coharahawk

Regular rate was $98. Used the Priceline link as usual from BetterBidding.

I wanted a room in the loop for the weekend. It seems to be a busy weekend, maybe the light parade? I tried bidding up from $80 to $115 for 3.5* without success. There was a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal at $114 for a 3* in the loop that I was confident was the La Quinta. I tried bidding 3* up to 105, then decided to abort and take the express deal. It was in fact La Quinta, which has great reviews and will work out well. Amenities: free breakfast, free Internet, indoor and outdoor pool, pets allowed, business center, fitness center Used the PRICELINE link for bidding.

We decided to take a fairly last-minute getaway to the city. We want to be near Midtown. Been scoping out prices for a few days on Hotwire and Priceline Express Deals. I tried bidding on 9/22-9/25 up to $180 for 3* without success. I realized that the 24th was the expensive date, so I decided to split my stay (rejected by PL to extend my stay). Started bidding at $105 for 3* using ESB, MSG, Chelsea, MTW (didn't feel like adding TS and wanted to avoid Radisson Lexington in MTE based on past experience). I bid up in $5 increments and ended up winning the Residence Inn in the ESB area. Very pleased with this based on Tripadvisor and PL reviews. It will be nice having a kitchenette too. I used the PRICELINE link from this website many times during the bidding process.

We decided to stay an extra night in Chicago, so I booked a same-day hotel downtown. Started bidding at around $50, and rebid until I won the Allerton at $84. Offer Price: $84.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $84.00 Taxes & Fees: $20.78 Total Charged to Card: $104.78 This was previously listed as a 3.5* property based on prior wins. For my efforts, we were given a tiny room by the very loud elevators that I'm sure Allerton always gives to the Priceline/Hotwire customers (based on TripAdvisor reviews). The hotel itself was otherwise fine. However, in my future bidding on downtown hotels I will consider this a land mine in the 4* NMA group of hotels that are otherwise very nice. Glad we only had to stay there 1 night. Used the PRICELINE links provided on this website.

I've been trolling the forums and HOTWIRE for the past few weeks, and it appears this weekend is expensive in downtown Chicago. Too rich for my blood. Therefore, I started looking at the ORD zones (South) and plan to take the Blue Line downtown. HOTWIRE had priced a 4 star ORD South at $63 for these dates. I started bidding at $40 and up by 2 or 3 until my offer was accepted by Hyatt Regency O'Hare at $57. This is a really short walk from the Blue Line and has pretty good reviews....and even including a 3 day CTA pass for 2 people, I still spent less than 1 night downtown. I used the PRICELINE link from this forum MANY times during my rebidding process.

About 1.5 miles to the intersection of Wacker and Michigan Ave according to Google Maps. Depends on what you consider far.

Tough weekend for hotels in Downtown Chicago. Tried on PRICELINE for quite awhile at much higher rates than usual for Loop area. I've also been trolling HOTWIRE for several days. Used Better Bidding links for both. Finally settled on Chicago West Loop 3.5* at $116 with following amenities: Amenities Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Golf Nearby Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower Ended up winning: Crowne Plaza Hotel Chicago 733 West Madison, Chicago, IL, 60661 (312) 829-5000 I took a gamble and lost, as this is about the furthest possible hotel in the Loop region from Millennium Park (the desired destination). Although it is much lower priced than closer hotels.

Decided to take a weekend trip to Chicago after Thanksgiving. I've been researching prices for the past few days, noticing that 11/26 was not being heavily discounted for some reason based on Hotwire and prior wins. I was a little pessimistic about the prices, but I did notice that Hotwire rates were slightly lower today and decided to give it shot. Bidding progression 3.5 star loop $60 3.5 star loop + NMA $65 (re-open browser) 3.5 star NMA + MDWN $68 3.5 star loop + NMA + MDWN $70 (re-open browser) 3.5 star loop + NMA + Skokie $75 (won) Sax Hotel A Thompson Hotel 333 North Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60610 312-245-0333 Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $75.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Guests Per Room: 2 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $150.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $31.54 (USD) Total Room Cost: $181.54 (USD) Especially given my low expectations for a deal on this date, I'm pretty happy with this win. As always, used the PRICELINE link from this website. Thanks to previous bidders for the help.

Booked this room for a family member who's heading to Chicago for a half marathon, with the start/finish in Grant Park. Started at $50 and bid up in $5 increments. Eventually won at $80. Not as cheap as I've gotten in the past for this property, but it's about what I expected for this time of year, and it's walking distance to the race. Used the PRICELINE link.

Need a hotel for tomorrow night for a wedding downtown. Started at $45, then added Council Bluffs, then Bellevue and was accepted at $55. This should work well for our plans.

You mentioned the ridiculous parking prices in downtown Chicago. I recently stumbled upon the Park Whiz website as I'll be visiting soon as well. You should check it out. There is a participating parking garage just around the corner from the Allerton, and it's probably a lot cheaper than $50/night.

Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely check that place out.

Are you adding free rebid zones and increasing your bid? There are many free rebid combinations you can create in Chicago if you are looking for 4* hotels. See the main forum page and read the Priceline tips for explanation.

