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SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22

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SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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Hello I am looking for hotels close to downtown if possiable. Most Hotels downtown look all booked for tha time frame. Rre there good hotels you could recomend for Austin during SXSW 3/18 - 3/22 that I could ride a taxi from downtown and back that wont cost me a arm or a leg ?? any good ones yo ucould recmend that are resoanlble proces and are decent ? dfrom 110. --- 145.00 cost. also what are good parts of town ? I have Never been to Austin Tx any help would be great. I relealize I waited too long on looking for hotels. I didnt know registration was so soon. I mainly want to just go see shows and good places to eat or clubs?

Can you get a hotels room first then register ?

Austin, Texas
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1. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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I've done some reasearch and it looks like everything remotely close to downtown is already booked. Generally, the downtown hotels book up almost a year in advance for SXSW, but you can sometimes find hotels outside of downtown, but still close, that will require a cab ride. I couldn't even find any of those with rooms at this point. If there is availability, it will likely be more than $145 a night and the cab ride will cost you. Your best bet at this point, may be to try Craigslist for rooms being rented.

You should know, that if you haven't already registered, a badge for just the music portion of the festival is going for $625 now through January 16 and will go up from there. You can certainly come to Austin without a badge and just try to hit the free and public shows, which is a popular thing to do, but you are not guaranteed admission to any of the venues.

Austin
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2. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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You could try B&Bs, although the two I looked into are expensive or booked (or both). I'm familiar with some of these since my hubby puts up people for work in them. (Editorial comment: Yikes, they really do raise their rates for SXSW!)

But many are centrally located, usually in the West Campus area. This would allow you to take the bus (usually the #1) to events.

B&Bs: Star of Texas Inn (and sister inn), 1110 Carriage House Inn, Austin's Inn at Pearl Street, Mansion at Judge's Hill (although sorta snobby). I know I've missed some.

Austin, TX
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3. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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Extended Stay Austin Southwest has rooms available. It's a little bit out of the way but the prices for those dates were $79.00 on Orbitz...reasonably new hotel with kitchenette. You could save a bit on food and have money for taxi cost...about $25 each way to downtown.

San Antonio, TX
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for San Antonio
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4. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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There are certainly more music available than you can see even if you haven't registered for the conference itself. There are tons of free showcases during the day. Some sponsored by venues, some by labels, some by magazines, some just by people who love music. The evenings events that are free if you have a wristband are accessible for a cover charge to non-registered folks.

I would jump on any place to stay that's under $100 and rent a car. We drive up from San Antonio and stay with my sister-in-law on the far north side so we have to drive into the city each day. Parking is a pain, but we usually manage to find a spot and hit venues nearby, moving the car once or twice a day. If your driving you obviously have to limit the amount of adult beverages consumed.

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5. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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Thank you all for the responses. I dug a bit and found a Crowne Plaza Hotel to stay at a bit more expensive then I like but Figured it was as close to Downtown Austi nI could get and make Cab rides cheap.

Austin TX
2 posts
6. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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http://www.southbywristbands.com will be offering wristband & hotel packages in mid-January. They're not downtown hotels, but they're reasonably priced. SXSW contracts the lowest rates at their hotels.

http://www.sxsw.com/hotels for a list of hotels they book

Also, SXSW will be selling a transportation wristband through R&R Limo and Bus for $30 and it will be good for shuttle service to downtown in the daytime (once an hour at all SXSW hotels) and shuttle back to the hotels from 11pm-3am. Cabs are a NIGHTMARE, I'm telling you now. This shuttle will totally be worth it.

Hope that helps!

Austin TX
2 posts
7. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22
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Oh, forgot to add, the info about the SXSW hotel shuttle will be here http://www.sxsw.com/getting_around in the next week or 2. :)

8. Re: SXSW 2009 Hotels during Music festival 3/18 - 3/22

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