Priceline Hotel: 4.5* Chicago (North Michigan Ave - River North) Omni Chicago Hotel

[eco1]

Looking to go to a Cubs game over Memorial Day weekend. I assume it will be pretty busy and after looking over past pricing it looks like about $100-125 for a 4* should be a fair expectation in the River North region. I have only ever been to Chicago on business so I have a few questions before I get started. 

 

1. What regions are best to target? Should I look at Lincoln Park to be closer? I will be there for 3 nights and only 1 of them will be a game night, so I would prefer to be closer to restaurants than to the field at the expense of fun.
2. How hard is it to get to and from the stadium for a game from these various regions?
3. Is bidding safe for 4* in River North? Some questionable reviews make it seem like I should go for a more known express deal if at all possible even if I pay a bit more. Any thoughts on that are welcome.
4. Would you recommend Millenium Park as an option? I like to run there, but unsure if it is inferior to the River North region from a hotel and dining standpoint.

I will of course use the sites links for all of my inquiries for pricing the express deals, bidding, and my final purchase!!!!

[AaronJB]

Please provide the exact date/s (as well as your desired budget per night) and we would be happy to offer our thoughts on how to proceed.

 

A few thoughts:

 

1. Lincoln Park is a really nice area with plenty of dining options, some cool stores and the Zoo, not to mention Old Town nearby. However, there's barely any hotels in the area, which leads to better deals with more competition downtown. Would a Lincoln Park hotel be closer? Yes, but depending on the hotel you would still likely have to take transit and it can be a walk from the hotels closer to the lake to transit. Personally, unless there was an unusually good deal in Lincoln Park (and given that it's baseball season, those will fill up) I'd stay downtown. However, by all means visit Lincoln Park, it's a great area.

 

2. It's easy to get from downtown to Wrigley on the Red Line subway. The problem is that it's the main way to get there and really the only one I'd recommend - if you take the L closer to game time, you'll be on very crowded trains. I'd go early and the great thing about the area around Wrigley is that there's actually a lot of nice bars and restaurants. If you're going to have to wait for a game to start, it's a great area to browse around.

 

3. Different people are understandably going to have different opinions on different hotels/not every hotel is going to be everyone's cup of tea. Personally, there are 2 hotels I'd be not want to get if I bid 4* in the River North-NMA area, for some others depending on their likes/dislikes, there may be more or less.

 

4. The Loop area South of the river doesn't have as much nightlife and restaurant options (especially on the weekend) as the River North area does. However, just West of the Loop does have a restaurant scene going. Still, in the core Loop area where the hotels are, there is not much going on later at night as portions are heavily offices and once offices let out, it gets quiet.

 

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

[eco1]

Thanks for the detailed reply! Exact dates are 5/23/15-5/26/15. I know this is in the very distant future, but I have had luck bidding in advance in the past with hotels wanting to get some paid rooms on the books. I actually need two rooms, would prefer something in the range of $120-150 and a 4.5*. If that is not realistic, I would like to get down to <$120 type of level for a 4*. 

 

 

[thereuare]

Which zones, by PRICELINE name, are you willing to accept?

Let us know and we will suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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.

[eco1]

North Michigan Ave - River North is my target region.

[thereuare]

If you first want to try for a 4.5* hotel up to the $150 area, you can try as follows:

When bidding 4.5* in the Chicago area you have TEN re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4.5* NMA-River North...

Bid $110, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $120, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $125, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $130, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $135, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $138, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $140, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $143, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $145, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $148, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $150

Any questions feel free to ask (especially confirming your re-bid zones if you're new to the subject matter)

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.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[eco1]

I started a bit lower ar $85 and bid up to $135 with my 10 rebid zones. This was unsuccessful, will try again tomorrow. I have enough time to keep at it, and there is a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal offered at $160 for a 4.5* matching the Omni. 

[AaronJB]

The amenity set for the listing at $160 (which I'm seeing when I search as well) has been seen previously with the Omni. However, the Intercontinental has all of those amenities, as well. While the IC has been seen with a slightly different amenity set, just a note of warning that there is the risk it could now be showing with pool. 

 

Thank you for keeping us updated with what you decide.

 

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

[thereuare]

Keep us update on your progress and let us know if we can be of further help along the way.

Please remember to re-start your bids using the PRICELINE links here.

Good luck!

[eco1]

Ended up booking the Express Deal after bidding both 5* and 4.5* using all of the rebid zones available up to $150. The PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal that we assumed above was the Omni ended up being the Omni. Of course I used the site's referral links as requested.

PRICELINE EXPRESS

Room price: $160.00/night

Number of rooms: 2 rooms

Number of nights: 3 nights

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

 

Excellent win for this property and hope you are looking forward to your stay. While a little more than you'd hoped, this is one of the best potential options at this star level, both in terms of outstanding locations and suite rooms. It's also an easy walk to the Red Line station on Chicago and State.

 

Let me know if you have any Chicago questions.

 

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

 

Enjoy your stay.