<p>Can you recommend any affordable places for parents to stay on move-in day?</p>
<p>I can only account for my friend’s parents two years ago when he started H. They stayed at an affordable hotel nearby. And his family is economical, so that is problably the way to go about it.</p>
<p>The hotels closest to Harvard (The Charles, The Inn at Harvard, The Harvard Square Hotel) are very expensive, especially during move in and commencement.</p>
<p>Will you have a car? If so, there are a lot of far more affordable hotel options within 15 minutes from Harvard. Hotels in Newton, by the airport, and in Medford are all within comfortable driving distance. (Tip - You’ll want to drive when you’re actually moving your stuff into your dorm. But if you just want to visit campus, your best bet is to park at the Alewife station and take the subway to Harvard square).</p>
<p>If you don’t have a car, you could take a look at some of the B&Bs in the area (my parents like the Irving House). There are also some hotels that are less convenient than the ones I mentioned above, but not too far from the square. Hotels by MIT (in Kendall Square), in downtown boston, or on Soldiers Field Road in Allston would all be fine.</p>
<p>The Harvard Club of Boston, 3 miles down Mass Ave. by bus, offers special rates for parents. Call them at (617) 536-1260 and ask - two years ago, it was $169 / night (which is a deal for Boston!), but they also have single “transient” rooms that share a hall bath for about $100 / night. We stayed at the Omni Parker House in Boston for about $130 / night in March by making a non-refundable payment online,m 14 days in advance.</p>
<p>“Naming your own price” at Priceline.com can be another great way to get affordable rates, especially in downtown Boston.</p>
<p>Cambridge is fairly expensive. I’ve stayed in Irving House and found it quite comfortable. There are other B & B’s in Cambridge. </p>
<p>You can stay in a hotel in the Back Bay (there are quite a few good hotels with a surprisingly wide range of rates, often available, as just<em>forget</em>me points out, on Priceline, in/near Copley Square). Access back and forth from Harvard Square can be very quick - a straight shot up Mass Ave. If you need a car you can rent one for just the day and thus try to avoid the complete hassle of trying to park in Cambridge. Back when I used to live there I used to joke that they should just hand out parking tickets at the edges of the city, to spare everyone the trouble.</p>
<p>Another way to go is to fly into Logan, rent a car, and stay at a hotel a little further out, such as in Newton, Waltham, Woburn, near route 128. </p>
<p>If my DD chooses Harvard (she is waiting until after the visiting days to decide), I would at least for the first time around choose to stay closer in, for the move-in days.</p>
<p>If you have a car, try Hotwire. I’ve gotten great rates at close to $100 (plus parking) at 3 star and 4 star hotels in Cambridge.</p>
<p>Stay at the Staybridge Suites in Burlington, MA. $79 for a one bedroom suite (mini kitchen), and that includes a complimentary breakfast and free parking. It is about 10 miles from Cambridge, but count on about 45 minutes to drive during rush hour. I’ve stayed there twice now while visiting Harvard.</p>
<p>Hey, thanks everyone!</p>
<p>Well, im not sure if we’ll have a car… but would there be any public transport to and from these places??</p>
<p>If you’re coming for move-in day, a car will be very useful. You’ll need to bring stuff and probably will need to do a few errands as well.</p>
<p>Without a car you might want to consider Le Meridian Cambridge. It’s on the fringe of the MIT campus and a quick walk to the Red Line; about a mile to Harvard Square. I’ve seen prices under $125, which is quite affordable in Boston/Cambridge.</p>
<p>We have also stayed at Best Western Hotel Tria which is a short walk from the Alewife station.</p>