March USA SC run - Hotel advice wanted

[reductionist]

I'm going to the USA for work in March 2011 and have set aside some time to do a SC run. The cities I will have overnight stop-overs in no particular order are:

LAX (x2)
MIA
ORD
EWR
SFO
AUS

My current thinking is that I'd like to get hotel accommodation at the above airports. This is because most of my flights are very early in the morning and I'd like to minimise the chance I will be delayed for the first flight of the day.

I have also tried to allow enough time so that I could catch a cab/transport to the downtown (or some other interesting) area in each city and take in the sights for a few hours before heading back to the hotel.

What do you guys think about this? Is staying close the airport a bad idea for any reason?

Secondly, is it worth signing up to some sort of loyalty program for this many stop overs? Or should I just find the best cheapest deal in each city? I don't do many hotel stays outside of this annual trip. I guess I'm looking for a 3 or 4 star type deal.

 

[blueflamenco]

I would recommend signing up for the Hilton Honors program. You then have a choice of hotels to suit (Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Doubletree etc).

Heading downtown from the airport can be a pain in some places but personally I would rather stay at the airport and not have to deal with getting there early in the morning as you mentioned. SFO is one I am most familiar with staying out at the airport and heading in to the city. From the airport Hampton it's a 10-15 minute walk to the Caltrain station which takes you right downtown with frequent services throughout the day.

Have a great time!

 

[serfty]

Hilton family hotels can be quite inexpensive and have a good presence around airports. Just about all airport hotels offer a complimentary shuttle service.

You can get good discounts and, with four stays, Hilton Gold (Min. free breakfast and internet until Feb 2013) using the MVP promotion. (http://www.australianfrequentflyer..../hilton-hhonors-mvp-programme-fast-23171.html)

 

[reductionist]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll check out the Hilton loyalty program.

 

[drron]

Although Hilton family hotels can be reasonable they are certainly not the cheapest.On this last trip at LAX we stayed at the Radisson-we have previously used the Hilton,Sheraton and a HGI.The Radisson we felt was the best of these and cheaper.Their rates usually include breakfast and wifi is complimentary.So you basically get everything an Hhonors gold gets anyway.
We only joined up to their Goldpoints program as there was virtually nothing else where we were going in Norway.Our stop at LAX was free as they had a stop twice get a free night promo.Also the points can be transferred to airline miles and there are bonuses for booking online.Certainly not the greatest loyalty scheme but with their prices in the US may be worth considering.

 

[davis3692]

I think you did the right thing in booking a room in the Las Vegas. It will be an easy walk to Las Vegas Pool Parties to see the parades.