Back in my Paleo Babe days, you would be lucky to find something in Casa Grande or Sierra Vista - about an hour's trip - at this late date. Rooms for the shows would be booked a year or more in advance and it was practically impossible to find anything decent for less than a king's ransom.
HOWEVER - with the recent downturn in attendance by vendors and buyers, you SHOULD be able to find something fairly reasonable and not out in the boonies.Which shows are you planning to attend? Check out these websites for information about Tucson, the shows, and lodging:
http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/events/gemshow/ or
http://emol.org/tucson/gemshow/ - this second one has a sidebar on the right with listings for hotels by area - mid-town, near airport, etc. You pretty much can't go wrong with Best Westerns or Holiday Inns.
Don't forget to bring your resale information (and lots of business cards) so you can attend the wholesale only shows. Also - don't forget to check the Tucson Show guide for the dates and locations of the various shows - they are not all held at the same time and they are ALL over town. If your timing's off, you could miss one show's closing and another's opening! Been there, done that!
Please try to save time to come up to Apache Junction and visit! The coffee pot's always on and you can de-compress from the show frenzy! I might even be able to convince Mike to spring for pizza!
Deb