AaronJB

I would think keep trying at around $95-100. I'm kind of surprised that you haven't gotten anything, because the rates really don't look all that high for the Summer.

Cheapest room rate I see on the W website is $354 per night for your dates, so definitely an excellent deal!

I'm having trouble finding anything downtown and there's really a lot sold out in the outlying areas it seems. Throwing out a couple of North suburbs suggestions - admittedly, regular rate, but these are near public transit (Metra Trains) headed downtown: Staybridge Suites Glenview ($144 for a suite, staybridge.com) Residence Inn Deerfield ($146 for a studio room, marriott.com) The Residence Inn Deerfield is also not far from the beautiful Chicago Botanic Gardens. Both have pools. Additionally, there is a 3-star in the Skokie/Niles/Evanston area with a pool on Hotwire for $61. No clue what it is, but that general area would not be a far drive from downtown. I'd think it would be slightly closer than Oak Brook, but that's just me.

What appears to be the Palmer House (3.5 loop, $75, fitness/business/restaurant) is also showing up (at least for me) on your dates. The 3-star Mag Mile/Wacker Drive (restaurant/fitness/business/pool/internet) also might be nice for $57. The possible 3-star hotels in the Mag Mile area are generally quite nice.

The Hyatt is not all that bad, it is simply a very large convention hotel. It is in a great location and I've had visiting friends enjoy their stay there. The service can be a bit "eh"/impersonal, but its generally been adequate in my experience. If you just need a room for sleep and you'll be out most of the day, you should be fine. Plus, they do have express self check-in where you are presented with some different room options (at least that I've seen you get to pick from some different options.) I ended up getting visiting family a room at the Knickerbocker last year, and they liked it. It's an older hotel with some rooms that may vary in size and quality, but if you luck out, there are definitely still some nicer rooms still there. A lot of history there, as well - it used to be a favorite hangout of Al Capone. Great location just off North Michigan Ave.

I think it's a matter of what room you get. As with some other of Chicago's older hotels (the "Millennium Knickerbocker" is an even bigger example of this), room size and quality varies. I got the Ambassador on Priceline and ended up in a room that I thought was quite nice. The decor was slightly old-fashioned, but instead of feeling dated, it felt sort of cozy. Nice, large bathroom. However, I've seen pictures of other rooms in the hotel that look noticably smaller, both in terms of bathroom and room. Given the age of the hotel, some rooms may show wear, while some may not. Great area, though. A lot of restaurants right down the street and Michigan Ave. not far away. The beach is also a couple of blocks East and Lincoln Park is about a 10-15 minute walk North.

1. Either possibly the Hyatt Regency Downtown (the one on Wacker Drive.) or the Swissotel. I would guess the Hyatt would be the more likely of the two. 2. Likely the Millennium Knickerbocker.

Although it could possibly be a different hotel hiding amenities, my guess here is the W City Center.

Ambassador East is a very nice hotel in a pleasant part of town. Michigan Ave. shopping isn't far, nor is a subway station to head all the way downtown. Since the Ambassador East is $179 on the hotel website, I would go to the Hotwire website and fill out a double-the-difference guarantee. The details from the website: Q: How do I qualify for the Double the Difference Guarantee? A: We work hard to negotiate the lowest possible hotel rates for you. Within 48 hours of booking on Hotwire, if you find a lower price for your entire stay for an equivalent room type in the same hotel on the same dates, we'll refund you double the difference! A few things to keep in mind when requesting a Double the Difference refund:

Luckily, prices look pretty decent at the time, so under $100 may be doable per room at that time. However, the issue is that you cannot bid for more than 4 rooms at once on PL or buy more than 4 on HW in one transaction. With Priceline, if you bid in two transactions (4 on one, 4 on the other) there's definitely a possibility you will not get the same hotel on the next bid. With Hotwire, there's a chance you may see the same hotel pop up again after completing the first transaction, but there's no guarantee there, either. The four-star hotels in both zones are not all that far from one another, so if you do get two different hotels on two different bids or purchases, there wouldn't likely be all that much of a commute from one to the other. The other thing you may want to try is bidding on priceline for four rooms. If you get four rooms somewhere, you could see what Hotwire is offering to see if they have anything really close or the same hotel. There's quite a few options, but there is no way to bid or buy 8 rooms at once, so if you do go the PL or HW route, there is that possibility that you won't get the same hotel.

