<p>My parents are coming to the parents Orientation Weekend so they are looking for where to stay. They (we) have never been in Boston before and Money is a problem. I know that it is probably too late but do you know where they can stay for a less-90-dollars-per-night room? I have been looking for the Hotels that MIT recommends but they are at least $150 per night. What if they stay in Boston? How good and understandable is the public transportation to move in Boston and get to MIT? What part of Boston is near to MIT?
They have also considered Bed and Breakfast places, what do you know about them? How clean/comfortable are them? What should they look for in a B&B?
Finally, do you know if there will be special events for non-English speaking parents?</p>
<p>It seems I have quite a big problem here, so any help is mostly welcomed.</p>
<p>I am trying to book lodging accomodations as well. I would prefer to stay in a facility with a small kitchenette as we will have three children with us. If anyone can recommend good neighboring towns (10 - 15 miles max from campus) it would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Based on a quick hotels.com search, I think it's going to be really difficult to find a room for less than $90 per night unless your parents will have access to a car -- all of the stuff that's really accessible by public transportation seems to start closer to $115-125/night.</p>
<p>On Orbitz, there is a hotel in Braintree for $85/night, and it looks like it's somewhat close (0.3 mi) from the Braintree Red Line station -- they could just get on the train and come straight to MIT, no train switching involved. It is a long subway ride, though.</p>
<p>Anything in Boston proper will be close to MIT -- Boston's not a very big city, area-wise. :)</p>
<p>hsmom, you might look in towns like Newton or Waltham. Lexington and Concord would be good too.</p>
<p>Braintree is a good alternative but you will have some walking to do. We have experienced this problem many times on visits to the city. It is almost impossible to find a room <$100/ night that has good access to public transportation. With a car there are reasonable alternatives but car rental is not cheap at Logan. I feel the best choice for a visit to MIT is take the discount at the MIT area hotels and skip the car. To be on campus hassle free is worth the extra money in my opinion. The outlying towns and public transportation will cost you a lot of time that could be spent enjoying the on campus program.</p>
<p>My parents don't agree, however, and insist on staying at cheap hotels which are really inconvenient to public transportation. Man, I could give you a list of hotels that aren't convenient to campus... <em>eyeroll</em></p>
<p>Mollie, my parents are exactly the same way... apparently being frugal is worth the hassle. For some reason or other, I didn't inherit those traits.</p>
<p>I agree with akdaddy ~ it is really nice to be able to stay close to MIT's campus, and be able to walk around the campus at all hours to get an accurate feel for the campus and the students, and have ready access to your student/kid. The hotels in the whole area seem to be more expensive than in most parts of the country though, that is definitely a problem. During cpw, I stayed at the Cambridge Marriott, which is in a wonderful location, right across the street from the Kendall station (subway stop), close to good and quick food, and a very enjoyable short walk to campus. If your parents take a red eye flight late at night when they leave Boston, they could check out of their room by noon and leave their bags at the front desk-- they were very nice at the Marriott, letting us leave our bags checked in with the porter in a locked room so we could come back and get them in the evening (we had checked out that morning) before we flew home. That would be one way to have an extra day without the additional overnight charge. Also, I agree with akdaddy on not renting a car ~ driving around the Boston area looks painful, plus, I absolutely love the subway ~ coming from a part of the country without good mass transit, I really appreciate the T. Your parents would take the silver line from the airport to the red line, and then take the red line to Kendall station, if they end up staying close to campus. Also, make sure they bring wheeled luggage, that will make riding the subway with luggage much easier. The Hotel at MIT would probably also let them keep their bags checked in safely after they check out. I will probably stay there the next time I visit MIT. I notice that their prices are different, depending on which website you search--I have seen their prices as low as $129 before--you could try emailing or calling them directly to find out their best rates. My only complaint about the Marriott is that the windows in the room didn't open, and I couldn't get any fresh air, and I woke up with headaches. Oh - another thought, a mom I met at cpw from Oregon was staying in Boston at a B & B that was affiliated with her church, and I think that was costing her less than $85 per night. If your parents belong to a church or other large organization, they might check to see if they have any affiliated B & B's or reasonably priced overnight options in the Boston/Cambridge area.</p>