We need a room for the DMB Caravan coming to town, so I expected this weekend might be somewhat expensive in Downtown zones. There were no previous wins on the Calendar of Wins posted for this weekend, so I was a little concerned. Started bidding with 4* from 70 increasing by $3 and adding rebid zones until $100 dollars. I had several offers to increase my bid (lowest being $112) Then I realized there were many available 3.5* properties that I would be happy with. Started bidding 3.5* at 70 and increasing by $3-4 until 100 without success. Went back to 4* adding more rebid zones and first bid at $103 won the Blackstone Renaissance. (I was getting close to my cutoff of about $108, for which Hotwire had a 4* property that I felt was probably Hotel Allegro) I'm very happy with this property, as the TA reviews look great with location on Michigan Avenue, as well as for transportation (Red line, Metra, and bus lines). Used the PRICELINE link from Better Bidding. As always, thanks to previous bidders who posted on the board.

I was looking specifically for NMA-River North for logistic reasons for our trip, so I knew I'd be spending more than if I was willing to add Millenium-Loop-Grant Park area. I started bidding at $80 on 3* hotels in NMA-River North using Franklin Park and Hyde Park as rebid zones. I ended up getting accepted and upgraded to 4* at $108 at Marriott Mag Mile. I'm happy with this as best online price is $269. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $108.00 Subtotal: $216.00 Taxes & Fees: $42.60 Total Charges*: $258.60 Used the PRICELINE link from Betterbidding site.

I found out my mom needed a hotel in late afternoon on the first day of reservation. I wasn't too confident in the deal I could get last minute, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway. Tried 3.5* without much luck so dropped to 3* and ended up winning Sheraton Safari. I received report that the hotel was great. Used Betterbidding PRICELINE link.

I spent a couple days using re-bid zones for 3 and 3.5* hotels in this area. I was excited when I finally won Embassy Suites for $50/night. Ended up $235 for 4 nights total. The hotel was extremely nice with plenty of amenities and, as always, delicious free breakfast buffet. Overall, a great experience. Used the Betterbidding PRICELINE link. Thanks to all the previous posters.

Bid placed 1 day prior to stay so I had to be somewhat conservative, as there are no rebid zones. Previous posters have won this at $50 recently and the matching HOTWIRE price was $61, so I split the difference and tried $55 and won. I'm very satisfied with this as it is new and I've read several good reviews. Used the PRICELINE link on Betterbidding. Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $55.00 Subtotal: $55.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $15.41 Total Charges*: $70.41 Thanks for previous posters for the help!

Woohoo, I get to add a new hotel to the Priceline Hotel List! I've been fed up with staying in Downtown Milwaukee and getting killed on parking, internet, etc. This time I thought I'd try to stay at the Crowne Plaza in Wauwatosa. I didn't ended up winning that, but I ended up with the HIE in Wauwatosa. I love HIE and their free breakfast, wifi, parking, etc. Started at $45 at 3* in Milwaukee Northwest - Rejected Added 2.5* - Accepted Used the PRICELINE link on Betterbidding.com

I won this around 1 day before our stay began. I used what seemed like a million different combinations of rebid zones before finally winning this place. The location was convenient and it was sufficient for what we needed. Used the PRICELINE link on Betterbidding. Thanks to previous posters for the help.

Won this on a couple days notice. I was hoping to win the Holiday Inn Express Chelsea again, but ended up winning this 3* in MTE instead. I was a little hesitant after reading the reviews on Tripadvisor, but it ended up being a very nice place. They let us check-in early and actually upgraded us from a petite room to a standard. I was hoping to win for four consecutive nights, but bidding near the price range of previous winners in dozens of combinations, I couldn't get it to work. The location of the hotel is great with easy walk to Rockefeller Center and Times Square, as well as subway lines. Used PRICELINE link on Betterbidding. Thanks for everyone posting their previous wins.

I ended up bidding on a few days notice and added zones that I knew this price probably would not win. I had seen this won for cheaper, but I was happy with this deal. Free breakfast (which was really chaotic) and wifi were nice additions. The location was very convenient to everything. I was hoping to win this hotel for longer, but one night was the longest I could get. Used the PRICELINE link on Betterbidding. Thanks for all the previous posters who helped me win this.

Started at $35 and moved up from there adding re-bid zones. There are mixed reviews on Tripadvisor, so we shall see. Hilton Milwaukee City Center Milwaukee Downtown 509 W Wisconsin Ave Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203 414-271-7250 See Hotel Website View Map and Directions Check-In Date: Thu, Apr 2, 2009 / After 04:00 PM Check-Out Date: Sun, Apr 5, 2009 / 11:00 AM Amenities: Your Offer Price Per Room, Per Night: $40.00 Subtotal: $120.00 Taxes & Service Fees: $25.65 Total Charges*: $145.65 Used PRICELINE link from this website.

I think I understand what you are asking. I'm pretty sure you'll have to do this as 2 separate bidding sessions. If your first choice is a 4* CPS or UES, then go ahead and use the usual bidding method by adding rebid zones as described on this website. Once you reach your maximum bid for 4* and you have not won, close your browser and open up a new window. This will allow you to restart bidding on 3* hotels in DT without having to include those in CPS. Then you can start the whole process over again using your maximum price for a 3* as your new ceiling. Of course, you will likely want to lower your starting bid for the 3*, however, I'm not sure how many rebid zones you will have for the 3*.

I needed a room downtown. Started at $45 and added free zones until I won Sheraton Downtown at $53. Seems like a decent price, and hopefully should work just fine.