There are still rooms available near downtown York in the $150-200 per night range. Check hotels.com, Expedia, or other travel site for particulars.
Thank you for your help. I now have a room.
This is a WATCH YOUR STEP story, please read all the way through. The word to the wise is: If you use an agglomeration site like Hotels.com or Trivago.com to look for a hotel, be careful.
Here's my story:
- I searched for York hotels yesterday using Trivago.com.
- I keyed in "York, Pennsylvania" and the York dates as my search criteria and the results were displayed.
- When I'm not traveling with the woman in my life, I view a hotel as the place I go to change my socks. As long as the towels actually bend, I'm fine with it. I.e., I'm looking for CHEEP.
- When the results were returned, I sorted the list by "Price: Lowest to Highest". I saw pictures of the "usual suspects" (e.g., Super 8, Motel 6, Rodeway, et al).
- I noted that the lowest prices are currently $85 per night, before taxes.
- I looked through the different deals and, by changing bed combinations (e.g., a king instead of 2 queens), I found a deal at Motel 6 for $51 per night!
- I booked it as fast as I could. Lucky me! (....or so I thought.)
- When my confirmation email arrived (from Booking.com, a unit of Priceline.com), it confirmed that I indeed had booked for two nights at $51 per night at the Motel 6 .............................. in York, Nebraska.
UGH. It seems that, in the data exchange among Trivago.com => Priceline.com => Booking.com => Motel6.com, York, Pennsylvania became York, Nebraska.
I went through their process again to confirm that it was an error in their system and not something I did with an errant mouse click. There truly is a flaw in their processing during the handoff among the companies/websites involved.
I canceled the erroneous reservation on the spot, but it's a darned good thing I looked over the confirmation email when it arrived. I would have felt quite foolish returning from a night of beer with the boys, trying to check in, and having the overnight clerk point out that the reason she couldn't find my reservation ... was because it was 19 states to the west ... and that she was sorry because they were all booked for the night ...
So: Be careful out there, boys and girls. If you use an online service like Trivago, Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com, etc., check your confirmations.
Steven J. Serenska
I would also add when booking via a 3rd party to call the hotel a couple weeks out and check your reservation, get a confirmation number from said hotel (not the 3rd party booking site), and a human's name that you spoke with.
I booked at the Wyndham last spring, called 2 days before and spoke with the front desk who assured me of my room. Went to check in and no room. Even though I checked days earlier. Go figure.
MartyE posted:I would also add when booking via a 3rd party to call the hotel a couple weeks out and check your reservation, get a confirmation number from said hotel (not the 3rd party booking site), and a human's name that you spoke with.
I booked at the Wyndham last spring, called 2 days before and spoke with the front desk who assured me of my room. Went to check in and no room. Even though I checked days earlier. Go figure.
Good advice. One addition as someone who used to book the night before or the morning of. The first time I did this it was for the Heritage Hills Golf Resort. Showed up to check in and they had no record of my reservation. Fortunately, I had printed out all the confirmation info and had it with me to present to the front desk. Some other late arrival must have lost their room because I got one.
Best to print out the confirmation and have it with you. 
- Greg
Serenska posted:This is a WATCH YOUR STEP story, please read all the way through. The word to the wise is: If you use an agglomeration site like Hotels.com or Trivago.com to look for a hotel, be careful.
Here's my story:
- I searched for York hotels yesterday using Trivago.com.
- I keyed in "York, Pennsylvania" and the York dates as my search criteria and the results were displayed.
- When I'm not traveling with the woman in my life, I view a hotel as the place I go to change my socks. As long as the towels actually bend, I'm fine with it. I.e., I'm looking for CHEEP.
- When the results were returned, I sorted the list by "Price: Lowest to Highest". I saw pictures of the "usual suspects" (e.g., Super 8, Motel 6, Rodeway, et al).
- I noted that the lowest prices are currently $85 per night, before taxes.
- I looked through the different deals and, by changing bed combinations (e.g., a king instead of 2 queens), I found a deal at Motel 6 for $51 per night!
- I booked it as fast as I could. Lucky me! (....or so I thought.)
- When my confirmation email arrived (from Booking.com, a unit of Priceline.com), it confirmed that I indeed had booked for two nights at $51 per night at the Motel 6 .............................. in York, Nebraska.
