Best Western O'donnell St Baltimore

[Laurab23]

I made reservations at this hotel for our Oct. cruise. Have heard good and bad about this hotel and now I am worried. I guess most of the issues are at the truck stop across the street from it. We plan to check in at the hotel and not venture out until the shuttle the next morning. 

We are 2 women in our 70's. Is it ok to stay there. Coming from the northeast and this looked like the easiest to drive to.

 

Laura

[princeton123211]

6 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

We plan to check in at the hotel and not venture out until the shuttle the next morning. 

We are 2 women in our 70's. Is it ok to stay there. Coming from the northeast and this looked like the easiest to drive to.

You are sort of on an island and not really in the most glamorous part of town (which sounds like it doesn't much make a difference given how you plan to use it). You certainly are not in any sort of a pedestrian area for dinner and walking towards a place like Fells Point could be dangerous (not that it sounds like you are planning to do that, but worth saying because parts of Baltimore are frankly not at all safe). 

 

If you are driving in and not planning on leaving the hotel at all, why not consider one of the budget friendly hotels at BWI? It will be a little bit more of a drive in the next day but not much and you can head right to the port to park. It will be a much safer area for both you and your car and there are hotel options which are newer than the Best Western. 

[Laurab23]

1 hour ago, princeton123211 said:

You are sort of on an island and not really in the most glamorous part of town (which sounds like it doesn't much make a difference given how you plan to use it). You certainly are not in any sort of a pedestrian area for dinner and walking towards a place like Fells Point could be dangerous (not that it sounds like you are planning to do that, but worth saying because parts of Baltimore are frankly not at all safe). 

 

If you are driving in and not planning on leaving the hotel at all, why not consider one of the budget friendly hotels at BWI? It will be a little bit more of a drive in the next day but not much and you can head right to the port to park. It will be a much safer area for both you and your car and there are hotel options which are newer than the Best Western. 

We are doing a cruise package where we can leave our car at the motel for 14 days and take the shuttle in.

 

[GTJ]

8 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

Have heard good and bad about this hotel and now I am worried. I guess most of the issues are at the truck stop across the street from it. We plan to check in at the hotel and not venture out until the shuttle the next morning. We are 2 women in our 70's. Is it ok to stay there.

Yes, I know this location. It is the former "Baltimore Travel Plaza," the intercity bus station for Baltimore that had been used primarily by Greyhound Lines and Peter Pan Bus Lines. I have been there many times while passing through as a bus passenger, and occasionally having boarded or alighted there. In fact, if you look at either Google satellite or street views, you can still see that on the west side of the hotel the elongated parking stalls that had been used as bus slips for the bus terminal. The location was chosen as a bus station in large part because of its easy access to and from the interstate highway, and at the time it was reasonably comfortable as a bus station. But its greatest drawbacks, as already noted, are its isolated location, including lack of many restaurants, along with subpar pedestrian and transit bus access. The station ceased being used for buses in early 2011 (the new Greyhound bus station, while closer to the city center, also has many of the same detriments of the Baltimore Travel Plaza), and I don't know the extent to which the hotel has been renovated, or if it still maintains its aura as a bus station.

[princeton123211]

1 hour ago, Laurab23 said:

We are doing a cruise package where we can leave our car at the motel for 14 days and take the shuttle in.

For what its worth I would not feel comfortable leaving my car in that part of town for 14 days in an open parking lot like that. It is fully exposed and there is no security fence.

[Laurab23]

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

For what its worth I would not feel comfortable leaving my car in that part of town for 14 days in an open parking lot like that. It is fully exposed and there is no security fence.

Thanks. Maybe I should look elsewhere for a hotel with a cruise package.

 

Laura

[GTJ]

5 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

For what its worth I would not feel comfortable leaving my car in that part of town for 14 days in an open parking lot like that. It is fully exposed and there is no security fence.

Perhaps more importantly, it would be important to examine the bailment contract . . . that is, the agreement that sets forth the hotel's liability in the case of damage or theft. (Alas, most motorists, I believe, simply accept the "parking ticket" given to them without a glace as to the terms inscribed there, at least not until there is damage or theft.) If the hotel advertises such service, it would be worthwhile to ask in advance for a copy of the contract.

