crito

Hm, the Wyndham, Godfrey, and Monaco all sound good (but I don't think the Wyndham has a spa). I don't think I'd pay extra for the Palomar over its sister Monaco. The LMT offers are indeed 'available'. Tough choice. I might choose soon, but might sit on it for a couple of weeks. Thanks!

Hi guys, I've extended this trip by a day, now arriving on 3/26. Since there's nothing really special I want for that one night, I'm kind of just looking for best value -- not necessarily cheapest. To give you an idea, I found the Palomar for $129 on Last Minute Travel, and the Wyndham Grand for $96. Those are my main contenders. (So as you see, I'm willing to pay a little more to get a little more -- at least I *think* the Palomar offers a bit more all considered -- but I'd say I'm leaning toward the Wyndham.) I think I see the Monaco for $96 that evening: Free Internet, Pet friendly, Boutique hotel, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Spa services, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Do you think that's right? And does anything else that night jump out at you? The person who just got the Swiss for $80 got my hopes up, but no dice -- I guess by late March I can't expect a deal that good.

Very pleased. The big rooms and very good price made this a pretty clearly better choice for me than the Westin at rack rate. (By the way, for a room with two beds and a river view the Westin would have cost $189, so that wasn't quite so attractive as I thought.) I looked into the Hyatt on St Clair and it's obviously a very nice hotel so I wasn't too worried, but I'm glad I got the Omni. Thanks for the advice! And the link in your signature saved me $20 extra. Breakfast suggestions in the neighborhood? Oh, and I did book using your HOTWIRE link (via the Bidding.Helper).

Oooh, the Westin river view does sound good. Maybe I'll spring for the extra money. I'll report back by the end of the weekend.

Great, thanks. Hm. And what do you think of the Fairmont for $143? Of these, I think I probably would go for the Omni, for the location and extra room. The Blackstone is also intriguing -- I don't mind the slightly out-of-the-way location since I could always just take a taxi, and they too have big rooms. Oh, and so does the Westin. I'll pull the trigger some time tomorrow or the weekend.

Hi guys, I’m looking to book a hotel in downtown Chicago 3/27 – 3/29. I’m searching for 2 adults, 1 child. (The ‘child’ is 17.) Here are the kinds of things I’m looking for. First, leaning modern antique-y. Second, since there are three of us (my two sons and I) I don’t want a small room. Location isn’t too important as long as it’s downtown – I guess I’d rather not be in the west Loop but near the Lake would be okay. A view would be great, but I know that’s unusual. I poked around at Orbitz and hotel rack prices and found the Fairmont for a reasonable price ($146/night) so I don’t think I’ll go above that price. (Aaron, what do you think of the Fairmont?) The Westin on the river is also reasonable (but most hotels seem very high off the rack that weekend). Here are three 4.5* hotels I’m seeing in my search. Millenium/Grant $107 Pet friendly, Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower River North $111 Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Accessible parking, Roll-in shower Water Tower $133 Pet friendly, Indoor pool(s), Smoke-free rooms, Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Internet access, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Roll-in shower I also see a half dozen 4*s, but they’re comparable in price to these so maybe they don’t make sense? So, IDs and any advice would be very much appreciated!

I've stayed in both. I rate the Westin quite a bit higher, although the Hyatt isn't bad. The Westin has better service, is quieter, and has nicer, newer rooms. Both hotels have some rooms with very good views, but the Westin has a higher percentage of such rooms. You might prefer the Hyatt if you particularly want to walk around in the historic section, since it's right in the middle -- also theaters and Chinatown. The Westin is in a more pleasant, upscale neighborhood, with some history at the doorstep but less (the Back Bay was literally a bay in colonial times--it's all landfill). The Westin adjoins the Copley Place mall, which in turn adjoins the Prudential Center, so you can stroll and shop and dine comfortably even if the weather becomes forbidding. Oh, but you aren't going until Spring so that's not so much of an issue.

The 'Free Internet' icon means the property offers free internet in all rooms. If the Onyx doesn't, osparki should ask Hot.wire for some compensation.

Hey guys, I was hoping to book one of three hotels in downtown Philly, so I tried your new device. Man, it really worked perfectly. I booked the Palomar at their rack rate when the price dipped. It actually went below the Hotwire price, I believe. Here's the thing. There was a particular room type I wanted (spa king, if you must know!), and your service didn't display that type even when I clicked "show all room types". So I'm afraid you didn't get the credit for it :-( Sorry. Could you put a reminder and instructions for how to book major chains through your site, to be included in the Rate Drop Alert? I'll certainly use the service again and want to contribute to making it worth your while. Again, thanks for doing this, it's incredibly useful. Sometimes I have a good reason for wanting to purchase rack rate and in the past I've sometimes checked the prices obsessively almost every day waiting for a dip.

Can I suggest taking the train to the stadium? http://bostontoat.blogspot.com/2013/08/riding-patriots-train.html You really don't want to drive if you can help it, because Foxboro is too small for game day traffic. Also, you can get an MBTA app and buy and download the tickets on your phone. South Station is about a mile from your hotel. I won't say "good luck" to Broncos fans, though!

