tax..end of Jan 25th...might as well stay in the 17th area for that price.....and for Canadians.....pretty expensive.....$329.....yikes......

[Husky61]

We are staying at the Hyatt and including taxes it is $296.00 a night.  Personally I think that is a bargain for that time of year.😃

[antmaril]

31 minutes ago, Kelownabccan said:

Wow....just checked the prices....Hilton Honors.....$245 a night plus tax..end of Jan 25th...might as well stay in the 17th area for that price.....and for Canadians.....pretty expensive.....$329.....yikes......

 

 

Keel checking.  The rates go up and down.  I just booked this a few days ago.  When I checked my date today, it is $245.  When I booked it earlier this week, it was $211.  Check often.  

[DaveOKC]

We normally stay at the Hyatt Place 17th Street (there is another one in Dania), but we use Hyatt points.  We earn these points with our Chase Reserve card.  A 7 day cruise (with air) earns us about enough for a one night stay.

 

One nice thing - the number of points needed for a stay is the same year round and peak vs off peak.

Edited May 26, 2019 by DaveOKC

[FOPMan]

If mid-January (around to 20th)’  you’re running into the Superbowl, which is pushing prices up. A lot of hotels are already pretty, or fully, booked.

[Kelownabccan]

5 hours ago, FOPMan said:

If mid-January (around to 20th)’  you’re running into the Superbowl, which is pushing prices up. A lot of hotels are already pretty, or fully, booked.

Thanks....never crossed my mind that there would be a big event like that in Miami area......Feb 2nd......we were looking at a hotel for Jan 24,25 before the cruise that leaves on Jan 26.....but was shocked at the prices.....have a res for one night and will hold it in the 17th street area....as you can see do not really follow the NFL that much.....we are more into the NHL...lol.....Ken

[nhraformula00]

Try Trivago, we use it quite a bit.

[bouhunter]

250.00 +/- is about what you'll find in FLL in the winter.  Unfortunately😥

[DaveOKC]

On 5/26/2019 at 11:10 AM, DaveOKC said:

We normally stay at the Hyatt Place 17th Street (there is another one in Dania), but we use Hyatt points.  We earn these points with our Chase Reserve card.  A 7 day cruise (with air) earns us about enough for a one night stay.

 

One nice thing - the number of points needed for a stay is the same year round and peak vs off peak.

To add - most times there is a sign up bonus (in points) which alone can earn you enough for several free stays.

 

[BlueHerons]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:49 AM, Kelownabccan said:

Thanks for the tips all of you......I suppose the best thing to do is book a few places that I can cancel for no cost and see what comes up.....and "bite the bullet" so to speak for one night before the cruises start....Ken

This is how rates get artificially inflated.

 

Please don't book multiple rooms.

 

Check hotwire.  You can usually save 30% or so.

[cheeseclan]

On 5/26/2019 at 10:10 AM, DaveOKC said:

We normally stay at the Hyatt Place 17th Street (there is another one in Dania), but we use Hyatt points.  We earn these points with our Chase Reserve card.  A 7 day cruise (with air) earns us about enough for a one night stay.

 

One nice thing - the number of points needed for a stay is the same year round and peak vs off peak.

I will disagree that points stay the same with Hyatt hotels.  We used points this past January at Hyatt place 17th street and it was 8000 points per night.  Next January it is 12000 points per night because of the super bowl.

[DaveOKC]

5 hours ago, cheeseclan said:

I will disagree that points stay the same with Hyatt hotels.  We used points this past January at Hyatt place 17th street and it was 8000 points per night.  Next January it is 12000 points per night because of the super bowl.

Sorry to disagree, but I must to clarify.  Hyatt annually changes the points required for a free room at each property.  This year they increased  all of the Fort Lauderdale area locations from 8000 to 12,000 points, for ANY DAY DURING THE YEAR.  I just booked early Dec. and it was also 12,000 points.  To check this out, try a dummy booking for July - the SLOW season - it will still be 12,000 points.  So, if you got the room for 12,000 points around the Super Bowl, you got a real good deal IMO and you should book it NOW - while the number of points required will not increase, they do sell out the free rooms (especially when demand/price is so high! 

[SteerageJoe]

Have you priced the Deco Hotel at Ft Lauderdale beach (near the W)? Prices are affordable.

 

It looks nice from the outside and recent (not old) reviews after the renovations are positive.

 

Deco Hotel Info

 

 

[cheeseclan]

5 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Sorry to disagree, but I must to clarify.  Hyatt annually changes the points required for a free room at each property.  This year they increased  all of the Fort Lauderdale area locations from 8000 to 12,000 points, for ANY DAY DURING THE YEAR.  I just booked early Dec. and it was also 12,000 points.  To check this out, try a dummy booking for July - the SLOW season - it will still be 12,000 points.  So, if you got the room for 12,000 points around the Super Bowl, you got a real good deal IMO and you should book it NOW - while the number of points required will not increase, they do sell out the free rooms (especially when demand/price is so high! 

My mistake.  I thought it was just because of the super bowl.

 

i did research and see that most categories of hotels had the points needed go up. Bummer!!

[DaveOKC]

27 minutes ago, cheeseclan said:

My mistake.  I thought it was just because of the super bowl.

 

i did research and see that most categories of hotels had the points needed go up. Bummer!!

Interestingly, what does change is the amount of money they want when you use Points and Cash.  The 6000 points remains the same the the cash amount varies significantly.

[loanshark]

Book in the Deerfield Beach or Boca Raton areas (about 1 hour away from Port Everglades).  Cost of a hotel + rental car is cheaper than hotels in the 17th area.

[cheeseclan]

6 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Interestingly, what does change is the amount of money they want when you use Points and Cash.  The 6000 points remains the same the the cash amount varies significantly.

And I found out that not all the time is the points and cash option offered.  

Edited May 30, 2019 by cheeseclan

[LuCruise]

On 5/26/2019 at 8:12 AM, lx200gps said:

You're quite right that hotels on the 17th St strip can be outrageously expensive at certain times of the year, particularly for us Canadians with our weak dollar.  When this happens, our usual fall back location has become Plantation, a few miles down the 595 from the airport. Although it's farther away from the Port, the prices can be significantly less than on 17th St, and the area is very well served with shopping and restaurants. I believe there is at least one hotel in the Plantation area that even offers both airport AND Port Everglades transfers, perhaps someone can chime in and confirm?  We've always found that the slight inconvenience in being farther away from the Port with a slightly longer drive is more than offset by the cost savings. In the past, we've pocketed upwards of $200CAD a night  by staying there over 17th St hotels.

We booked in Plantation for same issue as OP.  The area seems similar to Harbor Shops area with lots around.  Hoping it's not too far from port but was significant savings.

[RG306]

On 5/27/2019 at 12:37 AM, Kelownabccan said:

Thanks....never crossed my mind that there would be a big event like that in Miami area......Feb 2nd......we were looking at a hotel for Jan 24,25 before the cruise that leaves on Jan 26.....but was shocked at the prices.....have a res for one night and will hold it in the 17th street area....as you can see do not really follow the NFL that much.....we are more into the NHL...lol.....Ken

LMT Club has the Crowne Plaza Fort Lauderdale Airport / Cruise Port for 217