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[jacaranda_]

Any recommendations?  I've just be asked to sign on to do interviews for MLA.  I haven't even looked at which hotels are in the MLA cluster.

[tee_bee]

Where's MLA this year (what hotel)? I didn't stay there, but the Lowe's Hotel on Market Street, about two blocks or so from City Hall, is a really cool building--was the PSFS building, built ca. 1928, one of the first International Style skyscrapers. The public areas look fabulous. Might be able to land something through hotels.com.

There's also, I think, a Holiday Inn or Best Western nearby. Reasonable rates, a bit of a hike. A decent hotel in Center City will, however, be a bit expensive.

[wegie]

Where's MLA this year (what hotel)? I didn't stay there, but the Lowe's Hotel on Market Street, about two blocks or so from City Hall, is a really cool building--was the PSFS building, built ca. 1928, one of the first International Style skyscrapers. The public areas look fabulous. Might be able to land something through hotels.com.

That's one of the headquarters hotels this year.

List of which hotels are in use and their prices are here.

[hestia]

If you prefer a boutique hotel, try the Alexander Inn at 12th and Spruce.

[pink_]

The Ritz is one of the conference hotels (not the most expensive ones either).  It is close to the main hotels, and I think I'd stay there if I were going this year.  I stayed at the Park Hyatt last time it was in Philly, and that one was really nice too.  It is one of the most expensive ones this year though.

[jacaranda_]

Thanks so much for the advice -- esp. that map!

Well, it looks like my dept. chair is ready to book us at the Four Seasons (lots of reservations already taken in the other hotels), and really, it's hard to complain about that since our Dean is covering the expense.  But to be truthful, crazy expensive hotels really do nothing for me.  I'm not even going to be in my room for that much time -- it seems like a grotesque waste of money. 

Am I being silly?  Should I just enjoy one of the very few perqs of this job and figure that if I'm going to have to do 10 interviews that I deserve it? 

Hestia, I'm curious to know what "boutique" hotel means.  The Alexander looks very cute, and it's definitely quite a lot cheaper (-$50 a night comp. with 4S), but it's a bit far afield from where I'll need to conduct interviews.  I'd probably eat up that money in a minute with cab fares.  But I have a feeling the Alexander is in a cuter area of the city.

[peppergal]

The Hampton Inn by the convention center is quite nice.  Reasonable conference rate, and free breakfast too!

[hestia]

Boutique hotels are usually small, quirky luxury hotels; they are by definition non-chain hotels, though there are now companies that specialize in owning boutique hotels, but they make sure that each one is different from the other.  The Alexander Inn is neither particularly luxe nor particularly expensive, but it is individually owned and a nice hotel.  It is in the area of Philadelphia where the antiques stores used to be, though sadly most of them seem to have gone out of business.

[pink_]

If your dean is footing the bill, smile and say thank you, where-ever they put you up (unless there are roaches).

[prephd]

I stayed at a Marriott Residence in in Center City that was very nice. I like having a fridge and a little more room.

[seniorscholar]

  The Alexander looks very cute, and it's definitely quite a lot cheaper (-$50 a night comp. with 4S), but it's a bit far afield from where I'll need to conduct interviews.  I'd probably eat up that money in a minute with cab fares.  But I have a feeling the Alexander is in a cuter area of the city.

For others who might care, even the Alexander is an easy 15-minute walk to the Convention Center, unless it's pouring, very cold, or you're a woman wearing high high heels. Most hotel personnel will tell you that a cab is needed for "safety" but 12th street (the main drag of the gayborhood) is not infested by gangs or other "undesirables."

[ab_grp]

  The Alexander looks very cute, and it's definitely quite a lot cheaper (-$50 a night comp. with 4S), but it's a bit far afield from where I'll need to conduct interviews.  I'd probably eat up that money in a minute with cab fares.  But I have a feeling the Alexander is in a cuter area of the city.

For others who might care, even the Alexander is an easy 15-minute walk to the Convention Center, unless it's pouring, very cold, or you're a woman wearing high high heels. Most hotel personnel will tell you that a cab is needed for "safety" but 12th street (the main drag of the gayborhood) is not infested by gangs or other "undesirables."

I definitely don't want to be an alarmist, but as someone who has a very close family member living in that block of 12th, the neighborhood can change dramatically at a certain point in the evening.  You may want to take a cab back just to be safe if it is later at night, or just try to be aware of your surroundings (common sense anyway).  The neighborhood is a nice area, but has its problems like any other.

[fiona]

If you're going to a professional conference, stay in the conference hotel, especially in the winter.

Otherwise you'll spend a great deal of time on transportation, dealing with meals, dealing with coats, and you won't get the networking and meeting experience that's the major professional point of going to the meeting.

Especially for MLA, which is usually not all that pleasant a meeting, you can easily go upstairs for a nap or retreat if you're at the conference hotel. If you're not, you're stuck.

The Fiona

[mountainguy]

If you're going to a professional conference, stay in the conference hotel, especially in the winter.

Otherwise you'll spend a great deal of time on transportation, dealing with meals, dealing with coats, and you won't get the networking and meeting experience that's the major professional point of going to the meeting.

While I hesitate to disagree with Fiona's good advice, I think there's some room for flexibility here. Most large conventions take place near clusters of hotels that are within walking distance of each other. There's a difference between having to spend two minutes walking across the street vs. 15 minutes in a cab back to a hotel. 

[tee_bee]

If you're going to a professional conference, stay in the conference hotel, especially in the winter.

Otherwise you'll spend a great deal of time on transportation, dealing with meals, dealing with coats, and you won't get the networking and meeting experience that's the major professional point of going to the meeting.

While I hesitate to disagree with Fiona's good advice, I think there's some room for flexibility here. Most large conventions take place near clusters of hotels that are within walking distance of each other. There's a difference between having to spend two minutes walking across the street vs. 15 minutes in a cab back to a hotel. 

I agree with MtG, but have learned that you don't really want to be too much further away than across the street. I have found it much more convenient to be at the main hotel or nearby so I can dump off books in my room, catch a nap, take a wake-up shower (brrrr) or whatever. If you're a long way from the hotel, these things become more than an elevator ride away. A five to ten minute radius may be ideal. Personally, I try to stay closer in the summer--warm weather is not kind to this child of the sub-arctic.