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How to Book a Suite: Top Tips from Chain Hotels

Finding an affordable suite can be harder than it seems. We called around to major hotel chains to discover suites under $200 across the U.S. Here's what you need to know.

I'm sick of sitting in hotel hallways at night. Travelers with families know what I mean: if you pile everyone into a normal hotel room, once the kids go to bed, you're stuck either reading with a flashlight in the dark or sitting out in the hallway.

Suites are a great solution to this dilemma. With separate bedrooms and living rooms, you can pack the kids away and still stay up for a few hours. But finding an affordable suite can be harder than it seems. None of the major hotel search engines let you search for suites. Suites in many mainstream hotels are very expensive. And some hotels with "suite" in the name, such as TownePlace Suites, Comfort Suites and SpringHill Suites, don't have any actual suites. Rather, they've got bigger-than-normal hotel rooms, sometimes with kitchens, that they call "suites." This is also a frequent problem with hotels that call themselves "inn and suites." A non-suite "suite" doesn't work if the kids need to go to bed at 8pm.

Apartment rentals are a good alternative to hotel rooms in many cases, but there are times you really want to stay in a hotel for the reliable experience and frequent maid service. If you're considering apartment rentals, check out our line of Pauline Frommer books (www.frommers.com/pauline/), which have extensive details on renting apartments.

Even if you don't book a suite, sometimes you can score one at check-in. Remember to sign up for your hotel chain's loyalty program, and ask if upgraded rooms are available at check-in.

We called around to major hotel chains to find suites under $200 across America. Here's what we found out.

  • At most suite hotels, you need to keep an eye on language. Stay away from "studio suites," which are just big hotel rooms. You want one-bedroom or two-bedroom suites.
  • Hilton's Embassy Suites and Homewood Suites brands both provide true suites. Homewood, the more affordable line, has 500-square-foot suites with full kitchens, TVs with DVD players, and free grocery delivery. There are more than 265 Homewood Suites hotels in North America right now. Some Doubletree hotels also have true suites, but you have to ask the hotel.
  • Starwood's new Element brand looks like a winner for families -- they're brand-new, somewhat environmentally friendly, and have suites with sliding doors separating the bedrooms from the living rooms. The only down side with Element is that there are only four of them, in suburbs outside Baltimore, Houston, Las Vegas, and Boston; Starwood is aiming for nine by the end of the year. Rates range from $125 to around $165 per night.
  • Marriott's Residence Inn hotels have one and two-bedroom suites. Remember, you have to ask for that specific room type, and real suites are $20-40 more expensive than studios. Marriott is currently running a promotion where if you book a weekend stay, you get a $50 coupon for a future weekend stay.
  • Hyatt's Summerfield Suites are all made of the good stuff, with walls and doors. Ditto for IHG's Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites brands. (What's the difference between Candlewood and Staybridge, by the way? Staybridge hotels are a little more expensive; they have free breakfast, daily maid service and swimming pools. Candlewood hotels only have weekly maid service.)
  • Choice Hotels' MainStay Suites and Cambria Suites give you walls if you ask for "one bedroom suites" -- but not in standard 'suites.'
  • Best Western hotels are all independently run, so you have to check with individual hotels. The question to ask is, "does the suite have two rooms with a door between them?" because some so-called suites have a wall with a hole where a door should be. And even then, many 'suites' don't offer privacy. For instance, at the Best Western Roundhouse Suites in Boston, you have a choice between "junior suites" (which aren't suites at all) and "executive suites" with see-through French doors. But the Best Western Royal Palace Inn and Suites in Los Angeles has real suites, with real doors.
  • There are some smaller all-suite chains, or chains with affordable suites. Affinia (www.affinia.com) is a well-respected chain of suite hotels in New York. Woodfin Suites and Chase Suites (www.thehardagegroup.com) have two-room suites with French glass doors, which in my mind is borderline if you're trying to get privacy. The Kimpton (www.kimptonhotels.com) boutique hotels have suites, but their prices vary widely. A suite at Kimpton's Hotel Solamar in San Diego was only $25 more than a regular room, but a suite at the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco demanded a $60 premium.

Have you found a suite deal on a hotel? Talk with fellow Frommer's travelers on our Lodging Forum today.


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