Is this extended hotel stay safe?

[bpvarian]

I understand your budget concerns, but if time is money, and if you value your time, you won't want to deal with that commute. I would much rather Priceline or Hotwire a room (not knowing which hotel it was beforehand) just to not deal with that commute.....

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

And that brings up the question...what weeks are you here? Does your time frame overlap any of the 'Fests' or F1 or anything like that? Could make a big difference.(I know...F1 isn't likely since it's months away...but you get the idea. )

[dave bacon]

Have you tried craigslist for a furnished sublet?

[CptnRn]

This Trulia Crime Heat Map shows that immediate area to be safe although there have been several car burglaries there. That has been common for motel parking lots, so park your car in a highly visible area. It is largely surrounded by industrial warehouse areas.

Austin Crime Map Beta - Trulia

Don't leave any valuables in the car and avoid the Rundburg Lane area East of there and you will be fine. It is one of the highest crime areas in Austin. You can see on the heat map that there is a lot more crime along Rundburg Lane and the apartments along it. When going out to eat or shop you should head West to the Arboretum area or South along Burnet Road.

Is there a reason you chose that northern area of town? If your work is on S Mopac and if you will be commuting during rush hour you might want a place on the south side of town instead, like
Austin - Southwest, Overview - Extended Stay America

I agree with this recommendation, that other one is quite a drive. I suggest you call the Extended Stay Soutwest and ask if they can put you on a waiting list in case someone cancels. SW Austin is very safe, low crime.

There is a family run Heart of Texas Motel that has a good reputation near there Austin Motel, Southwest Austin- Heart of Texas Motel and I've been told has pretty good rates although they are not posted on the website. Perhaps you could use that to bridge some dates when the Extended Stay is not available.

[OpenD]

I agree with the assessments that working on South Mopac and staying in North Austin makes little sense. It would make for an unpleasant commute that would be costly in both time and money.

I'm not clear if you are paying for this stay from personal funds, or you will be reimbursed, but a couple of details you might not be aware of about staying in a hotel in Austin...

First, the combined State Occupancy Tax and a couple of local taxes will add a total tax of 15% to your hotel bill, for the first 30 days of consecutive stay. Be sure to ask what the hotel's policy is after 30 days. The ones I'm aware of collect the tax for the first 30 days, then drop it off the bill on Day 31, and will then rebate all the the tax previously collected. But be sure to ask! This could impact your decision about whether to stay the whole time in one place, or stay in different places due to available dates.

Car rental, be sure to ask about rate discounts on over 30 day rentals. The savings can be considerable.

Good luck.