Here is the list of quotes Dave and I obtained for the
2016 Gathering scheduled for July 13th through the 17th in Tacoma. They are ranked by cost, the most expensive first. I have included a bit of commentary on each, Daveo76 and anyone else who has any thoughts or experience with any of the facilities please chime in !!
1. Best Western Plus - Wesley Inn Gig Harbor $209 per night plus tax. Originally my first choice for hotel quality, small town feel, parking and outdoor area, I think this one is off the chart because of price. Four nights including taxes, meals and misc. expenses is going to be too expensive for most people.
2. Marriott Courtyard - Downtown Tacoma $179 per night plus tax. This is a great hotel in downtown Tacoma with a definite urban vibe. I stayed there a couple of times six years ago while interviewing. Stella and I drove by the other day and I was very impressed how much the downtown area has improved in the past six years. Parking is my only concern, but in their reply to Daveo76 they stated that perhaps something could be worked out with the Tacoma Convention Center which is right across the street. I doubt if that will be included in the nightly cost but this could be a serious contender.
3. Hampton Inn - Puyallup Fair Grounds $169 King/$152 Queen, both per night plus tax. This hotel is located across the street from the WA. State Fair Grounds. It is host to the Chev/Corvette Swap Meet in Feb. and the Good Guys Rod and Custom Show the end of July next year. Puyallup is a very busy suburban area with lots of street traffic but I don't think security would be an issue. Looks like they have outdoor parking and they may have trailer options based on what they do for the GG's show.
4. Best Western - Tacoma Dome $159 King/ $139 Queen, both per night plus tax. This hotel is located just south of the downtown right next to the Tacoma Dome and Le May Museum. It is a little older and that area of town gets a bit sketchier at night. The manager told me they host a lot of car events but definitely wanted the cars parked in their secure parking garage overnight. There is a small employee parking lot on the backside that could be used for trailers, but otherwise it's on-street parking. For the price, I think we can do better.
5. The Inn at Gig Harbor - Gig Harbor $149 per night plus tax. This was my original second choice because of security and the small town feel. Great hotel, restaurant and I believe bar. Parking is a bit of a concern and there is no real outdoor space. As stated before, the manager said they could work us to block off an area for our cars and there are a few adjacent properties that may be trailer options. Full disclosure: this location is across the Tacoma Narrows bridge which has a $6-$7 toll each time you cross back over to Tacoma.
6. Hampton Inn - DuPont $149 King/$139 Queen per night plus tax. I don't know much about this hotel other than it's along the I5 corridor south of Joint Base Lewis-McCord, about half way between Tacoma and Olympia. I've never been disappointed by a Hampton Inn. If we're interested I could drive down to check it out in person. DuPont has seen a lot of growth and I believe this hotel is at an exit where there has been a lot of new building and newer restaurants. There is also one more Hampton Inn along I5 near the Tacoma Mall but I took it off the list because of night time security concerns.
7. Holiday Inn Express - Downtown Tacoma $134 per night plus tax. This looks to be a very nice, new hotel. It is about 6 blocks south of the downtown Marriott and the Convention Center. Right now it is on the edge of the urban renewal with some older warehouses nearby. A secure parking ramp is built right into the facility, but we might have to get creative with trailer parking. For the price this one may be a great option. Thanks to Daveo76 for finding this one, I didn't even know it was there.
8. Extended Stay - Fife $99 per night plus tax. Unfortunately this was another one where the price goes up when you ask for a group rate. It is a decent hotel for the relative price. As Johnu stated no amenities and the rooms are pretty basic. They have given the place a coat of paint and upgraded carpets/decor a bit since I stayed there 6 years ago. They have a decent size parking lot and security was not a concern when I stay there. The manager did state they had some issues last summer so they have a security company driving through the lot at night but she wasn't sure how long that would continue. For the money it's not a bad alternative and perhaps an option for a few folks that don't want to spend the extra $$. One concern if this is going to be our base camp, the quote they gave me was only good for two days and they could only book a block of 19 rooms. Full disclosure, one more time - they offer smoking rooms on the third floor so the lobby, outdoors near the lobby and the first floor were a bit musty.
9. Westwynd Motel - Purdy $75-$90 per night plus tax. As originally described, this hotel is about 5 miles north of Gig Harbor and I was being very kind when I used the term "Rustic". Pretty old and has a number of long term "guests". This place was completely booked last year when the US Open was in town, I can only imagine the looks on a few peoples faces when they checked in. The only reason this one is on the list is price and someone had to be at the bottom. On the plus side there is a popular bar, probably a 6 on the redneck scale, right next door that you could crawl home from !!
For those of you thinking about the campin' thing, the only place I can recommend is Gig Harbor RV Resort. Don't think they allow tents but its one of the nicer places in the area. Don't know about rates but check on reservations early !! Summer is prime time RV weather up here and and this place books up quick. For other options I recommend RVparkreviews.com. Stella and I use this site for reviews across the country and it is one of the few sites we trust when we're traveling in the MH.
So let's hear it !! Which hotel trips your trigger. I can get more info if we get it down to the top one or two. For those of you checking the special internet rates, I've found that's an option for one or two rooms but nobody is willing to match rates on any block of rooms.
Dave - thanks for all of your help, feel free to pop in anything I've missed.
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John Sigmund
valkman57@sbcglobal.net
NCRS Member 61302
NW NCRS Chapter Member
Duct tape is the new Black !!
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Now I can concentrate on the real issue like if I still have the 76 should I haul it down and drive it or take my ever faithful 92 and drive as usual.
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