crito Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Hi guys,I will be flying into ORD on May 14, 2015, and then driving to Madison, WI the next morning. My plan is to rent a car at the airport and stay over in a Chicago burb.It looks to me like Schaumburg and Northbrook are the best bets – driving to Madison via Schaumburg is a little more direct but I’d take whichever one has the better hotel deal.I need two beds – bringing wife plus one son, so I’m searching 2 adults/1 child. For Northbrook I’m seeing these amenities for a 4* at $72:Free ParkingPet friendlyIndoor pool(s)Smoke FreeFitnessPool(s)Restaurant(s)Business CenterSelf service laundryInternetGolfAccessible for the blindAccessible for the deafAccessible path of travelIn-room accessibilityAccessible bathroomHandicapped parkingRoll-in shower For Schaumburg I see this 4* at $119:Free ParkingIndoor pool(s)Fitness CenterPool(s)Restaurant(s)Business CenterInternet accessGolf NearbyAccessible for the blindAccessible for the deafAccessible path of travelIn-room accessibilityAccessible bathroomHandicapped parkingRoll-in shower And (also Schaumburg) this 3.5 at $100:Free ParkingFree BreakfastFree InternetPet friendlyIndoor pool(s)Smoke Free RoomsFitness CenterPool(s)Business CenterInternet accessAccessible for the blindAccessible for the deafAccessible path of travelIn-room accessibilityAccessible bathroomHandicapped parkingRoll-in shower Any thoughts on these, or general recommendations? The 3.5* has free breakfast and internet, otherwise I wouldn’t bother including it. Thanks in advance! Link to comment
thereuare Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 Best guess/comments for each: 4* Northbrook --> Renaissance Chicago Northshore Hotel 4* Schaumburg --> Hyatt Regency Woodfield.. with the Marriott Schaumburg being a possible, but less likely, possibility 3.5* Schaumburg --> an upgrade to the 3.5* of the Hyatt Place Chicago/Schaumburg would be my best guess here I'll leave it to AaronJB to comment on directtions/routing as he knows this area best. Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help. PS- we've recently updated our Car Rental Rate Checker which may help in your pursuit of a car rental for this trip. :) Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
AaronJB Posted September 24, 2014 Report Share Posted September 24, 2014 In terms of hotel deal, I think the Renaissance Northshore would be the better deal, plus easy access to a Trader Joe's up the street if you want to grab some groceries for the ride up to Madison. If you leave from the Northbrook area, you could either: A. Go up to Milwaukee and then over. B. Take a more scenic route. Take the Expressway (which runs right next to the Renaissance) North just up just across the border is rt 50. There's a fantastic outlet mall nearby that exit, as well as local institutions Mars Cheese Castle and the Brat Stop. Take 50 (which has been expanded to four lanes) to Lake Geneva. Stop for a break in Lake Geneva, have a bite to eat (I've liked Simple Cafe - http://www.yelp.com/biz/simple-cafe-lake-geneva) and look around the town (which is a lovely little town and has been Chicago's nearby "resort town" for decades) and then either continue West to 90 and then up or you could go the "classic" route, up rt 12, which goes past Lake Geneva and works its way NW to Madison. I've gone to Madison via 12 many times over the years. You can also get on 12 to the West of Northbrook, as well. Overall, there's really a number of different ways to Madison from the Chicago area and Wisconsin's quite beautiful. Also, the walk-in entrance to the Chicago Botanic Gardens is on the other side of the highway from the Renaissance. They have a shuttle, you could likely have them drop you off (or you could walk across on Dundee.) Schaumburg would be less of a drive from ORD, but in terms of Northbrook, you could also try bidding and get something like the Renaissance or comparable for even less. Let us know if this is of interest and we would be happy to offer suggestions on how to proceed. I don't think you could really go wrong either way, but in terms of hotel, I do think the Renaissance for $72 (and again, I think if you're just looking for a nice place to sleep, you could do better via bidding in the Northbrook area - or even a little further North in Deerfield) is a better deal than the potential Hyatt for $119 (and I've stayed at both properties.) Let me know if you have any questions before booking. Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches. Link to comment
crito Posted September 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2014 Great, you told me two things I really wanted to know. (1) is driving by way of Northbrook going to be a significant extra hassle compared to going via Schaumburg, and (2) is the Northbrook hotel likely to be the Renaissance (as I suspected). So, I booked that one, and indeed it is the Renaissance. My wife stayed in the Renaissance about a month ago and she got a couple of perks, not for any obvious reason (people like her:-)), and she liked the place, so that's what I was looking for in Northbrook. We won't have time to do any sightseeing, though, since the point of the trip is to be in Madison for UW graduation. (I save a *lot* of money by flying into Chicago instead, and also quite a bit of money staying this first night in Northbrook rather than in a Madison 3*, because Madison is stuffed to the gills for the huge UW graduation.) I did use your HOTWIRE links, of course, and I'll use your new-improved car rental finder too. Aaron, I guess you have no need to rent at ORD, but there's a big difference in the different companies there (largely in terms of how long it takes from terminal to driving off in your car), so I'm not going to use Hotwire for that. Oh, so, the amenities are still the ones I listed, the price was $72, and I decided to search for 3 adults just to be safe (my son is over 18). Thanks! Link to comment
thereuare Posted September 25, 2014 Report Share Posted September 25, 2014 Congratulations on your success! Glad to see you received the hotel you were hoping for and that you're pleased with the outcome. Thank you for sharing your results and using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase. Enjoy your stay and hope this nite is as good as your wife's previous experience here. Please use this HOTWIRE and these PRICELINE LINKS: HOTELS, CAR RENTALS, and AIRFARE to begin your travel purchases Link to comment
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