Hotwire Hotel: Help ID 4-Star Hotel in Northbrook - Glenview - Mt. Prospect area Hotel area

[CyberAthlete]

Hi guys,

New to this site. Getting married in October and wanted to book a room for myself and my wife to stay in the city of Chicago for 3 days. I want to be able to get a room with a view. Is it possible to be able to bid on a room and determine getting one with a nice view of the city?

 

Thank you!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

 

Congrats on your upcoming wedding! 

 

Unfortunately, the way Chicago is, there are a lot of hotels that do not have any view, given the density of downtown. In the cases where hotels do have a view, it's often an upgrade. If you bid and win a hotel where a view is an upgrade, there is no guarantee the hotel will be willing to negotiate with you - they very well may not. 

 

There is no way to bid for a particular hotel via PRICELINE or guaranteeing a particular hotel via HOTWIRE. With HOTWIRE, you can begin to narrow down what hotel or hotels a listing may be in many cases - but again, there's no way to know if a hotel will allow you to upgrade (and if they will, there's often an upgrade fee.)

 

All that said, I will say that - being extremely familiar with the area - I've never had a view I've enjoyed more than a high river view room at the Westin River North. There are a few hotels with river views, but that's the only one that is RIGHT on the river. The view looked West and provided both a nice city view, as well as what I would call a "classic Chicago" view up the river.

 

I had a Michigan Ave view at the Westin Michigan Ave and didn't care for it as much. 

 

Lake view is pretty during the day, but - unless you're looking at Navy Pier (such as at the W), there's certainly nothing at night.

 

The Swiss and Fairmont will also provide views.

 

The "off the wall" idea would be the Hotel Lincoln in Lincoln Park. That hotel has views of Lincoln Park in upgraded rooms; I haven't stayed there, but Lincoln Park (as well as nearby Old Town) is a fun area with a lot of great restaurants nearby. This would be a "different"/unique option.

 

--------------------

 

The second idea that I had is this:

 

An upgraded "view" room regular rate is often expensive. HOTWIRE does have 5* rooms fairly often. My question is: if a regular rate "view" room at a 4* is comparable to a discounted 5* that may not have a view, would that be of interest?

 

___________________________________

 

In terms of prices, unfortunately rates for these date/s are quite high, as October is generally on the expensive side in Chicago.

You're also running into this fairly large convention

 

American Academy of Ophthalmology - AAO 2014
McCormick Place North
Map It 10/18/2014 10/21/2014 26000

 

A number of hotels are showing on Expedia and elsewhere with no rooms.

 

Some ideas:

 

HOTWIRE:

 

There is a 5* in the Mag Mile N-Water Tower area for $394 (the price you see may vary slightly). This listing has not yet been ID'd/reported to the board, but the Waldorf, Ritz, Four Seasons, Peninsula and Park Hyatt would be possibilities (although I'd guess the Peninsula is probably less likely.)

 

Westin River North (river view) $394 (on sale, expedia)

 

Swiss (lake view) $299.

 

There are a number of other options as well, but they are generally around the upper $300's to over $400.

 

On the discount side of HOTWIRE, you are looking at generally between $155-$275 for 4* or 4.5*'s downtown.

 

Let us know your thoughts and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

 

Please use the site's Support Page links to book regular rate.

[CyberAthlete]

Hi Aaron,

Sorry for not responding sooner. Firstly, I am very grateful for your detailed and well constructed response. Especially with all the suggestions, alternate ideas, price research. Your efforts and thoughtfulness are very much appreciated. I'd be at a loss without this post and was definitely not aware of the upcoming conventions in the city around those dates + had no idea what area to look within for a view

 

I had an inkling that if I get a hotel within the city, it might be difficult to get one with a good view, and that too if I can get a room of my choice (which will jack up the price).

 

I am first and foremost looking for a bargain (get a steal of a deal like some members here). If I can save myself 60%-70% off per night (staying 2 nights) I would rather take that than the view.

 

I will also start looking at hotels on the outskirts of the city that offer a view of the skyline....that's not a bad idea and will be looking to close in a deal soon so I don't run out of options with the convention coming up in October. Thanks again Aaron! I truly appreciate your help and insight.

 

You've been extremely helpful.

 

Sincere regards,

-Me

[AaronJB]

The problem with Chicago is that there's hotels downtown and then, aside from a few (Hyatt McCormick, Lincoln Park hotels) there's really nothing until you get out into the suburbs. Also, if it's a busy period downtown, that traffic very quickly starts to spill over into the outlying areas.

 

I often recommend the North Suburbs, which has a number of very nice hotels - while they aren't big on views, there are some very romantic sights in the North Burbs, including the Chicago Botanic Gardens (in a suburb, despite the name), which is a wildly popular place for weddings (and I think would probably be in the middle of Fall colors at this point of the year.) There's also great dining. The problem is you'd have to have a car to get around and it's about a 40 minute train ride (although a nice train ride on the Metra trains) downtown.

