joby

Just a follow up---Club Quarters hotel--GREAT location and the room was nice, it had a microwave and fridge, a nice view of the city, was clean and the front desk was very nice, enjoyed having free bottled water too! Thanks again for the help. It was perfect for our weekend trip.

Thanks so much again, Aaron! I don't really think the small rooms will be much of a negative for us this trip, location and cost I think is more important. I have never heard of the spice shop--it looks interesting. I also don't know much about Old Town. For eateries, I usually use this website http://www.lthforum.com/bb/index.php I find it lists and reviews some lesser known places that are usually really good finds. I also have, in the past, used the CTA's trip planner http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/trip_planner.aspx for directions for bus and train travel. Is it still a good site to use? Itinerary wise, we were kind of thinking of, not in any particular day or order: 1 day going window shopping at some of the high end name stores, LP Zoo, Notebaert museum and dinner someplace in that area or on the way back to the hotel 1 day going to Chinatown browsing, dinner in Chinatown (maybe Lao Sze Chuan), and seeing the White Sox game Sunday maybe shopping, strolling, Millennium Park, and a late lunch Maybe fireworks at Navy Pier We also thought it might be a good idea to have a plan B in case of rain for some of our activities.

Well, I finally made up my mind after seeing this come up on Hotwire again this evening:) You were correct, Aaron. Thanks so much for your help and suggestions, very much appreciated! It sounds like it will work well for our stay and needs. Club Quarters Wacker Dr., ---$108/night-- July 26-28, 2013 3.5-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - River North Free Internet Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Roll-in shower

Thanks again. I'm kind of thinking I should just go ahead and book the CQ on Wacker and get it over with. What to do......

Thanks! Is the hotel.com sale just a 24 hour sale or is it longer?

It's funny, I couldn't sleep last night and looked again at Hotwire and ALMOST went ahead and booked the $118 new listing but, kept waivering as I wasn't sure of the actual hotel (maybe the Hard Rock etc.). Now, I kind of wished I did it. Oh, well. I also looked at the hotels.com site you mentioned and also wondered about spending a few dollars extra and booking the CQ REFUNDABLE rate for $125/night as a back up plan. So, the Allegro is back up today, the 3.5's are gone, as is the 4* $118. I now have lots of background--- thanks Aaron!--. Armed with all of that info, I think I will watch and wait for a LITTLE longer. Aaron, does this sound like a plan for Hotwire-- -best choice would be the 4*/$118 (Hard Rock, etc) -second best 3.5*/$108 ( CQ) -third best 4*/$112 (Allegro) If you could give me your opinion on the above or make a different order, I would appreciate it. At this point, my head is starting to spin and I just want to know a plan and I will watch for a little while longer and then decide if/when I see the best option for us and book it. Thanks so much!

Thanks! I also now see another 3.5* Mill. park/Grant Park for $107 it has the same amenities as the 3.5* you mentioned, may idea what it might be? . Would it be any better or worse than the others? To you, would there be a big difference between the $118/ 4* and the $109 3.5* ? I really appreciate all of your help and suggestions. It can be hard to make an unknown choice in a big city :)

Thanks Aaron for the reply. Would the Palmer, Hard Rock or W City be any better or well located than the Allegro was? Is the $118 price decent for any of those hotels? Overall, do the prices and available hotels look reasonable for our dates? Sure, any of the other Hotwire hotels would be OK, assuming the location is good and the cost is a good deal. We're just trying to get the nicest hotel and location for our needs for the least amount. We're open to any suggestions and help :) it would be nice to get our lodging wrapped up sooner versus later. It makes me a bit anxious to wait until the last minute to have something booked.

Now it looks like the possible $107 Allegro is gone from HOTWIRE. This is what I found today: 4-star Hotel in Chicago Loop - Theater District $118 Pet friendly Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access What do you think it might be? Would it be a better option for our stay? What should I do now HOTWIRE, bid on PRICELINE, wait it out a few days and see what happens on HOTWIRE?

Aaron, Could you tell me a little more on the Allegro and its location? How far would it be to get the L to say Chinatown or the White Sox game? Is it a far or unsafe walk in the evening say, around 9-10 pm to get from the bus or L and back to the hotel? In my first post I mentioned what we will probably be doing while in Chicago. It would be nice to walk back to the hotel after dinner or shopping and not feel scared or unsafe :) What are your thoughts? Is $107 for the Allegro a decent price or does it usually go for more or less? Would we be likely to get the Felix for a fair amount less than the Allegro at around $107 + tax/fees? The only thing that worries me a bit about the Felix are the reviews on the front desk and I read some cleanliness issues too.

Thanks for those guesses--some I guessed the same as you and some not :) What would you suggest as the best bet in our case? Would you go with Hotwire or would you try Priceline or do you have another suggestion? We're really open to most anything--we just need to keep costs low and convenience higher, in a decently pleasant hotel. As I said we will be using public transportation and walking only.

