GM Mike

Rates are pretty high for that night at most hotels. I would strongly encourage you to book a fully refundable/cancellable backup reservation right now. There is a Candlewood Suites in Schiller Park (2 miles/3.22km to airport) for $112.99 and a Holiday Inn in Elk Grove Village (6 miles/9.66 km to airport) for $129 available for 9/26. Due to location and better reviews, I would pick the Candlewood. There are reports that their airport shuttle may not be 24 hours so you should contact them and make sure it runs early and late enough for your trip. Also, make sure the rate you book is a fully cancellable/refundable rate. Please use this board's HOLIDAY INN or CANDLEWOOD SUITES links to book your stay. That will take some of the pressure off for you. You're still quite a ways off from your stay. We often see hotels load lower rates 30 days or earlier away from the arrival date. I would recommend (after you book a backup) that you bid every few days up to a reasonable limit below your backup (say $70 for a 4*?) until 29 days out, then perhaps inch it up just a bit (to $80 for a 4*?) and wait it out. Also, check HOTWIRE each time before you bid. You might find a deal there. If you do, you may also want to use that as a guideline for a lower priceline bid. (Always compare total cost including taxes and fees.) Good luck and keep us updated on how you do.

I would suggest you consider total cost of your visit. At some point it becomes more affordable to look at suburban zones farther out and consider the cost of driving to where you need to be (rental car + gas + parking). Can you tell us more about the purpose for your trip and why you need to be by the airport? Also, what is your maximum bid?

Welcome - How is that over $1800? Did you bid on two rooms? The only thing you can do is find the hotel listed for less somewhere else within 24 hours of your bid and invoke the priceline rate guarantee. Occasionally we hear stories of priceline customer service agents showing SOME mercy, but generally that's not the case. I hate to say it, but you're probably stuck. Non-refundable means non-refundable. :)

Welcome - What zones are you bidding in? What * ratings in each of those zones? What is your actual maximum bid you're willing to make? Do you have a backup reservation somewhere? Have you considered STAYING IN NEW JERSEY?

The waiting period between bids is now only 24 hours!

:) We finally agree on something! :)

We have not had that combination of amenities reported. Sometimes hotwire quality ratings are the same as priceline. Generally hotwire rates about 1/2* higher than priceline. Occasionally 1* higher. If you made me guess, I'd say it could be the Hotel @ MIT. It has those four amenities, is available that night, is generally considered a 4* at other sites, and is "close" to the T (about 4 blocks - tho the neighborhood apparently isn't great). I have pretty lukewarm confidence in that guess tho. (And it is just a guess.) However, I sense you really want to get this stay figured out and you don't have a lot of other good options right now. If the boundaries of that zone on hotwire's map work for you, why not buy it? Does it really matter exactly which 4* hotel it is? :) Please use THIS HOTWIRE link to purchase, if you do. Let us know what you decide!

Most tourists here bid UM/CPS (with MTW, MTE). Some bid MTS. Most do not bid Downtown/SoHo. Have you bid up to $140 in each of the zones you listed? What is your actual maximum bid? *-level? Backup reservation? Have you checked HOTWIRE? "Closing the browser" is only used when starting a new bid. It doesn't allow you to violate the priceline rules of needing to change zone or * rating or dates or waiting 24 hours. So, for example, if you had a strategy that involved bidding $100, 105, 110 in MTE then $100, 105, 110 in MTW -- you'd have to close the browser between MTE $110 and MTW $100. You should read RE-BIDDING EXPLAINED which describes how to add zones with only lower rated hotels to gain an extra bid in a zone. Ask questions if it's unclear. If you answer the questions above, we can offer you a strategy for your particular situation.

One thing needs to be clarified: You don't bid on Hotwire. The price listed is the rate, plus taxes and fees. So either you take what hotwire offers, or you bid on priceline. It doesn't really matter if $50 is "ridiculously low". You decide what your maximum bid is and we can provide a strategy that gradually increases your bids up to your maximum. You need to decide what your maximum actually is.

I'm not the one to comment on a particular strategy, but... If the wedding rate is a fully cancellable/refundable rate, I would book it right now, no matter what you decide to do. That way you have an excellent backup plan in case nothing else comes along. Just make sure you can cancel it without penalty. And remember, when you use priceline, you can get any hotel of the quality level you bid (or higher) within the boundaries of the map they show for that zone - not only the Hyatt/Doubletree, tho I can't think of any other hotels that are 3* or higher in that zone. There's not really any fixed probability to which you get, either - a lot of variables come into play. Hopefully someone else can help you with more details. Good luck!

