Planning my Mississippi Coliseum trip got me stressing – needed a hotel close, decent price, and no sketchy areas. Started simple: popped open my maps app, typed “Mississippi Coliseum”, and zoomed in looking for hotel icons nearby. Holy cow, dots everywhere! But which ones actually sucked less? Felt overwhelmed fast.
Step 1: Got Real About Walking Distance
At first, I thought, “Man, I’ll just walk!” Zoomed way in. Saw the problem instantly – the coliseum isn’t nestled in a hotel zone. Anything “walkable” looked like crossing huge parking lots and busy roads, especially after a concert. Nixed that dream. Figured anything under 5 miles driving was okay, but closer was always better.
Step 2: Filter Frenzy on Booking Sites
Hopped onto a couple booking sites (not naming them, you know the drill). Plugged in my dates and the coliseum address. Key moves:
- Filtered by distance: Set max 5 miles out. Instant shorter list.
- Set my price max: Bam, axed those fancy suites I couldn’t afford anyway.
- Checked “Free Parking”: Crucial! Downtown parking near venues is a nightmare and a wallet killer. Hotels charging $30/night for parking? Hard pass.
Step 3: The Picture Problem & Review Detective Work
Okay, now I had like 8 options. Looked promising? Nope. Time to dig.
Scrolled the hotel pics first. Official pics are always shiny. Focused hard on:
- User photos of the rooms: Especially the carpets and bathrooms. Found one where the carpet looked suspiciously stained in guest pics… skipped.
- The dreaded bathroom close-ups: Chipped tile, weird mold spots? Big red flag.
Then hit the reviews. Searched specifically for “coliseum” in reviews. Goldmine!
- How far REALLY? People said things like “took 15 minutes to drive,” not just the website’s distance.
- Shuttle intel: A couple places mentioned free shuttles! Perfect. Added notes.
- Area vibes: Read stuff like “felt safe walking at night” or “parking lot looked sketch.” Real talk mattered.
Step 4: The Google Maps Recon
Chose 2 top contenders. Went back to Google Maps.
Did the “Street View Shuffle” around each hotel. One looked okay on the website, but street view showed a weirdly deserted area after 6 PM nearby. Felt off. The other? Busy-ish street, normal businesses, better vibe.
Also checked the drive during likely event times. Saw where potential traffic snags were.
Step 5: Final Call – Location vs. Perks
Down to two:
- Option A: Closest (1.5 miles), decent price, FREE PARKING!, no frills. Basic old room.
- Option B: Fancier (2 miles), pool, breakfast included, BUT parking cost extra ($22/night!).
Crunch time. Did the math: “Free breakfast” value minus parking cost? Almost broke even, and I could grab quick bites cheaper nearby anyway. Plus, arriving late after the event, a pool didn’t matter – just sleep. Went with Option A for the win: close, cheap, free parking, easy drive.
Stayed there. Drive to the Coliseum was 7 minutes, max. Parking was a breeze. Room was old but clean. Mission accomplished! Next time, I know exactly how to slice through the noise and snag a decent spot fast.
