[findthegoodstuff]

Looking for a room near Grant Park & trying to see if Priceline/Hotwire is even going to be worth trying for during:

Friday, August 6th to Monday, August 9th, 2010 ?
Lollapalooza dates


I bid via the BB PRICELINE link for $60 on a 4 star & of course got denied, figure it was worth a few weeks/months of lowballs but I wonder where/when the sweetspot will pop up

No, I do NOT want a room outside of the Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area / Zone


Hotwire has this 3 star for $155:
3* La Quinta Inn and Suites
Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry


any thoughts? suggestions?

[AaronJB]

These dates are quite expensive in the Loop due to Lollapalooza, but this looks like it's far enough out that, while rates are expensive, they aren't as bad as they probably will be when it gets a bit closer to the dates.

What I would recommend far more than the La Quinta would be the Standard Club via Orbitz for $160 - that's an beautiful, ritzy - and quite historic - private club (4* on Orbitz) that rents rooms to the public. Coupon code orbitzdeal5 takes 5% off. That would be a bit closer to Grant Park.

The Central Loop Hotel (in the Loop) and the River Hotel (by the River, still on the "Loop" side) are showing for $121 for these dates on Orbitz, as well (and coupon code orbitzdeal5 appears to work for those, too.)

Please use the site's Orbitz, HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[findthegoodstuff]

How often can you bid on priceline if you dont change 2 things?

Once every 24 hours or once every day? (not having to wait 24 hours total?)

& what about the 3* hotels? what range do you think they usually pick up in this area during anytime of the year?

[thereuare]

Quote

Once every 24 hours or once every day? (not having to wait 24 hours total?)

It's 24 hours from your last rejected bid. Don't try to circumvent the 24 hour clock as there are times when it will re-set the 24 hours lockout period. Sometimes (not always) PRICELINE will send you a reminder that you're eligible to bid again (if you do receeve such an email please don't use the links in it, please return to the board and use the links here to resume your bidding)

Quote

what about the 3* hotels? what range do you think they usually pick up in this area during anytime of the year?

Rates are date specific, and i assume above you meant "this time of year" (vs. anytime of year). Regardless, there is a specific event taking place on your dates which are effecting demand, and thus hotel prices. As a result, an 'average' for this time of year isn't likely going to be very meaningful for your stay since your dates are far from 'average' (ie- outside forces effecting demand).

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

[findthegoodstuff]

My plan of attack is:

every 24 hours + 1 min give or take

Millennium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area

1st bid: $$
* 4

2nd bid: $$ + 1 dollar
* 4
* 3 1/2

(MAYBE)
3rd bid: $$ + 2 dollars
* 4
* 3 1/2
* 3

What do you think? Of course use the PRICELINE link from betterbidding
So far I haven't got a bite but I might toy around with this for a while + my $ amount
Maybe I'll add a night and that might help?

a penny for anyones thoughts?

[mtobey]

Don't know if this helps, but I'm looking for a 4* in MP/Grant/Loop for Lollapalooza (8/6-8/9), and I can tell you that today, using rebids, I made it up to $110 with no luck. I haven't tried any 3.5* or 3* hotels yet, still holding out for 4*.

[AaronJB]

Discounts will likely not be as sizable as normal off regular rates for these dates, due to Lollapalooza, which has resulted in sold out or full Loop hotels by a month before the concert every year since the festival first started in Chicago a few years back. The two Orbitz recommendations at $121 for the Central Loop hotel and River Hotel are both what I consider to be particularly good deals, especially if previous years are any indication.

[thereuare]

findthegoodstuff,

I would be using your re-bid zones to keep the star level the same and increase your bid... then lower your bid and your star level and gradually bid higher until you run out of re-bid zones, then lower your bid and your star rating and bid until you run out of re-bids. If you're not familiar with re-bidding see Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask any questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Once you have your re-bid zones understood, if you need a more detailed bidding strategy let us know your maximum bid at each star level and we'll suggest a gameplan.

I also think you need to be realistic in your bidding... you do have plenty of time between now and your stay, but this is an event which usually drives hotel prices higher, and while you're bidding in $1 increments you may eventually see the ~$120 Orbitz offers disappear and nothing but higher rates prevailing (thru both PRICELINE. HOTWIRE, Orbitz, and other non-opaque booking channels) Nobody can say if rates this year will be higher, lower, or the same as previous years, but if you're going to continue increasing your bids by only $1 per day i'd find a fully cancellable reservation which you're comfortable with and can use as a back-up.

Thanks for using our PRICELINE links to begin your bidding.

[findthegoodstuff]

mtobey, on Mar 10 2010, 04:31 PM, said:

Don't know if this helps, but I'm looking for a 4* in MP/Grant/Loop for Lollapalooza (8/6-8/9), and I can tell you that today, using rebids, I made it up to $110 with no luck. I haven't tried any 3.5* or 3* hotels yet, still holding out for 4*.

a

I'm up to $142 / night without luck for a 4 star ...

maybe i'll have some luck soon...

something tells me priceline & hotwire are going to pop up with whats leftover soon?

[AaronJB]

Lollapalooza will likely keep at least some degree of a floor under prices, and there will likely be some walk-ins, so discounts may remain limited. Rates could also continue to head higher, as rates are higher this Summer overall and Lollapalooza traffic added to already high rates traffic could be problematic.

The 8/6-8 dates are particularly busy, although all 3 nights are pricey. The 8/8-9 date alone is significantly cheaper than 8/6-8, so if you were able to snag a particularly cheap rate for 8/8-9, that would give you some further room w/8/6-8.

What would be your desired max budget per night?

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.