UGH. It seems that, in the data exchange among Trivago.com => Priceline.com => Booking.com => Motel6.com, York, Pennsylvania became York, Nebraska.I went through their process again to confirm that it was an error in their system and not something I did with an errant mouse click. There truly is a flaw in their processing during the handoff among the companies/websites involved.
I canceled the erroneous reservation on the spot, but it's a darned good thing I looked over the confirmation email when it arrived. I would have felt quite foolish returning from a night of beer with the boys, trying to check in, and having the overnight clerk point out that the reason she couldn't find my reservation ... was because it was 19 states to the west ... and that she was sorry because they were all booked for the night ...
So: Be careful out there, boys and girls. If you use an online service like Trivago, Expedia, Hotels.com, Booking.com, etc., check your confirmations.
Steven J. Serenska
I almost did this my first time too - was about to book a room for York, England. 
-Greg
I found going through the chains website offers me a senior rate that sometimes is not offered by the travel sites.
Joe Hohmann posted:I found going through the chains website offers me a senior rate that sometimes is not offered by the travel sites.
Also helps to join the rewards club for whatever chain you tend to stay at. The rewards club I use has worked out pretty well, as it covers several chains at different price points - I build up points at the cheaper places, then get a free night at a better place. It can be really beneficial when staying at a time when "special event" rates are in effect, as the points needed for a free night usually doesn't vary.
I've heard complaints about the Roadway for years but we've never had problems, always been adequate for our needs, clean and inexpensive (compared to many others). Or maybe I'm just cheap.
Bill Henning posted:I've heard complaints about the Roadway for years but we've never had problems, always been adequate for our needs, clean and inexpensive (compared to many others). Or maybe I'm just cheap.
Judging by the spread you put out at your open houses I certainly wouldn't call you cheap! 
-Greg
FYI - there’s a brand new LaQuinta which just opened in May off of 30 on Kenneth Road very close to the Quaker Steak & Lube and Ruby Tuesdays.
Bill
Yep . Right behind the Best Western.
-Greg
WftTrains posted:FYI - there’s a brand new LaQuinta which just opened in May off of 30 on Kenneth Road very close to the Quaker State & Lube and Ruby Tuesdays..
Bill
I stayed at one in Ft. Lauderdale...very nice. Like all the other places, they jack their prices up for the York train meet...about $150. compared to the usual $89.
Bill Henning posted:I've heard complaints about the Roadway for years but we've never had problems, always been adequate for our needs, clean and inexpensive (compared to many others). Or maybe I'm just cheap.
I stayed at the Rodeway once and my only complaint was that the hookers were too loud when negotiating their transactions. I can't comment on the rates they were charging.
Other than that, it was fine.
(Cough.) Just kidding.
I'm cheap, and not much bothers me, but I found that place to be a little on the frightening side. YMMV.
SJS
Have you considered camping at the fairgrounds? I paid $40 for the whole meet about a year and a half ago, (I think it's up to $50 now), and I pitched a tent. If you come prepared for the elements, it's not a bad way to do it (and it saves money for more trains).
Just make sure you bring quarters for the shower, as well as extra blankets (we had snow the Spring I did it).
I could never camp out for the York Meet. Worrying about precipitation would make me feel kind of .... tense.
When I was there I will always "ran" where the people are camping. Because it was past tents.
I've been camping on the grounds with my brother (he has a pop-up camper trailer) for the last two years and it has been nice except for one windy night. The fairgrounds are so peaceful at night and in the mornings around sunrise. And even at $50, it works out to $8.33 a day per person for us. Hard to beat that!
When I was just coming by myself, I stayed at the Super 8 off of 83 in Etters (about 11 miles from the fairgrounds). It was always adequate for my needs, and it was $20-$30 a night cheaper than anything in York, and I have a card that can get me free nights there every once in a while.
Andy
Been doing a fair amount af traveling and found a really different way to do things, Air BnB. Every place is different, some better than others. Usually easy to get last minute spots when free style traveling. Frequently right in the middle of what we are doing and always about $75 +/-.
Sometimes it is a spare bedroom with full kitchen privileges, sometimes a former in law quarters.
May not be your cup of tea but some others might like to try it. In the York, Lancaster area you can find free standing mom and pop one room only BNB not affilliated with Air BnB that charge in the same range.
