Alex in MI

Given your parameters, definitely do not stay at the South Loop Hotel, dummy. (Oh, wait, it was Fred who called other people dummy. ;) ) Just don't. To stay close to Loop/River North and public transportation, you'll have to budget for parking. Palmer (extremely well located)/Grant Park Garage wouldn't be a bad combination, if it's within your budget. As Aaron mentioned, what's your daily lodging/parking $ limit? If you insist on free parking, there are B & B's that do offer that, but you'll probably pay about the same as hotel + parking garage. I'm guessing that the three of you will share a bedroom (or a suite). For example, House of Two Urns, a few blocks from the Division stop on the Blue Line, has their "Alcova" room, with two queens and a twin, for 135/night.

Amenities (same as BB Hotel List) = Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Business, Free Parking, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in Shower Great price! Used the BB HOTWIRE link, of course.

I concur with Aaron (who should know, of course, as this is his site B) ). Obviously you'll want to check the hotel's website to see what their bed choices are. Sometimes you even can do this before you book, if you have a pretty good idea what hotel you'll be getting. Hotels (usually) are in the business of customer service, so (usually) they're glad to accommodate their guests' requests whenever possible. In my limited experience, the very high-end hotels have been more open to guaranteeing a bed choice, but even then it depends on how many standard (i.e., non-third party) bookings they have for your dates. Your best bet is to: 1) call and ask to speak with a manager about a reservation question; 2) let the manager know you understand their limitations regarding Hotwire and Priceline bookings, but was wondering if your request could possibly be accommodated; 3) give a good reason for your request; 4) of course, be extremely polite.

Amenities match the BB Hotel List: Restaurant, Fitness, Free Internet (yay! -- unusual for a hotel of this caliber), Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Roll-in Shower. I'm very happy with the price for this super hotel. I used the BB HOTWIRE link, of course.

Amenities (* = not yet on BB amenities list) Indoor pool(s) 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

It's the only 5* in that area, so I didn't pay attention to the amenities. Sorry about that. I used the BB HOTWIRE link, of course. Tip: Join the Fairmont President's Club (free), then call the hotel a few days before you arrive to give them your membership number. You won't get credit toward upgrades, but you'll still get curbside check-in, free wi-fi, and other benefits.

Amenities = Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Tennis (+ the usual accessibility ones). This was a slam-dunk ID, as The Fairfax currently is the only 4.5* hotel listed in this area, plus the amenities matched the BB list. The Hotwire rate was $17/day less than the non-refundable rate on the hotel's website. It wasn't a dramatic discount, but $85 + tax/fees is nothing to sneeze at, either. The manager I spoke with was extraordinarily kind and helpful with making sure we'd get a room with two double beds. Every other place I've talked with about this said they'd do what they could to provide my preferred bed choice, but couldn't guarantee anything (which is understandable with Hotwire). I used the BB HOTWIRE link, of course.

East Tower is for check-in. Enter on the first floor, then take the escalator up one level. You're correct that it's huge, but I've never had less than a satisfactory stay there.

As expected after reading some recent posts, I got this on my first bid. Used the BB PRICELINE link, of course.

However, if you don't want to walk, the #20 bus (see Transit Chicago) will take you right to Millenium Park. The hotel also is right by Greektown and is walking distance from The French Market plus a selection of great restaurants in the West Loop area (Girl and the Goat, The Publican, Avec, etc.). It's also about 2/3 mile up Halstead to the terrific Piccolo Sogno.

I agree with franklin; weekends in DC are usually, but not always, less expensive than mid-week. That's also when the Travelzoo-type deals are happening now. You're right that there's probably something going on those days, as I was able to get a priceline win at the Washington Hilton for $85 just a week earler. You might want to check again in a couple of weeks. Also, if you don't need to be in one of those areas, I suspect you'll get a better price if you try some outlying areas like Crystal City, Alexandria, or Bethesda. Also try Hotwire. Just be relatively confident that your likely winner will be near a Metro station.

Won on first bid. I should've started at $75!. Still happy, though. Used the BB PRICELINE link, of course.

Sutton Place is now 139 via Travelzoo if you book by tomorrow. Travelzoo also has the Hyatt Regency for $139, with half-price valet parking, if you book by today. The hotel, w/o the parking offer, often is available through HOTWIRE for significantly less than that.

Amenities: Smoke Free Rooms, Restaurant(s), Business Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby (exactly as listed in the Hotwire Hotel List) Used the magic HOTWIRE link, of course.

Amenities: Complimentary Breakfast, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Laundry BTW, I just noticed a mistake: My stay is until 5/4, not 5/5.

All the decent properties in The Loop, Mag Mile, etc., for those dates were $135 and up, so I feel fortunate to have located this one. It's convenient to downtown via the El or bus and has decent to good reviews on TripAdvisor. Used the BB HOTWIRE link, of course.

Aaron, the dates that showed up are not the right ones. They might have reset when I wasn't looking. Could you correct them to 3/6/12-3/8/12? Thanks.

Although it seemed a bit overpriced (at least to me) at $130/night, pretty much everything else in the area was way more expensive, so I'm happy to have found this, thanks to the BB HOTWIRE link and hotel list. Amenities were exactly as listed on BB: Shuttle, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry

True, at least for location. The Sax was much better located for the restaurants and activities we planned, and was close to a very cheap overnight parking garage (cheap on weekends only). However, based on this one experience, I think the Sax was overrated at 4 stars. The desk clerk at check-in was snippy; the matresses had seen better days; the decor was both odd and dated; the TV reception was just fair on most channels; a plate from the previous occupant's room service was outside our door when we checked in and was still there when we checked out the next day; and if we opened the window for fresh air we were treated to grease-borne odors from the kitchen's rooftop vent several floors below.

Amenities: Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business This was little more than I originally had planned on spending, but I delayed one day too long and missed out on what I'm sure was the Palmer House Hilton for $114. I went up to $92 for a 4* on Priceline, but no dice. It's a busy weekend in Chi-town, I think. Booked through the BB HOTWIRE link, of course.

Used the BB HOTWIRE link, of course. $380.93 total with taxes and fees. Amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business Same amenities as the Inter-Continental, but I figured it was going to be the Conrad based on the 4.5 TripAdvisor rating; the I-C was rated 4. What looked to be the Palmer House, in the Loop, was $102/night for those dates.

Oh, right -- I always forget to include the amenities. In this case, they were: restaurant, fitness, hi-speed internet, business (same as Hard Rock, which also would have been fine with me).

I used the BB PRICELINE link, of course. This was the best price around for anything decent in or near the downtown area for this very busy weekend. The Sheraton isn't centrally located, but it's a nice property, and only a very short walk from Fox & Obel. :-P

Booked through the BB PRICELINE link, of course. Originally bid $80. Priceline countered with $100. I declined, added a second area (Dupont Circle), and bid $85, which was accepted. Total with tax and fees was $397.64. Happy, happy. A terrific price for a Kimpton property, in my opinion.

Very happy with this deal (and the BB HOTWIRE link) Amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business FYI, a 4*, probably the Hyatt Regency, was available for $98/night, also a good deal.