Congrats on a very good deal! :) Certainly a great location and a very nice hotel. Some rooms provide a very nice view looking South down Michigan Ave.

Possibly the House of Blues or Hotel 71, although I'd guess HOB is more likely.

I'm guessing the 2* Mag Mile/Wacker may be the Howard Johnson ("Hojo") and the 2.5 may be the Hotel Blake. I would definitely read the tripadvisor.com reviews before considering either one. The other suggestion I'd have would be 877chicago.com, which currently has the Cass Hotel ($90) and the Red Roof Inn ($139) available for the 9th-11th. Both are real basic, but are in great locations. Have you tried Priceline yet?

The first is possibly (although not guaranteed) the Swissotel and the second likely (although not guaranteed) the Millennium Knickerbocker.

As far as I know, there are no Lincoln Park hotels on HW or PL. However, the only hotel that has been reported as a botique win for Priceline is the Ambassador East. That hotel is in the Gold Coast area, and Lincoln Park Zoo is a 15 minute walk North of that. Otherwise, in terms of regular rate, most people like either the Belden Stratford or the Best Western Hawthorne Place, the BW being further North. That said, do you have to be in Lincoln Park? It's really quite easy and pretty quick to stay downtown and take the subway North to generally any part of the Lincoln Park area.

Glad it worked out for you! That's certainly a great rate, as well - especially given that Hotwire is offering what appears to be the Hyatt for $106 for that date.

The $108 Loop hotel is listed as "On Request", not "available", so it's questionable whether it's available. The Marriott Downtown is $199 on Hotels.com. Not that much else out there in terms of regular rates for downtown that date, and the hotel does have a pool and is in a terrific location. I'd keep going with Priceline.

I think that that date (if you're checking in 3/30 and checking out 4/1) seems on the expensive side and $75 may not be enough for a 4* in the River North/NMA area. However, while nothing is guaranteed, it may be close if you bid in the Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park zone, as the Hyatt's regular rate is under $200 and what appears to be the Hyatt is showing up on Hotwire (4*, Mag Mile/Wacker Drive, hi-speed internet/restaurant/fitness/business/spa) for $106. You may want to bid around $80 (although that may still be a little short) in that zone if you are interested in the possibility of the Hyatt. Others will correct me if I'm wrong, but based upon the rates I'm seeing, I would think that a 4* in the River North/NMA area would take at least $90-95.

That's one I've been wondering about myself. It looks to me like the only logical thing it could be would be the W Lakeshore, but some have reported the W as a 4*. Let us know what it is if you do decide to purchase.

Could either be the Westin, Ambassador East or Drake.

I still think that's a very good deal. The Westin Michigan Ave isn't as sleek as the Westin River North, but I felt the rooms were a bit warmer and cozier. Fantastic location, too - you may want to consider the Water Tower food court a block away for a quick bite. Join the Starwood Preferred Card (spg.com; free to sign up) before you go if you haven't already. No guarantee of room placement, but I hope you'll get a Michigan Ave. view - some rooms do provide a nice view looking down Michigan Ave. Quite beautiful, especially at night.

My *guess* would be the House of Blues.

Congrats! :) Nice hotel in a very nice area, and at a good price for a busy week. If you need any snacks or other odd/ends though, I'd recommend the CVS 2 blocks South on State/Dearborn. The hotel doesn't offer vending or, at least the last time I was there, a gift shop.

