Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
67
Tips
Reser vation Tips
Many hotels provide you with a booking reference number. Upon request, hotels
send you written confirmation of your reservation by fax, e-mail, or snail mail.
Keep this paperwork handy, as it will be helpful if y ou decide to modify your
plans. If you do cancel a reservation, request a cancellation number. This is very
important, especially if you made your reservation with a credit card.
the heavy concentration of tourists has its
drawbacks, such as o verpriced, mediocr e
food). F or mor e information about the
lodging merits of each neighborhood, refer
to the “N eighborhoods in B rief” section
of chapter 3.
To get the most bang for y our buck at
any price point, timing helps. If your dates
are flexible, you may benefit from reduced
hotel rates. Downtown hotels are cheapest
on weekends, whereas the opposite is usu-
ally tr ue in the M arina and F isherman's
Wharf. During conventions, Union Square
and SoMa hotel rates jump, but you could
luck out if a hotel hasn't managed to sell all
of its r ooms. I t may be willing to offer
steep discounts. Another option is to look
into hotels off the beaten track, such as in
Japantown or Laurel Heights.
Whereas do wntown hotel prices don 't
vary much with the seasons, M arina and
Fisherman's Wharf rates climb in the sum-
mer. Given the summertime fog, the price
increase has less to do with the best time to
visit San Francisco than with when most
families take their v acations. I f y ou buck
the tr end and come in the late winter
interconnecting rooms. Just be alert: Many
hotels throw a pullout sofa into an extra-
big room and call it a “junior suite.” If you
want separate r ooms, make sur e that 's
what you're getting.
RESERVATION SER VICES
S an Fran-
cisco R eservations (
&
800/677-1570
or
510/628-4450; www .hotelres.com) is a
Bay Area company with a local call center.
This no-fee service has access to hundr eds
of B ay Ar ea hotels, a w ell designed w eb-
site, and accurate descriptions. O nline
resources for ex cellent rates include www .
placestostay.com and www.hotels.com.
If y ou plan a longer visit, consider
bucking the hotel options altogether and
lodge in a house or apar tment. Agencies
offer furnished apar tments for stays as
brief as 4 nights, and some I nternet sites
offer home ex changes with families in
other cities and countries. I've listed some
of these agencies and sites belo w.
American M arketing S ystems
(www .
amsires.com) and
Executive Suites
(www.
executivesuites-sf.com) offer furnished
4
apartment rentals for stays of a few days or
more, although rates can be high.Vacation
rentals in houses, apar tments, or condos
by the night, week, or month can be found
through
Vacation R entals.com
(www .
vacationrentals.com) or
Home Away.com
(www.homeaway.com). To research house
exchanges, check out
Homelink Interna-
tional
(www.homelink.org),
Home B ase
Holidays
(www.homebase-hols.com), and
International Home Exchange Network
(www.homexchange.com).
,
you'll save money.
The cheapest rooming option is usually
one room with two queen-size beds. (
Note:
Some downtown hotels have small rooms,
and so hav e two double beds in place of
queen-size beds.) With little ones, that
could mean lights out w ell befor e mom
and dad are ready to pack it in. If that's the
case, or if y ou hav e older kids who need
their space, the next best option is a suite,
which tends to r
un cheaper than two