 

The one hotel that I think may have a view of the skyline (although not a superior one) in the suburbs would be the Doubletree North Shore, and that would be really having to book full price, as that's a definite upgrade (I believe that property may have city views in the distance, but it would really be the top floors and only looking South.) That would not be the most optimal hotel in terms of proximity to transit or for a romantic occasion.

 

There are a couple of private clubs with rooms in the burbs that appear on the travel sites when they have availability, such as the Glen Club in Glenview.

 

Lastly, I'll throw out a completely different idea - Lake Geneva is a very beautiful, very scenic town that's about an hour or so North of Chicago, in Wisconsin. That is a very beautiful area, especially in the Fall. That area offers a number of pretty resorts, including the Abbey and particularly the Grand Geneva. 

 

In terms of a large % discount, the problem becomes if it's a busy periods, hotels are going to be less aggressive in their discounting.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

 

 

Please use the site's Support Page links to book regular rate.

[CyberAthlete]

Hi Aaron,

Thanks for the quick responses! I forgot to mention that both my wife and I are Chicago locals (we live in the burbs and will be residing in the burbs after we get married). But for the wedding weekend/night wanted a nice little get away :)

 

I'll have my car. So getting to any place won't be an issue.

 

I'll look into Botanic Gardens as well. Thank you! 

 

-Me

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! :)

 

A couple of examples of the North Burbs:

 

Renaissance North Shore $99 (regular), $129 (Junior Suite) on Expedia. This property is on the other side of the Expressway from the back entrance of the Chicago Botanic Garden. It's a bit of a stroll, but you can walk from this hotel to the back entrance so that you do not have to drive In (which is $20 - there is no admission fee.)  The rooms at this property facing East likely look at the forest preserve/lagoon or the gardens, but also the Expressway. On a high floor, that may not be an issue in terms of noise.

 

In the North burbs, if you didn't care which hotel you got, you could probably get a 3.5* for $40-50 and a 4* for probably around the same price ($47-55).

 

The Holiday Inn Vacation Club in Lake Geneva is $153, while the Geneva National is $134.

Please let us know what you decide and if you have any other questions.

 

 

[CyberAthlete]

I am bidding through HOTWIRE and see an offer for $65 per night in the Northbrook - Glenview - Mt. Prospect area Hotel area for Dates Oct 18 - 20. Any ideas? Thank you!

Also what area does Chicago Botanic Garden fall under as that is where I prefer to stay? Thanks!

[CyberAthlete]

Amenities for that location are:

• Free Parking
• Pet friendly
• Indoor pool(s)
• Smoke Free Rooms
• Fitness Center
• Pool(s)
• Restaurant(s)
• Business Center
• Self service laundry

[AaronJB]

Please provide the price per night in USD$ and full list of amenities and we would be happy to take a look and try to ID the listing.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[CyberAthlete]

Thanks for the quick response Aaron!

 

Price is $65 per night

**** (4-stars)

 

 

Amenities for that location are:

• Free Parking
• Pet friendly
• Indoor pool(s)
• Smoke Free Rooms
• Fitness Center
• Pool(s)
• Restaurant(s)
• Business Center
• Self service laundry

Is that area near the Botanic Gardens? Does one need to stay in Northbrook if they want to be at the Botanic Garden? Thanks!

[thereuare]

I believe there are more amenities then what you have posted above as HOTWIRE has a new interface that does not show the complete set of amenities unless you click thru a few extra links.

If you repeat your search using our BiddingHelper.com tool... use the HOTWIRE EASY VIEW tab and then click the GREEN BUTTON next to this listing, do you see more amenities then what you have listed above?

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[AaronJB]

I really don't think it's a far drive at all from most hotels this zone to the Botanic. Depending on where you're starting from, you can also cut through neighborhoods. The closest hotel in this zone is the Renaissance North Shore. From that property, you could walk across the expressway to the back (walk-in) entrance to the Botanic. Still, from a number of the other 4*'s in this zone, it's either not that far or is a very direct drive.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[CyberAthlete]

Hi AaronJB/thereuare

 

I used BiddingHelper and came up with this:

 

• October 18, 2014 to October 20, 2014  | 1 room, 2 nights, 2 adults, 0 children
• Northbrook - Glenview - Mt. Prospect
• 4-Stars
• $64 per night
• FULL AMENITIES: Free Parking, Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access, Golf Nearby, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking

Any idea what it might be? Thanks!

 

 

[CyberAthlete]

Hi AaronJB/thereuare

 

I used Bidding.Helper and came up with this:

• October 18, 2014 to October 20, 2014  | 1 room, 2 nights, 2 adults, 0 children
• Northbrook - Glenview - Mt. Prospect
• 4-Stars
• $64 per night
• FULL AMENITIES: Free Parking, Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Self service laundry, Internet access, Golf Nearby, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking

Any idea what it might be? Thanks!

[AaronJB]

I'd guess the Sheraton with that particular amenity set. If that's the case, that would be a nice result in a few different regards. There's three known 4*'s in this zone: the Westin, the Sheraton and the Renaissance. I don't really think you can go wrong with any of them, but the Sheraton and Renaissance are at least somewhat more convenient to things. The Westin - while not in a terrible location - is just a bit isolated.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.