Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Chicago (Magnificent Mile - Water Tower) W Chicago Lakeshore

[Mr A J]

I'm going with my family, wife and 3 daughters this summer to Chicago.  We'll be there from Jul/22 thru Jul/26.  I'm going to book 2 rooms.  I see there's a PRICELINE EXPRESS deal for a 4.5 star hotel in the magnificent mile area for $130 per night, which chains do you think I can get with this deal?

 

Also, if I name my own price, can I lower the price per night from the express deal?

 

Thanks!!!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

 

A couple of thoughts/questions:

 

1. PRICELINE EXPRESS only guarantees 1 bed/double occupancy, although there are listings that will offer bed choice options, and one of the bed choice options may be 2 beds. PRICELINE bidding only guarantees double occupancy; you can call the hotel after booking and ask regarding bedding, but they can say no to requests.

 

2. What would be your desired budget per night? Are you looking for anything particular in terms of hotel - location, style, etc? I'm quite familiar with Chicago - let me know more about what you are looking for and I'd be happy to research and offer suggestions.

 

3. Bidding will likely result in getting something for less than PRICELINE EXPRESS, but the issue becomes you have to be willing to accept any hotel at that star rating. With PRICELINE EXPRESS, you can make an educated guess as to what's showing, which may be worth a bit more for a greater chance at something you'll like.

 

Also, let me know if you have any Chicago city questions.

 

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

[Mr A J]

Thanks Aaron...

 

I'm looking for a hotel in the Magnificent Mile area and will love to spend between $85 to $115 per room per night...  The more stars the better...  I don't know if this is a realistic option for a 4.5* hotel in this area...  What caught my attention is that on priceline express deals and hotwire on those dates, the 4.5* hotels are cheaper than the one with less *...  Should I look at this as a sign of a great deal?

 

Please let me know if the $90 to $115 budget is a realistic one for those dates in summer and in this area...

 

[AaronJB]

$90-115 is not going to be realistic downtown, unfortunately, but I think slightly above that is certainly possible.

 

On PRICELINE EXPRESS, I'm seeing: (please confirm that the correct dates and number of rooms are showing on the detail page after clicking the link below);

 

4.5* Magnificent Mile -Gold Coast for $130
Pets Allowed
Business Center
Restaurant
Free Internet
Indoor or Outdoor Pool
Fitness Center
No Smoking Rooms/Facilities
>>> Guess in this case would be the W Lakeshore - that's a bit out of the way near Navy Pier in the Winter, but certainly a better location in the middle of Summer. Additionally, this would not guarantee more than double occupancy/1 bed. Is that a risk you're okay with?

 

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

 

 

[Mr A J]

Thanks again Aaron...

 

Mmmhhh, 1 bed on both rooms would be a problem.  What about connecting rooms, will the hotel grant me this if I ask for them after making the reservation on PRICELINE?

 

On hotwire there's the same deal but the price a little bit higher at $132...  Should I expect the same hotel on both sites?  If 1 bed is a problem, will you recommend better using Hotwire in my case?

 

Knowing these last things, I'll make my decision and close this topic with my results...  Thanks a lot Aaron!!!

 

 

[thereuare]

You can call the hotel after you win and request connecting rooms but there is no guarantee that the hotel will be able, or willing, to honor your request... some hotels don't have any connecting rooms (or have very few).  Regardless, this doesn't solve your 1bed vs. 2 bed issue.

 

Given your paramters, and that the HOTWIRE hotel is fairly close in prices to the PRICELINE EXPRESS offer, i would go with the HOTWIRE one for peace of mind... searching for 2rooms/2adults/3children will ensure enough sleeping accommodations for everyone (this will usually mean 2 beds in at least one room, although the second 'bed' could be a pullout sofabed or rollaway brought into the room)

 

Using the EASY VIEW TAB of our BiddingHelper.com tool and clicking the GREEN 'See All Amenities' button next to this offer, this is what i'm seeing when searching for your dates (and 2rooms/2adults/3children):

4.5* Magnificent Mile  - Water Tower for $132.00
Pet Friendly
Boutique
Indoor Pool
Smoke Free
Fitness
Pool
Restaurant
Business
Hi-Speed Internet
Spa
Childrens Activities
==> if this is what you're seeing, the W Chicago - Lakeshore would be my best guess for this one

 

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

 

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or how we can be of further help.

 

 

[Mr A J]

Thanks.  Just wanted to know, you both guessed W - Lakeshore, which it's fine, but on your hotel list this hotel comes as a 4* hotel, not 4.5*...  Is there a real difference between a 4* and a 4.5* hotel?

 

Thanks.

 

[AaronJB]

My guess is that it's been upgraded since last reported. The list only provides what has been reported to the board. There can be a difference between a 4 and 4.5* but hotels are subjective and you may certainly feel that a 4.5* is worthy of the rating or you may feel it's more a 4* than a 4.5* (and you may feel a 4* is more worthy of 4.5*.)

 

Please keep us updated with what you decide and let us know if we can be of any further assistance.

 

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

[Mr A J]

Is it to soon to make a reservation via hotwire or priceline express right now for summer in Chicago?  Do you think is a good deal $132 for a 4.5* hotel in the Magnificent Mile area?  Or should I wait and maybe get a better deal?

 

I'll appreciate your expertise and honesty!!!

 

[AaronJB]

My view is that $132 is a good deal - especially in regards to more than 2 people in the room via HOTWIRE. When I search for 2a/3c and 2 rooms, the cheapest option I see at the 4.5* level is the potential W. If that were to go away, the next cheapest thing I'm seeing is $165. At the 3.5* level, the cheapest thing I'm seeing is $140.  The suburbs are something that I sometimes suggest in the Summer when rates are higher, but they're really not that much different on these dates in terms of price and it does take some real time and effort to get into the city from the suburbs. Also, I'd really only suggest the suburbs if driving - it's too difficult to get to suburban hotels via public transit.

 

Thank you for keeping us updated and definitely let me know if you have any other questions before booking.

 

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

[Mr A J]

I did it, in HOTWIRE...  Yo were both correct, it was the W Lakeshore, Chicago...

 

So it was $130 per room per night for 2 adults and 3 children from Jul/22 to Jul/26

 

Amenities:

Pet friendly, Boutique hotel, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services, Children's activities

 

Thanks for all your help!!!  I'm happy with my hotel!!!

 

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success... nice score!

 

Glad to see you received the hotel you were hoping for and are looking forward to the family trip.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and helping us confirm the new amenity set for this property for the Hotwire Hotel List.

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

Enjoy your stay.