Great, you told me two things I really wanted to know. (1) is driving by way of Northbrook going to be a significant extra hassle compared to going via Schaumburg, and (2) is the Northbrook hotel likely to be the Renaissance (as I suspected). So, I booked that one, and indeed it is the Renaissance. My wife stayed in the Renaissance about a month ago and she got a couple of perks, not for any obvious reason (people like her:-)), and she liked the place, so that's what I was looking for in Northbrook. We won't have time to do any sightseeing, though, since the point of the trip is to be in Madison for UW graduation. (I save a *lot* of money by flying into Chicago instead, and also quite a bit of money staying this first night in Northbrook rather than in a Madison 3*, because Madison is stuffed to the gills for the huge UW graduation.) I did use your HOTWIRE links, of course, and I'll use your new-improved car rental finder too. Aaron, I guess you have no need to rent at ORD, but there's a big difference in the different companies there (largely in terms of how long it takes from terminal to driving off in your car), so I'm not going to use Hotwire for that. Oh, so, the amenities are still the ones I listed, the price was $72, and I decided to search for 3 adults just to be safe (my son is over 18). Thanks!

Hi guys, I will be flying into ORD on May 14, 2015, and then driving to Madison, WI the next morning. My plan is to rent a car at the airport and stay over in a Chicago burb. It looks to me like Schaumburg and Northbrook are the best bets – driving to Madison via Schaumburg is a little more direct but I’d take whichever one has the better hotel deal. I need two beds – bringing wife plus one son, so I’m searching 2 adults/1 child. For Northbrook I’m seeing these amenities for a 4* at $72: Free Parking Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Fitness Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet Golf Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower For Schaumburg I see this 4* at $119: Free Parking Indoor pool(s) Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center 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 And (also Schaumburg) this 3.5 at $100: Free Parking Free Breakfast Free Internet Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Business Center Internet access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower Any thoughts on these, or general recommendations? The 3.5* has free breakfast and internet, otherwise I wouldn’t bother including it. Thanks in advance!

Booked with your HOTWIRE link! It is indeed the Hyatt Regency. Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Tennis Nearby Accessible for the blind Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Roll-in shower Very pleased -- We can walk there in 15 minutes after the game at Camden Yards.

$84 for the night of July 13th Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Tennis Nearby Accessible for the blind Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Roll-in shower Maybe the Hyatt Regency?

Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Spa Services This was the more expensive night of the two I needed, and I thought the Westin (which I had no doubt about, thanks to the BB lists) was by far the best deal available -- it's less than most of the 4*s. I wonder if a couple thousand people booked a downtown room to see the fireworks... hope not, because they've been rescheduled to 7/3 due to expected thunderstorms! Once again, I used your HOTWIRE links to search and book, and once again I knew exactly which huge bargain I was getting. (I saved over $200 per room just for this night.)

Free Internet Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Self service laundry Internet access Spa Services Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Wheelchair accessible Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower At the last minute I needed two rooms for the nights of the 3rd and the 4th. Flexible on location, I just wanted to maximize value. It turned out to be much better to split the stay. The Langham (which I was sure about thanks to BB's lists) was only a few bucks more than the 4*s available, so that was really a good deal. I'll submit my July 4th hotel win separately (I hope that's right) even though it's the same "trip". I did use your HOTWIRE links to search and to book -- thanks folks, you helped me save a big bundle this time.

Ah, thanks -- and thanks for the report from your wife, too. I found the Hyatt Regency Crystal City on Last Minute Travel for $70.75 (plus taxes and fees = $82.88) so I decided to save a few more bucks and book it there. I've found that Hot.wire is on average a little cheaper than LMT, but not this time.

4* Crystal City/DCA Oct 24-25 Airport Shuttle Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Internet access Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower $84 for the night of Oct 24th. Hyatt Regency? I really just want something cheap at DCA -- this 4* is cheaper than the lower-starred Hotwire options, so I'm slightly suspicious.

Free Parking Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center Internet access Used your Bidding.Helper -- I actually thought it was probably the Westin, but I figured any of the 4* at that price would be very good, and indeed I'm quite happy with the Renaissance.

I agree with the above advice, except I think you actually will have trouble getting in under $200 for that weekend. Since you have quad occupancy Priceline is out :-( One thing to keep in mind: if you can id the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, that would also be okay for Fenway. It's about a mile and a half, just a bit further from Fenway than Copley Sq., and that walk is very pleasant. But other Cambridge hotels would be considerably further.

Excellent deal. The Courtyard is right near the Kendall Square Red Line T stop. You won't get a great view like you might next door at the Marriott, but otherwise it's just about as good. I think this date is too early for college graduations, but there's a large event (Boston National College Fair) at the Convention Center that's probably soaking up a lot of rooms.

It was the Sheraton. Same amenities today, for $69 ($83.85 with taxes and fees). Pretty happy with this win. I used your Hotwire link to book. Any good ideas for dinner? -- pizza or not-too-formal Italian would be my son's favorite. And anything esp interesting for breakfast (interesting enough to lure me out of the Sheraton)? Thanks for the help!

This is great, thanks. I'm not too surprised that I got bonus advice :-) I'm torn. On the one hand, the handful of disgruntled reviews of the Marriott Suites give me pause. On the other, the Renaissance also looks just a bit sub-par. I'll make a choice soon and then might ask for advice about restaurants :-)

I'm going to visit Lake Forest College with my kid. We'll be flying into O'Hare and renting a car. It looks to me like the best bet is to try to stay in Northbrook -- does that seem right? (Good Hotwire inventory between O'Hare and Lake Forest.) Here's the most attractive listing I found, in Northbrook-Glenview-MtProspect: 2 adults, April 6th, $70, 4* Free Parking Free Internet Pet friendly Indoor pool(s) Smoke Free Rooms Fitness Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Self service laundry Internet Golf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking So, what might this be? (Crowne Plaza?) And, should I be looking in other areas too? Thanks!

I've decided I'll just stick with my Conrad reservation. But now I have a question for Aaron. Coming from O'Hare, and planning to use the El a few times while I'm in town (and then back out to O'Hare), should I get a Chicago Card, a Chicago Card Plus, a Ventra card, or just buy the single-fare cards as I need them?