[shipgeeks]

I have not used it myself, but I have seen mention of Trinity Reservations as a source of information re hotels in the area, and what amenities each provides.

[princeton123211]

9 hours ago, GTJ said:

Perhaps more importantly, it would be important to examine the bailment contract . . . that is, the agreement that sets forth the hotel's liability in the case of damage or theft.

Why would that matter though? Wouldn't your first concern be not putting your car in a spot that has a reasonable chance of it being vandalized to begin with? The goal here isn't to have your car be broken into but then know you have adequate legal recourse (which you typically don't in any parking contract anyway). 

 

I get that making sure the terms of parking are adequate but certainly not "more important..." than taking all the measures you can so your car doesn't get vandalized in the first place. 

[GTJ]

3 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

Wouldn't your first concern be not putting your car in a spot that has a reasonable chance of it being vandalized to begin with?

The conundrum is appreciated . . . if there is no vandalism, then liability for the vandalism that never happened is a moot issue! And in most cases these types of bailments are subject to contracts of adhesion, leaving no room to bargain, and the only opportunity to "bargain" is the weigh one parking provider against another. If all use the same contract terms, then, indeed, the only distinction would be the relative sense one has with the appearance of secure facilities. Yet many times appearances can be deceiving. I have no envy of this conundrum faced by users of motor vehicles having a need to leave them someplace for an extended period of time. There may not be an entirely satisfactory solution. (I am most fortunate in not being able to drive and not having to face these motorist dilemmas . . . and hence my familiarity with the Baltimore Travel Plaza from my regular travels by bus through there!)

[0106]

I am very familiar with the area.  I would not stay there or leave my car there.  Agree that any hotel at BWI would be better, even if you need to Uber to the port.

[meadowlander]

21 hours ago, Laurab23 said:

Thanks. Maybe I should look elsewhere for a hotel with a cruise package

Cruised twice from Baltimore, both times I used Trinity Reservations for their hotel/parking packages. Stayed in Elkridge MD the first time & in Baltimore the second. Both those hotels are listed on Trinity's site. Both were fine but based on the shuttle schedule, I would go with the Elkridge property. Call the hotel for their shuttle schedule as the Baltimore location had only 1 drop off & 1 pick up time to/from the cruise port.  The price shown on Trinity is what you pay as tax is already included.

[VTSKIandCRUISEGUY]

Did the stay, park and cruise deal at this hotel in January. Decent hotel. Shuttle was very quick. They were waiting for us when we got off the ship. Big parking lot, and felt safe. I would stay here again, and I would again feel comfortable leaving my car.

[Cruisen Elf]

Another vote for the Best Western Plus in Elkridge, MD, booked through Trinity Reservations.   We have stayed there several times and have been satisfied with the hotel, location, shuttle, and parking.

[VTSKIandCRUISEGUY]

On 8/16/2022 at 3:27 PM, VTSKIandCRUISEGUY said:

Did the stay, park and cruise deal at this hotel in January. Decent hotel. Shuttle was very quick. They were waiting for us when we got off the ship. Big parking lot, and felt safe. I would stay here again, and I would again feel comfortable leaving my car.

I should add that this hotel is not currently on trinity or parksleepfly.com but if you call the hotel directly, they have it.

[PelicanBill]

Hotel has generally good reviews on Google. I have a reservation there for the 10/30 Legend sailing.

[Laurab23]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:41 AM, PelicanBill said:

Hotel has generally good reviews on Google. I have a reservation there for the 10/30 Legend sailing.

See you at the hotel Bill. We are on same cruise.

 

Laura

[0106]

Do not confuse the Best Western in Elkridge with the one on O’Donnell Street.  They are in very different neighborhoods.  

[fair-winds39]

We have cruised from Baltimore 7 times. We are from Pa., and always sailed from Baltimore in February. Because of how weather can be in Feb., we chose to drive to Baltimore the day before. We used Best Western on O’Donnell with their Park and Cruise package. We also weren’t planning to leave hotel, just sleep and cruise the next day. The shuttle to the port was great. Our car was never damaged and one year there was a snowstorm while we were away, and the hotel had dug out for us. Never any problems.

 

Would we stay there for a vacation, probably not, but for one night it was fine plus we got a bite to eat in their restaurant the morning of the cruise.