If you'd like help with a strategy, please let us know your maximum bid, minimum */quality level, and acceptable zones. Either way, good luck!

Welcome - As shown on our CANADA HOTWIRE HOTEL LIST the 4* is a match for the Hilton and the 3* a match for the Best Western City Centre, so those would be our best guesses. If you book, please use this HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase, to support BetterBidding. Let us know how it goes or if you need further help.

Welcome to BetterBidding - It could be because everyone here volunteers their time and sometimes posts are missed. :) Those amenities have not yet been reported here. The kitchenette should narrow it down some. Some possibilities are Le Square Phillips Hotel and Suites and La Tour Centre Ville but those are wild guesses. Depending on what you actually need, you may be able to do better with priceline. Is your priority amenities or price?

The Best Western website has that hotel for your dates for $149 (as "Best Rate"). This should qualify for the Double the Difference Guarantee as long as you file your claim within 48 hours of bidding. At least then you'd be entitled to a $24/night refund... You could also take a moment to search around and see if you find a rate elsewhere that qualifies under the guarantee (I didn't find any). Just observe the 48 hour window. Let us know how it goes!

The only way to know you're getting a pool is to use HOTWIRE and look for the pool icon. Does that affect how much you "need" a pool?

Danger! Danger! It's time to book a cancellable/refundable backup somewhere! Your strategy has so many permutations, pretty soon, you could end up with no place to stay, having been caught up in bidding frenzy. Even if your backup is the Amerisuites in NJ or someplace in Stamford near the Metro North... You're beginning to run the risk of having no where to stay.

What we've heard is that hotels are allowed to set MANY acceptable prices. We've heard that PL accepts the closest price that's less than or equal to your bid. We've heard that, if there is more than one hotel that is offering that same exact price, PL randomly picks which you get. But we have no confirmation on any of that, really.

biddingforhotel, you have the most interesting and entertaining posts here :) From my experience and the rumors I've heard, I thought PL used Lemma 2 first, except against every valid hotel in ALL valid star levels for that bid, at the same time. If there are more than one hotel with the SAME minimum price, it matches randomly. But that is not what you're finding?

In answer to your general question: Most of us would agree that hotwire, on average, rates a hotel 1/2 to 1 star level higher than priceline. The ratings are pretty subjective. If you dig deep enough, on both sites, you'll find the general criteria they use. It may be more helpful to use the lists here of hotels that have been won on each service to get a better feeling for what to expect. (Obviously, what others have won is no guarantee of what you'll win.) Note that a hotwire purchase can not be used as a true backup, because it can NOT be cancelled. So if you book on hotwire, it's yours. No changes can be made. Same with priceline. Good luck!

For your first night, have you considered staying in Norwalk or Stamford and taking Metro North in?

Don't assume; read this link from thereuare to learn how to KNOW which zones have 4* and which don't. Post back if you have questions BEFORE you bid again. :)

Take a look at ILLINOIS PRICELINE HOTEL LIST. That will show the MOST LIKELY hotels in each zone at each star level. That should give you the general theme distinguishing them. Let us know zones and * levels. Also, tell us if you prefer to bid to your maximum in a particular zone and/or at a particular * level, or if lowest price is most important within the parameters you set.

As a tourist, your best zones will probably be NMA and Loop. Transportation is great in Chicago and from either of those zones you have a lot of options for getting to anywhere else. I'd suggest starting with those zones. Your maximum is probably right on the edge of what would be accepted there. As you move forward, if you can't secure either of those, staying by the airport usually works out fine. Most of the hotels in the ORD zone have shuttles to the airport and there is a train station inside the airport (45 minutes to downtown). Make sure before you do any bidding that you read I'VE NEVER USED PRICELINE and PRICELINE FAQS. Most importantly, realize that if you do have success bidding on priceline, your reservation is prepaid and can NOT be changed or cancelled! Given all of that, I'd suggest you work with a maximum bid of $75 in NMA and Loop. Someone here (thereuare?) can give you a bidding strategy to follow to make sure you don't overbid. Until then, read those links and become mentally prepared to begin, when a strategy is put forward. :)

What bidding have you done so far? Is ANY Chicago zone really acceptable? If so, have you tried the Airport ORD zone? What is Hotwire showing?

If you expand all the reviews listed for the hotel, one guest reports a view of the Hudson River, two restaurants, and a bar. Crowne Plaza has all of those things. Maybe it's a new amenity set. However, I think it's just as likely this could be the new Hampton Inn -- which also has two restaurants, one of which has a bar. Their website shows "Laundry/Valet Service". You could give a call over and see what sort of laundry service it is. I can't really think of any other hotels that would fit this description in this zone.