Priceline Hotel: 2 nights in Chicago - Sept 29-Oct 1

[SC1980]

Hi there,

 

My husband and I will be traveling to Illinois and staying 2 nights in Chicago on Sept 29 and 30 this year. We're hoping to find our hotel on Priceline.  We'd like to stay close to everything (i.e., the most 'walkable' area), and from what I can tell that would be in the North Michigan Avenue - River North Area (is that correct, from your perspective/experience?).  We're wavering between 4* and 4 1/2* - is 4 1/2 significantly better, in your opinion?  Otherwise, 4* would probably be find with us.  I know I should post our price range, but I'm not ever sure what this is, since I really don't know what Chicago rooms in this area would typically go for in late Sept.  Ideally, we'd like to spend $150/night or somewhere around there (or less would be great too!), but I'm not sure if that's completely unrealistic. I'm also not sure when to start bidding on Priceline for these dates.  If you have any information/advice for this trip, I'd really appreciate it.  Thanks in advance!

[AaronJB]

If you have not visited Chicago before, it's highly walkable - the two main areas are River North-NMA and Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park. These two Price.line zones make up the core of downtown Chicago. I can walk from the top of the NMA area to the bottom of the Loop area without even really thinking that much about it, having lived in the area all my life - it's a very reasonable walk.

 

That said, the NMA area does have more in the way of shopping, restaurants and nightlife. The Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park is closer to museums and does have some shopping options, but the West portion of the area is largely office-heavy and can be quiet at night.

 

Chicago in the Fall is unfortunately on the expensive side - I think you're likely looking at $125-140 for a 4*, a 4.5* is likely going to take in the neighborhood of $200. There is a 5* on Hot.wire for $230 that would likely be the Peninsula. I'm seeing what appears to be the 4* Millennium Knickerbocker for $155 on Hot.wire, as well - you may see slightly different rates.

 

In the NMA area I don't think there's a bad 4.5* in the in the bunch, with the one "lesser" (in comparison, I still think it's a nice hotel) possibility being the Intercontinental.

 

Would you want to concentrate on a 4* in the NMA area, or would you be interested in pushing towards a 4.5*+?

 

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

[SC1980]

Thanks for your quick response.  In terms of price, the 4* in the MNA area is more up our alley, but with you saying there isn't a bad 4.5* in the bunch of Priceline hotels, it makes me wonder if you think there are some bad ones in the 4* group... is this the case?  We're not too picky in terms of 'frills' or true luxuries in a hotel; the most important things for us are a good location, clean and safe feeling hotel, and we definitely like to be comfortable.  If you think the 4* hotels all sort of fit with this description, then we'd be happy at a 4* for the cheaper price.  With this said, could you let me know if the extra price for the 4.5* is really worth it?

 

Thanks again!

[SC1980]

Hi there,

 

Sorry I didn't follow-up/reply to this sooner!  I didn't end up using Hot.wire or Price.line for Chicago last Fall, because we ended up having a friend offer us his place to stay for 2 nights in downtown Chicago.  I apologize for not closing the loop on this sooner!

 

Thanks again for all of your help!

[thereuare]

Thank you for closing this thread with your decision.

Please remember to follow-up your threads with your wins/decisions as you make them (even if you don't ultimately use PRICELINE / HOTWIRE, cancel the trip, book direct, etc) as this help keep the board better organized and more useful for everyone... as well as being a courtesy to anyone who took the time to help with your travel plans.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

Hope you had a great trip!