When you’re planning a baseball trip, one of the most important decisions to make is where you’ll stay overnight.
There are plenty of factors to consider when you’re booking a hotel, and one of the biggest things to think about is the hotel’s proximity to the ballpark. While some hotels are just a short walk or drive from the park, my favorite type of accommodation is a field-facing room at a hotel that is adjacent to the park. If you read my travel blog, you’ll know that I’ve mentioned this once twice possibly 487 times over the years.
Every ballpark obviously doesn’t have a hotel situated next to it, but whenever I encounter this setup, it’s almost certain that I’ll choose it. If you haven’t stayed in a hotel that has field-facing rooms, I hope this will be something that you add to your baseball bucket list. Here are some reasons that I strongly advocate this type of hotel room.
The View
Imagine this scenario: You spend a long day traveling, finally arrive at your hotel, and grab your room key card upon checking in. After taking the elevator and rolling your suitcase down the hallway, you swipe your card outside your room, swing open the door, and are staring down at the pristine outfield grass of a ballpark as soon as you take a couple steps forward. Just about perfect, right? Without question, my favorite reason to book a field-facing hotel room is the absolutely outstanding view that you get out your window. If you’re a serious baseball fan, the idea of looking down into a ballpark whenever you glance out your window is a major thrill. Whenever I stay in this type of room, I make a point of spending as much time enjoying the unique view as possible. I’ve eaten meals at my window, sat and worked on my laptop at my window and even set my alarm to wake me up several different times throughout the night so that I could get up and enjoy the view. (OK, that last one’s a little bizarre, but I stand by it.) This type of hotel can quickly become one of your favorite hotels ever, largely because of what you see out your window.
The Behind-the-Scenes Access
Another perk of booking a field-facing room is that you’ll get to watch things happening at the ballpark long before the gates open — and from a unique vantage point. I’ve had a blast over the years watching grounds crews preparing fields, players playing catch, teams taking early batting practice and a whole lot more. These are things that I wouldn’t likely have been able to see if I hadn’t been keeping an eye on the field from my hotel above it.
The Ability to Beat the Traffic
We’ve all sat in heavy traffic before and after baseball games, and while you might be excited enough about the game that you don’t mind the congested streets, it’s still not the best use of your time. Another bonus of staying in a field-facing hotel room is that you don’t have to contend with the traffic at all. When you’re ready to head over to the game, you simply do so by foot — and you’ll probably find yourself moving faster than your fellow fans who are sitting in vehicles. After the game, it’s easy to be back relaxing in your hotel room (and enjoying the view of the field, of course) while many other fans are still fighting to get out of the stadium’s parking lot. It’s worth considering the price of parking, too. It’s easy to spend at least $25 to park at an MLB stadium, and you’ll save this money if you can get to the game on foot.
The Anticipation Factor
I’m the type of person who enjoys anticipating things almost as much as doing them. (When I receive a gift card, I’ll often keep it for months — and sometimes for a year or more — because I’m anticipating the joy that I’ll get when I eventually use it.) There’s no question that a field-facing hotel room is the ultimate choice for those who enjoy anticipation. It’s an absolute blast to look at the ballpark from your room and know that you’ll soon be enjoying it. Meeting others fans in the hotel’s lobby, elevators and hallways throughout the day, as well as enjoying baseball-inspired decorations and fare at the hotel restaurant/bar, can further help to elevate your level of excitement.
The Chance of a Special Rate
If you’ve bought tickets to a ballgame and are thinking about booking a field-facing room at an adjacent hotel, browse the hotel’s website or call the front desk to see if there are any deals available for you. While field-facing rooms can be pricey, some hotels offer baseball fan packages for people who book these rooms. While the offers obviously differ from property to property, you might get coupons, ballpark snacks and other goodies if you reference one of these packages when you book your room.
The Random Player Interactions
I grew up a Blue Jays fan, and frequently heard about Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar living in the hotel inside of Rogers Centre (then called SkyDome) during the season. (That hotel is definitely on my baseball bucket list, for what it’s worth.) I remember thinking how cool it was that he could sit in his room all day and then walk down to the ballpark for the game. This convenience is something that still goes on in hotels around the country. Many teams put players in ballpark-adjacent hotels while they’re on rehab stints or while they’re waiting to move into apartments. I’ve had the good fortune of seeing dozens of ballplayers in my hotels over the years, but I’ll always remember a moment from 2010 at the aforementioned Hilton Garden Inn in Manchester, NH. I watched Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion rehab with the Fisher Cats one night, and then ran into him the following morning after I checked out of the hotel. He was standing outside of the front door with a Blue Jays duffel bag, waiting for a car that would take him to the airport and, eventually, to rejoin the big league club. I said hello to him and I still regret not snapping a selfie with him.
Have you stayed in a field-facing hotel room next to a ballpark? How was the experience? Is this on your baseball bucket list?