Glad I could be of help! Enjoy your trip! :) Hopefully if it's not busy there you'll get one of their many rooms with either a view of the river or lake.

If you want to go to Water Tower, then I would go with the Whitehall deal on easyclicktravel. The Whitehall is literally two blocks from WT and 1 block from Hancock Observatory and a couple of blocks from 900 N. Michigan Mall. Plus, there is an subway station not far away on Chicago and State if you want a quick way to get into the downtown/loop area. It does get some mixed reviews, but $119 regular rate from EasyClickTravel is about $30-40 less than regular rate everywhere else, and the location is first-rate. I definitely know where you're coming from in regards to dust/smoke allergies. The only time I've ever had a bad issue was at the W City Center, which was an otherwise nice hotel. The majority of the room wasn't dusty, but the corners (behind the bed, etc) looked like they hadn't been dusted in ages. If you have an allergy problem while here, look for a product called Sinofresh. It's an over-the-counter non-medicated nose spray that is sold at local drug stores (CVS/Walgreens/Osco in the allergy/sinus section). It's not a massively marketed product, so I don't think it's available in all markets. It's a little expensive ($15), but I think it works - it's an antiseptic spray for the nose that cleans out dust/mold/etc. Check the label before using (even though it's non-medicated). Personally, I've never had a problem with getting non-smoking in downtown Chicago when booking via Hotwire or Priceline (and in some cases, it has been what's booked with the hotel by the service). That's not to say that it is 100% guaranteed, but there seems to be more non-smoking rooms than smoking rooms in downtown Chicago. Where I've had a problem with it is booking rooms for friends in Wisconsin via Hotwire or Priceline, where they have gotten stuck w/smoking a couple of times. When booking on PL or Hotwire, bed requests are up to the hotel and depend on the traffic of the day, too. Nothing is guaranteed, but you are not going on what appears to be a particularly busy day, given rates. The only reason I don't recommend the Palmer House is that, if you're going to be out later in the evening, the loop area can be very quiet. Not unsafe quiet necessarily, but it's largely a business district and when everyone goes home, it definitely empties out. The area North of the river remains more lively later into the night. Otherwise, it would work if you took a taxi back at night. Water Tower would be maybe a 20-25 minute walk. I definitely agree with you on the Sheraton. I still like the Whitehall EasyClickTravel idea, but Other possibilities I'm seeing: Drake - massive older landmark hotel on the North end of the Michigan Ave. shopping area, close to Water Tower. Some mixed reviews, but a definite landmark building with a lot of history. $160 on Expedia. Hotel Indigo - I recommend this newer boutique hotel a lot; it's a renovated hotel in the Gold Coast area (about a 5-7-minute walk to Water Tower) Warm color palette/decor (fits as a "romantic" hotel for couples), and around the corner from the Division/State tavern/pub area. A lot of restaurants nearby and a subway station a few blocks away. Gets good reviews. Not a 4*, but a strong 3/3 1/2* $169. Fairmont - This would be a nice 4* for $149 on Expedia. It's South of the river, right by Millennium Park. Being on Michigan Ave and close enough to the river, this wouldn't be quite as quiet as the area by the Palmer. Embassy Suites Lakefront - Not the best choice for a couple (mainly a family hotel and a lot of kids running around) but great location across from where the Sheraton is + free breakfast. $179+ free room upgrade (doesn't specify details) on Hotels.com Hotel Monaco - This is a funky (in terms of style) 4* along the river that has some fun amenities, such as the ability to have a goldfish for your stay. Wine reception at night. $175 on Expedia. Westin River North - The rooms don't have the same sleek, Japanese style that the lobby does (this used to be the Japanese-owned Hotel Nikko), but they do boast the Westin Heavenly Amenities (Bed/Shower/etc) and I feel this is a nicer property than the Michigan Ave. Westin. $180 on Expedia. Across from the House of Blues.