<p>Bump for new parents. Are there any additions or revisions to this list?</p>
<p>For those who like to collect Choicehotels.com points via the Choice Privileges program, and who may need at least Queen size beds (my husband and sons are too tall for the doubles), then the Comfort Suites (mentioned above) has worked out to be a nice place, even if close to the freeway. We found it quiet and clean, and if you are a Choice Privileges member, you can buy your rooms in advance and save even more money (usually around $20 a night.) It will be our choice from this point on. We drive from Florida, so we stop at a Comfort Suites in Opelika - Auburn Country - where they have been very nice despite all of the Alabama red we are wearing - and then we head to Tuscaloosa. The points do add up, and getting free rooms every once in a while is fun.</p>
<p>My husband and son did stay at the Rodeway Inn in Tuscaloosa on one recent trip, just to try out something different and something cheaper (about $25 a night cheaper than Comfort Suites) , and they did like that the queen suite is a lot larger than the rooms at Comfort Suite, with each queen bed in its own designated area within the same room. But other than that, they did not really care for it, and they are not that picky. They would stay there again, but would prefer to stay at the Comfort Suites.</p>
<p>Wait, do we have to get a room for hotel when we go to BAMA orientation?
Mine is for honors college so I have to stay there for two weekss…</p>
<p>@paul2752, for the two-day orientation, you should only need a place to stay for one night, and students are encouraged to stay in the dorms for that one night, though you could stay in a hotel. Are you going for a special program that requires you to be there for two weeks?</p>
<p>"Wait, do we have to get a room for hotel when we go to BAMA orientation?
Mine is for honors college so I have to stay there for two weekss…’</p>
<p>Not two weeks, two days (one night). For students, I think the cost of orientation includes one night stay in the dorm. If you need to stay a second night (which you probably do), then it’s an extra cost (about $25, I think).</p>
<p>You would need the extra night, the night before Day 1.</p>
<p>which bb did you sign up for?</p>
<p>LOL DID I SAY TWO WEEKS? AHAHAAH. Thanks m2ck. How much does the orientation cost?(idk if its in school website) I didn’t sign up for yet but there is BB for honors on late July, which I will go.</p>
<p>If you and your mom have moved to tuscaloosa by that point, then you’ll only need one night. </p>
<p>" The basic orientation registration fee is $120 for freshmen and $80 for transfer students. This fee includes testing, academic advising, materials, services, and funds for dining at an on-campus dining facility.</p>
<p>Payment for Orientation is required at the time of registration and is a non-refundable fee.
"</p>
<p><a href=“http://orientation.ua.edu/about/”>http://orientation.ua.edu/about/</a></p>
<p>FYI (for ya’lls information): ALL the hotels triple or quadruple their rates for football weekends. If you want cheaper rates, you’ll have to stay in Birmingham…and not the Bessemer exit with several hotels. </p>
<p>testing??? what testing >?></p>
<p>Not everyone has to take tests. You’ll be coming in with AP credits in a number of subjects. do you have AP calc? if so, then you wont take the math test. you will have spanish credits, so you wont take that test.</p>
<p>I finished calc last yera</p>
<p>I want to share something about Wingate. I like that property, and have always enjoyed my stays there. I had a booking for move-out, however, which I needed to cancel this morning. There is no way to do this other than to call them. This normally would not be a problem…except after 15 or 20 rings (no answer), I was transferred to someone obviously out of the country (call center)…and they re-asked me for my credit card # in order to cancel…and then I had to endure multiple attempts by the call center to sell me additional dates, services, rental cars, vacations, and free nights…jeesh. All I wanted to do was cancel my booking. They said they would send me an email confirmation detailing my cancellation (which they did). But I am somewhat suspicious of having to give out credit card info over the phone to call centers. And, annoyed of the hoops I had to jump thru…</p>
<p>Has anyone tried the EconoLodge in Northport? Since we come to T-town through Northport, we thought this might be a reasonable alternative. Any thoughts? Thanks.</p>
<p>I’ve had a kid at Bama since 2001, hotels are hard to find and are expensive. Not of them yet has been worth the price we paid. Keep in mind what happens to these hotels on Game Day. There’s a ton of wild and craziness going on everywhere. If you don’t mind driving 40 or so miles, stay in Hoover, it’s not quite Birmingham and there a nice Holiday Inn Express right off the exit.</p>
<p>Stayed at Wingate by Windham for Bama Bound last week. Got the room on hotwire.com and was pleasantly surprised. The rooms are nice, the staff friendly and the free morning breakfast good. Get there early if you want the free waffles. My only complaint is the pool water, it left a slight odor on my swim trunks. My guess is that it isn’t regularly treated so I would advise not going in the pool. Otherwise its a great place at a reasonable price.</p>
<p>^ I also stayed at the Wingate for Bama Bound and loved it, great deal on hotels.com for 2 nights. Can’t comment on pool water as I didn’t use it, but the breakfast with free waffles in the morning was great. Staff very friendly.</p>