Dave45681 posted:Mallard4468 posted:IMO, best bet is to join the loyalty group for one of the chains and use it. I tend to use my points when I go to York, as the prices tend to be higher than what I normally play.
That, and also don't be afraid to consider hotels slightly farther away than York itself. No matter what brands/amenities you prefer, you cost is likely to go down a bit when you move further away.
Everyone's tolerance for how far away is acceptable obviously depends on their own situation and what they are comfortable with driving.
I stay just south of Harrisburg. Started ~20 years ago when you still needed to wait for someone to either leave the hobby or die in order to get a room to open up during York (that's obviously not the case any longer, though the premium for the proximity to the event still applies, as hotels ALWAYS do). My rough bill for 3 nights (not per night, this total is for all 3 nights) this coming trip is just under $190 (though I did use some frequent visitor points to get the rate down a bit). That's not a hotel with a lot of amenities, but I've always found it clean and it's a good situation for me.
For me, ~20 miles doing a combination of Interstate 83 and route 30 to get to the Fairgrounds is not unbearable. Even with a car that gets only low-moderate gas mileage, I'm adding less than $10 in gas a day to save a lot more than that on the hotel bill. And there are no highway tolls to consider on that route.
Some folks don't want to drive at all for one reason or another (don't like driving at night, likes to stay right where they will enjoy meals and maybe a few adult beverages that would make it unwise/illegal to drive, etc.), so for cases like that, staying right near York is the way to go, even if it does cost more for the convenience.
On the flip side of that coin, I've had folks ask me why I don't just drive from home each day since I live "close" being just outside of Philadelphia, ~ 2 hours drive each way (but tolls, daily commute traffic congestion, etc - NO WAY!). To me that would be nuts, but I guess for people visiting from farther away, that might look like an attractive option.
The bottom line is you need to try things for yourself if you don't know what's important to you, so you can learn what to prioritize.
Along the same lines... Carlisle (unless the car show is on) - 35-45 minute drive depending on the side of town (Travelodge and Motel 6 on north side and Super 8 on south side are clean and reasonable - less than half of staying in York) and Lancaster (lots of choices) are both economical choices. Taking 74 from Carlisle is a scenic drive, and it puts you in town at the fairgrounds. Coming in from Lancaster might take some creativity to avoid traffic.
