By our count, there are about 10 hotels within 15 minutes walk of each other and only a few minutes from the Coliseum Stadium Complex itself, so you should be able to find one which suits your preferences and price range. All of them run shuttle buses to and from the airport, and may go further afield if you ask in advance.

Arranging Hotels this year has been a very difficult process. The problem, oddly enough, is that the Raiders are winning. Yeah, we know. The problem is that production on the field means suddenly the Raiders are a hot ticket again. And what this means in terms of hotels is that they are back in demand.

With that in mind, we've had a real struggle getting any discount deals this year. In short, the hotels aren't playing that game any more. Why? Because they know full well they don't need discount deals to sell out. They have a good enough chance of doing that by themselves. And they're right (unfortunately). So prices have gone up. A lot.

Therefore, what we've done is basically keep arrangements the same as last year. Once again, the Comfort Inn will be our base, mainly because they were about the only one who actually seemed to express an interest in helping us, as opposed to the ones who stop caring the minute you've given your Credit Card #. Even with the increase, we still think they have the best value in this area. Our only other option was to move to a different area, but then the logistics become more difficult. Sorry, we tried, but this could be an ongoing thing.

Comfort Inn & Suites

Phone: (510) 568-1500

Our base for Mecca 2000, The Comfort Inn & Suites provides clean rooms and good prices. The hotel itself doesn't have a restaurant, but there's plenty of those nearby (there's a Hungry Hunter right across the road, and a couple more places on the other side of the freeway on Hegenberger (we recommend Francescos if you're in need of a real blow-out). The hotel is rather nicely decorated (in Silver and Black), and they've made special arrangements for us in the past. One of the things we like is that if they have the business for it, they'll keep the bar open well past usual hours - not that any of us like drinking or anything. A room here will set you back about $110 plus taxes.

Holiday Inn

Phone: (510) 562-5311

Right next door to the Comfort Inn & Suites, the secret with the Holiday Inn is to book early - you can get a good deal if you do so, but if you leave it too long, their prices go up exponentially - you can aim for around $115 per night (plus taxes) if you book early enough, but add $20-$30 per night if you wait. The restaurant here is pretty good and reasonably priced.

Days Inn

Phone: (510) 568-1880

On the corner of Hegenberger and Edes Avenue, the Days Inn is the closest hotel to the Coliseum (5 mins walk). You should be able to get a good rate here right up to the last minute. It doesn't have a restaurant per se, but there's a diner attached to it, and they often give you a 25% discount voucher for it if you're staying there. We've heard some mention in the past that their rooms aren't the best, but can't comment on that - every time we've stayed there we've had no complaints. If you're bringing a laptop computer and want to hook up, this is the place to go - they have the cheapest local calling scheme we've found, just remember to find out your ISP's local access # first.

Motel 6

Phone: (510) 638-1180

Motel 6 is the cheapest accommodation around here, and you can get rates under $50 a night + taxes if you're lucky. Of course, you get what you pay for - this is really the bare basics. However, the rooms are generally clean and fine if all you want is a place to "sleep and go". If you're thinking of staying here, we recommend you check in by mid-afternoon at the latest - it gets very busy later in the day.

Oakland Airport Hilton

Phone: (510) 635-5000

The Hilton is definitely the nicest hotel in this area, that goes without saying. It's where the Raiders themselves stay the night before games, and they also come back afterwards for their debrief meeting. However, as you might expect, it's also the most expensive - although you can get a room for around $111 + tax if you book well in advance (and you're lucky), their prices have been increasing steadily over the past few years, and you can now pay anything around $150 per night plus taxes. They also have a popular Sports Bar which is very busy after games, but it too is horrendously expensive (buy 4 beers and you won't get much change out of a $20 bill) and the service can be very slow. The restaurant is a nice place to eat breakfast before the game (they have a hot and cold buffet starting about 6.30am), but again you'll be paying about $13 per head for a hot plate and coffee.

Other Hotels

We have not stayed in the following hotels, and therefore can offer only cursory comments: the Park Plaza and Holiday Inn Express are both situated on the Airport Side of the Freeway. We haven't heard anything bad about either, and are reputedly well-priced and clean. The Hampton Inn, Executive Inn and Residence Inn are all situated on the Coliseum side of the Freeway, and are similar to the other hotels in this area. Because there is such intense competition, prices are keen and you should be able to get a decent deal. The Hampton Inn in particular we've heard are very good.