Yes, it would probably worth a few dollars to have a little more assurance that we knew what we were getting, maybe up to $10/night is all though on Hotwire. We really don't need much in the way of amenities, just the location and cost and safety. As I said, anything else would be gravy :) This is what I found today on Hotwire: 3-star Hotel in Downtown Chicago - Millennium Park - Grant Park $111/night Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Laundry Facilities (self-service) High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking --------------------------------- 2-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - River North $106 Free Parking Pet friendly High-Speed Internet Access ----------------------------------- 2-star Hotel in Downtown Chicago - Millennium Park - Grant Park $111 Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access ----------------------------------------- 2-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower $129 Free Internet Pet friendly Restaurant(s) High-Speed Internet Access Accessible path In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking ------------------------------------------ 4-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - River North $134 Free Internet Boutique Hotel Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Roll-in shower -------------------------------------------- 3-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - River North $135 Fitness Center Business Center High-Speed Internet Access In-room accessibility Roll-in shower ------------------------------------------ 3-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower $136 Free Internet Boutique Hotel Smoke Free Rooms Restaurant(s) High-Speed Internet Access --------------------------------------------- 4-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower $139 Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower ------------------------------------------- Would any of these be any better than the other as to location versus cost or value? Thanks and I appreciate the help and suggestions.

Thanks for the suggestions, Aaron. We will probably be out until maybe 10 or 11 pm, nothing later. Doesn't really matter where we stay, just convenience and cost. Less money would be better, but not in exchange for a good location. Would you suggest HOTWIRE or PRICELINE (name your own price)? Whatever might be good for our needs. What would you suggest?

Hi, We (2 adults) will be in Chicago arriving July 26 and departing July 28 (2 Nights). We will be arriving/departing at Union Station. We are going to a White Sox game, shop, eat, go to Chinatown, maybe Lincoln Park zoo and the Notebaert museum. We will have a CTA pass for transportation. What area would you suggest we stay in? We want to keep the price under $140 on Hotwire or Priceline, the less expensive the better. Price. location and cleanliness are our top needs, anything else is gravy :) On Betterbidding's Hotwire site I found: 2*-4* and prices between $104-139 for the following ares: Downtown/Mill Park, Mag Mile River N, Mag Mile Water Tower, Loop/Theater. Are these the areas that would work for us the best? Suggestions?

Yellowdog, I think we will enjoy our stay. The Riverside sounds like a nice place and well located too. I did indeed use the Better Bidding PRICELINE link for my purchase :)

Thanks for the help. My latest bid was accepted. Date: January 12-14, 2011 Number of nights: 2 (pre-cruise) Hotel: Riverside Hotel Rating: 3 star Area: Ft Lauderdale Downtown Site: Priceline Winning Bid: $75 Taxes & Service Fees: $26.48 Total = $176.48 Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the help and I'll let you know.

Hi, I would say the goal is to get the least expensive 3* or above for the 2 nights. Downtown seems to be a good spot for our needs. What next???

Thanks yellowdog. I looked it up and the cost was $159/night + tax. That's really more than we want to spend. Thanks for the opinion on the airport area. I guess we were just thinking about a shuttle. Actually, we'll need transportation from FLL to the hotel, hotel to cruise port anf cruise port to FLL. The rest we hope to be able to use the water taxi or just walk :) I see such good deals on PRICELINE and hope to get lots of coaching on how to get a great deal. Do you have any other suggestions?

The minimum star rating would probably 3*. That should give us a good hotel and keep out the unfavorably reviewed hotels too. I've read the rebidding posts, how-to posts, etc. but, I still am nervous about all of this :) Could anyone help a Priceline newbie with easy to follow directions/strategy and advice?

We do have our flights now. We're going to Ft. Lauderdale and arriving on January 12 for a 2 night stay. Could anyone give me advice now?

OK, will do. We should have our flights in the next day or so. Will ask again then :)

Hi, I've gotten hotels on Hotwire many times w/ the help of this board. I "think" I want to branch out and try Priceline. Our flights aren't set yet but, will be shortly and I wanted to do a little research on Priceline bidding before I tried it. I'm kind of chicken, I guess :) We're going on a cruise and flying into and out of Ft. Lauderdale (FLL). Arriving to FLL on January 12 or 13, 2011 depending on flights and hotel costs. This is what we're looking for: -1 or 2 nights (to be decided when we have our flights) precruise hotel -1 bed needed -a great bargin -under $100/night and hopefully lots under! -ideally either free shuttle to/from airport and cruiseport OR inexpensive taxi ride -well located to eateries and things to do (like the water taxi) as we won't have a car rental From a little research I've done on the area, it appears that the 3 areas that would be the best fit for our plans would be: Ft. Lauderdale downtown/Las Olas Ft. Lauderdale beach Ft. Lauderdale airport Horwire hotels seem to be in the over $100 range so, thought I would give Priceline a first try and see if I could get a super deal :) Would anyone be willing to help me get strted on a bidding strategy for PRICELINE? Thanks :o

We had a nice stay at the Jameson. It was clean, safe and the front desk were very helpful and friendly. A very good deal for our needs. Thanks for the help.

Got the Jameson Inn, Arlington Heights/Elk Grove for $36 (through the Better Bidding HOTWIRE link). Icons were: suite/breakfast/fitness/kitchenette. It seems like a fine place to stay over night and have breakfast included the next morning. It won this award: "Jameson Inn Rank #1 for Customer Satisfaction for 2009 Awarded Highest in Guest Satisfaction among economy hotel chains by Market Metrix Hospitality Index for the 6th year in a row." Thanks for the help :)