Alright folks, let me tell you about my little adventure trying to find some decent hotels near the Reds stadium in Cincinnati. It wasn’t as straightforward as I thought it would be, but hey, that’s why I’m sharing – so you don’t have to stumble around like I did!
First off, I started with the obvious: Google. I typed in “cincinnati hotels near reds stadium” and bam! A million results. But here’s the thing, a lot of those results were… well, let’s just say they stretched the definition of “near.” Plus, the reviews were all over the place. One place looked great in the pictures, but the comments were full of people complaining about noise and outdated rooms. No thanks!
So, I decided to get a bit more strategic. I figured I’d narrow down the search by focusing on specific areas. I knew the downtown area was close, so I searched for hotels specifically in downtown Cincinnati. That helped filter out some of the more far-flung options. I also started looking at hotels along the riverfront, figuring those would be in prime location for both the stadium and the views.
Next up, I jumped over to some of the big hotel booking sites. You know, the ones that promise the “best deals” and “lowest prices.” I cross-referenced what I found on Google Maps with the hotel booking sites, paying close attention to the distance to the stadium. I used the “walking directions” feature in Google Maps to get a realistic sense of how long it would take to walk. Don’t trust those “as the crow flies” distances!
Here’s where the real digging began. I started reading reviews… lots and lots of reviews. I’m talking about sifting through hundreds of comments on TripAdvisor, *, and even Google Reviews. I was looking for patterns. Were people consistently complaining about the same things? Did the hotel management respond to negative reviews? That’s always a good sign, showing they actually care.
I also paid attention to the dates of the reviews. A glowing review from five years ago doesn’t mean much. I wanted to see what people were saying recently. And I tried to read between the lines. Someone complaining about “thin walls” probably means it’s noisy. Someone mentioning “limited parking” means you might have a hassle finding a spot, or you’ll be paying through the nose for it.
Pro tip: Don’t just look at the overall rating. A hotel with a 4.0 rating might have a ton of 5-star reviews and a handful of really bad 1-star reviews. Dig into those 1-star reviews and see if the issues are deal-breakers for you.
After all that research, I narrowed it down to a few contenders. Then, I checked the hotel’s own website directly. Sometimes, you can find better deals or special packages by booking directly through the hotel rather than a third-party site. Plus, you can often get a better sense of the hotel’s vibe from their own website.
Finally, I made a decision and booked! I ended up going with a hotel right on the riverfront. It was a bit pricier than some of the other options, but the reviews were consistently good, and the location couldn’t be beat. Plus, I figured the view would be worth the extra money.
So, that’s the story of my Cincinnati hotel search. It took a bit of time and effort, but I’m confident I found a great place to stay. Hopefully, my experience will help you find the perfect hotel for your trip too!
