Hotwire Hotel: Need help with 3.5* room in Chicago Sept.11-13th

[hunterroxy]

I am new to the forums and to Hotwire/Priceline. This site is so informative so thank you!

 

I am having trouble booking a room for a reasonable price in the Magnificent Mile/River North/Michigan Ave North area for September 11-13th (staying nights of the 11th and 12th). I am looking for a 3.5* or above hotel. I am not having any luck finding deals even close to what I see posted here as wins. Is there something going on downtown Chicago during that time that may account for the high prices I am seeing? I did a google search but did see any major events happening.

 

I started on Priceline and bid up to CAD$190 for a 3.5* hotel in the Michigan Ave North - River North area but my bid was rejected. I also tried to split up the nights but had no luck.

 

Considering we actually have 3 adults, I then thought that Hotwire may be safer anyway since I can specify the number of people in the room and we need two beds. Lowest price on Hotwire for the "Secret Hot Rate Hotels" is CAD$336 for a 4* hotel in the Magnificent Mile North area with a 75% recommended rate. I have filtered the results to Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower, Magnificent Mile North - River North and also added Downtown - Millennium Park - Grant Park just to see if it gave me some better rates. That is way more than I am willing to pay and way more than I am seeing posted on here.

 

What am I doing wrong?! Any advice would be appreciated!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

You aren't doing anything wrong, unfortunately these dates are just very busy. Looking at the convention calendar, this is the problem:

 

IMTS 2014 - The International Manufacturing Technology Show

McCormick Place Complex

Map It 09/08/2014 09/13/2014 100000

 

That is a VERY big convention for Chicago and the cause of rates being so high.

 

Are you driving in or flying in? If you are driving in, you can stay in the suburbs, where a comparable property will likely cost for both nights less than half of one night downtown.

 

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

[hunterroxy]

Thank you so much for your response! I knew there had to be something going on. Darn!

 

We are flying in and planned to take the public transit from O'Hare to downtown. I guess I will just keep trying every day. 

[AaronJB]

Staying by O'Hare and then training in is not the most appealing option, but that would be a cheaper option. Or, the second night is somewhat better than the first - depending on your desired budget, you could spend one night by ORD and then the second downtown.

 

What would be your desired max budget per night for this stay?

 

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

[hunterroxy]

In light of the prices, we have decided to do just one night in Chicago (the 11th) and then spend the day of the 12th in Chicago but not stay over. We will then head to Indiana for a wedding one night early and stay down there. So really I am looking at just the night of the 11th and we would like to stay downtown. Max budget would be $190-200 a night although I was really hoping to keep it around or under $150. 

[thereuare]

Which zone(s) are acceptable for this trip?

If you search HOTWIRE for 3adults does anything appear within your budget? If not, and you move forward with PRICELINE, are you willing to take the risk of receiving a room with only one bed?

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

[hunterroxy]

I just tried Hotwire again for 3 people for September 11th but it is still too pricey. I did 3.5 star and would like to stay in either Magnificent Mile - River North or Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower but would settle for Downtown - Millennium Park - Grant Park area so I added those three areas to my search. Cheapest option was 4 star in Mag Mile North Water Tower area for CAD$315. They just went up from there. Do you have any idea what this hotel would be?

 

4* Mag Mile North Water Tower area boutique hotel; 75% recommended with 1776 reviews on Trip Advisor. Amenities include:

 

Boutique Hotel
  Smoke Free Rooms
  Fitness Center
  Restaurant(s)
Business Center
  Self service laundry
  Internet access
Accessibility
Accessible for the blind

Accessible for the deaf 

 

 

I am not sure if I should risk not having two beds by using Priceline as we are 3 adults. Although, I wouldn't really mind sleeping on the floor as it is only for one night. Maybe I will try Priceline again next. 

 

I will definitely use both of your links when I do my searching and bidding! Thanks so much for your help so far!

[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? Using this method below is what i'm seeing for the 4* Boutique property when searching for your dates:

Boutique

Smoke Free

Fitness

Restaurant

Business

Laundry

Hi-Speed Internet

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

... if this is what you're seeing, my best guess for this one would be the Warwick Allerton Hotel Chicago.

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

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[hunterroxy]

Thanks for the link. Yes, that is exactly what I see. The Warwick Allerton doesn't have the greatest reviews on Tripadvisor. Do you know much about this hotel?

 

The next cheapest one (USD$290) is 3.5* in the Mag Mile Area - River North. FULL AMENITIES: Fitness Center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business Center, Internet access...My best guess for this one would be the Doubletree? But again, as mentioned, I am completely new at this. 

 

I can't believe even the secret deals are this pricey! 

[AaronJB]

You can't really fault the Allerton's location at all - it's in a terrific, central location right in the middle of the Michigan Ave area. However, the hotel itself is definitely an older property, although it has been given a facelift or two over the years. The rooms are small.

 

The Doubletree is fine, it's what you would expect from a mid-range hotel in the city. 

 

I think my concern is that, at nearly $300 per night, both are not only expensive but going to seem very expensive for what you get.

 

Unfortunately, these dates are quite busy and options are limited - even a very basic motel in the city is $250 per night.

 

I do see the Homestead ($140) and Margarita European Inn ($189) in Evanston for the first night on Expedia, although Evanston is going to be a bit of a trip from downtown - however, it's got a lot of restaurants and shopping, as well as both CTA and Metra train stations.

 

There is also a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal for the first night in the NMA-River North area (4*) for $268, although if you look under the listing, there is a bed choice option with 2 beds for $288.

 

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

[hunterroxy]

Thank you so much for all your help! I am just going to keep checking back and maybe explore some other areas as you have suggested.

[AaronJB]

Happy to help. Just to clarify above notes, Evanston is a city on the border of the city of Chicago - it's the first city North of the Chicago border. That would not be optimal if you're flying in, but it becomes whether or not the hassle is worth paying quite a bit less than downtown.

 

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