<p>For UMass Amherst visit, would you stay at University Lodge in Amherst or one of the Route 9 hotels (chains) in Hadley? (Full disclosure: only one that has availability the weekend we hope to go are Econolodge (which TripAdvisor says is pretty good) and HoJo’s (which TripAdvisor says is pretty bad). Price comparable at both.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the University Lodge in Amherst more than Route 9/Hadley because it felt very New England-y and was well-appointed. No fancy lobby action but very comfortable and cozy. It’s away from the traffic of Route 9, but on the other hand if it’s important to you to get goods-and-services from a typical strip mall mile, then the Route 9 hotels in Hadley have that (and noise, traffic…). As I recall the University Lodge is tucked in a residential neighborhood so you do have to drive to get to a drug store or restaurant.</p>
<p>Having used both in a 4-year period, I preferred the Universtiy Lodge because it felt like Amherst, MA and not Everywhere USA. </p>
<p>If you use the Econolodge, check if they have a dance bar on premises; I think it was there I couldn’t sleep because of crazy noise right near my room, and I was stuck.</p>
<p>We also liked some of the Bed and Breakfasts in the area, some more than others.</p>
<p>I stayed at the Horace Kellogg Homestead Bed & Breakfast in Amherst a couple of years ago and was very happy there.</p>
<p>We usually stay at the Hampton Inn but it’s a little inconvenient to UMA. It is centrally located if you want to run into Northampton or down to the big mall in Holyoke. It’s quiet, very comfortable, they provide breakfast, internet and it is very, very clean.</p>
<p>Is the UMass Hotel an option? That should make logistics a lot easier.</p>
<p>p3t: No dance bar at Econolodge, phew. I too am more inclined to the Amherst location / feel of Univ Lodge than more generic route 9 hotels (there’s a Holiday Inn express too that now has availability), but worried about comments on TripAdvisor about Univ Lodge being home to many spiders, etc. Glad to know this wasn’t your experience.</p>
<p>jdsmom: tried ALL the bed and breakfasts in area, but no luck…all filled. Think there’s a Freshman Orientation going on weekend we’re going or something…</p>
<p>BCEagle: Hampton Inn is sold out, as in the UMass Hotel.</p>
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<p>We were planning on going there next Friday - I just checked. They’re sold out next weekend too. I think that we’re in the same boat that you’re in now. Are there a lot of freshmen orientations going on? Previous times, I just called the day before we were due to arrive and had no problems getting a room at the Hampton Inn.</p>
<p>It appears that the weekends, particularly Saturday night, are the problem. I guess we can go a few days before or a few days after. It just messes up my work schedule a bit. It appears that weekdays are not a problem at all - can you visit during the week?</p>
<p>No, unfortunately, can’t go midweek. Appears there are some tournaments going on as well (lacrosse / soccer).<br>
Should I disregard comments on TripAdvisor about Univ Lodge (spiders, tired, threadbare covers, etc.)? If we opt for the Rt 9 hotels, any appreciable difference btwn EconoLodge and Holiday Inn Express? (Just checked Marriott, also sold out).</p>
<p>I’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn Express there and found it to be quite satisfactory.</p>
<p>My mother and I stayed at Univ. Lodge last November for parent weekend. It is quite outdated, but it was clean, beds were comfortable, and it is very convenient. I would stay there again just for the convenience and not having the traffic on Hwy. 9. There is no wi-fi, but they have a computer in the lobby that we used to print out boarding passes. The town of Amherst actually has wi-fi, so if you are eating at any of the restaurants you can log on there. I have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Express which was nice and included breakfast.</p>
<p>We always stay at the Hampton Inn in Hadley but we were going out there one weekend that it was sold out and we looked at bed and breakfasts in the area. There were many cute places that were very reasonable. We never needed to take advantage of them because we called the Hampton Inn at the last minute and they had a cancellation.</p>
<p>Is weekend traffic on Rte. 9 bad? (into Amherst?)</p>
<p>A little OT, but make sure to have lunch at Judie’s if it is still there. Who knew that everything served on a popover could be so good?</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that I went through Hotwire when I stayed at the Univ. Lodge last November, and it was only $54 per night. It was the 2 star hotel in the Amherst/Hadley section. I know somebody else who purchased the 2 star as well at a different time, and it was also the Univ. Lodge.</p>
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<p>The Jehovah’s Witnesses convention is at the Mullins Center, University of Massachusetts.
Rt 9 will be a mess. Almost the worst of the year.</p>
<p>Big thanks for the heads up. I saw the signs for the JWs the last time we were there. A web page says that they will be there the 18-20 but I think that’s wrong as the hotel is mainly booked Saturday night. The number that they had was 5,600 people. There’s one this weekend in Spanish so that’s why it is so hard to book. I need to get exact dates. A convention like that will also stress restaurants, shopping centers, etc. Looks like something that I will definitely try to work around.</p>
<p>We’re in Amherst now - no problem with hotels. We did run into the JWs on the campus, all streaming out in a very long line of traffic. I’m glad we ran into this thread so that we could change our plans.</p>
<p>Thanks to all who posted with helpful suggestions and information. Thanks to a last minute cancellation, we ended up at the Marriott Courtyard in Hadley, literally a stone’s throw from Amherst. (Univ Lodge couldn’t guarantee non-smoking by time we booked). On the whole, very good service and nice rooms. Would stay again. Breakfast not included but not too pricey off the menu ($6-7 included hot entree, coffee, OJ). Also, we had a fabulous popover dinner at Judie’s. Thanks for the tip, fafnir605. Very much enjoyed Amherst and Northampton. Thanks again…</p>
<p>You’re welcome. We visited Amherst for D1 in 2000, and still talk about Judie’s. If you are ever in NYC, the Popover Cafe on 87th and Amsterdam is just as wonderful!</p>