<p>uhh my mom showed me something in the parent orientation booklet we got that said there's a special deal with the marriott... forgot how much.. less than $200 for 3 nights though (why has no one mentioned this?!).</p>
<p>My husband and I stayed in Waltham on one of our trips. We had a car, so were not at the mercy of public transportation. But the money we saved (especially after considering the cost of the rental car) was not worth the hassle. Now, I might feel differently if I was part of the family with 3 younger kids who wants an apartment type arrangement. Presumably there will be additional savings on food. There's a Residence Inn in Cambridge with suites.</p>
<p>B&Bs in Boston are probably great, but don't expect any great bargains. The area immediately around MIT is just expensive.</p>
<p>Less than $200 for 3 nights at the Marriott would be a great deal, but someone should confirm that. There was a discount there for orientation last year, but it was still over $100 per night.</p>
<p>Parents info for Orientation is here. The Cambridge Marriott special MIT rate for that weekend is $149 / night. If there are rooms available, I try to use the hotel@MIT when I visit; they have an MIT discount and are listed on the Admissions website as a "preferred vendor", but you have to call and ask for the discount. (And it doesn't bring the rate to $149, if I remember right.) I love the hotel@MIT, the staff and facilities can't be beat.</p>
<p>Don't forget the hassle of parking a rental car around MIT, if you should choose to rent a car and stay further out. The convenience of being right there near campus and public transit, and not having a car to mess with, may even out the difference in hotel costs. Remember that it is <em>EASY</em> to get to MIT from Logan Airport by public transit (often faster than by car or taxi!) so at least consider the alternatives.</p>
<p>going back to the OP, I noticed that the parents are non-English speakers. That would be even more reason to try to stay at someplace like the Marriott or Hotel@MIT that is within walking distance rather than trying to save a few bucks and having to deal with driving/parking or with public transportation. You can always scrimp someplace else, like getting food from Stars Market or Verde's instead of eating at restaurants. Or if the parents are arriving the night before Orientation starts, they could spend that night at a cheaper hotel near the airport and then move to a more expensive hotel close to campus when Orientation actually starts.</p>
<p>Eek, my mistake (figures it was too good to be true...).
I suppose there'd be nothing available for parents of really low income, huh? (eh, worth a shot)</p>
<p>I suggest the Midtown Hotel in Boston. You can walk to MIT from there (a long walk but doable) and it also also very close to the T (subway). Parking is included.</p>
<p>Try Hotwire. You won't really know the exact name of the place you're staying at (though you could guess from the amenities list), but you'll get a lower price.</p>
<p>also Priceline. We got a great deal through them at the Doubletree the last time we visited MIT (it's across the river from campus). I don't remember exactly what we paid, but it was less than $100 per night. Of course, that was not during any special time when there would be a lot of people on the same week-end. But still worth a try. You can designate Cambridge + Brookline as the area, so there's no danger of ended up too far away.</p>
<p>Thanks Mollie for the neighboring towns. Two of my children have food allergies so I am trying to locate a hotel that has a small kitchenette so I can give them a decent breakfast and fix them a snack to carry with them during the day. A quick trip to Trader Joe's and they will be able to eat with not much difficulty at all. I will look at Waltham. My husband has been there for business and I know they have a pretty decent extended stay hotel there. We will be driving up there so we should be alright. However, I will keep my eye out for options closer to campus. Who knows? Maybe I will luck out and find something that will work a little closer to campus.</p>
<p>I don't know what the price of B&Bs is in Boston, but I'm working in Switzerland for the summer and living in a B&B for 250 CHF (about $200) per week, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than any hotel in the area, and it's quite nice. If you can find a similar option in Boston, and staying in a typical Boston hotel would be a financial hardship, a B&B might be a good idea.</p>
<p>There are some nice "Business Residence" (Brownstones and the like) for around $100 per night (no amenities or parking at most and also no breakfast). I stayed at a nice one on Commonwealth Ave a couple blocks south of Mass. Ave (15 minute walk from MIT). It was handy to the convention center and Newbury Street, etc. shopping. Sorry...don't remember the name of it.</p>