Frogger85

No it was counter offer...I have never seen one so high..even when I've gotten the offer page for Downtown Chicago the range was around $15-$95. The Westin was $99 on the retail page, that's why I thought I might get it for $60 or so. To me this seems like proof that you could really overbid in a small zone. Since the downtowns have more hotels it might not be that big a deal since there has to be some understanding between hotels. It was odd.

Started out at $60 worked the zones..pretty tough bidding. I was down to my last bid. Went from $89 to $95...Got the Hotel Felix. After staying there a second time my feelings changed a bit. The hotel is very nice, the staff is great, and the location may be the best in the downtown. But the rooms are a bit small and plain. But the second time I was there it did not seem to bother me as much. In fact after staying at the Marriott Mag Mile, the Felix gained some points. The Marriott's room were pretty small and the place was a zoo. Regards

Pretty standard bidding...worked the North Shore Zone at the 4/3.5 levels. I started with Wheeling (as I was trying for the Westin) at $41. No Luck, worked the other zones except Deerfield , I stayed at the Hyatt not that long ago..nice hotel..but I wanted a change. After a bid of $48 I got the offer page. This was a bit strange since I could increase my offer from $25 to $175 dollars. I could understand if this was downtown where there are so many 4* hotels. But in this zone the only two 4 star hotels in are the Westin (Wheeling) and Renaissance (Northbrook). I declined the offer and kept bidding,dropped to 3.5 * and on my last try got the Renaissance for $55. Nice deal. Like I said the strange thing was the offer page, I know that you go lower than the offer they give but usually by 10-15 bucks. I'm sure I could have got the Westin for $75-80 not for over $200. I know there some debate about overbidding and hotel price points. It seems like in Downtown Chicago if you bid high the hotels change (ex: $70=Hyatt, $80=Hilton or Drake ect..). But in this case you could clearly overbid. Regards

Using Deerfield as the search city, worked the North Shore Zone first at 4* adding non-4/3.5* zones till around $58. Nothing...added 3.5 * levels and dropped bid to $39...nope. Clicked the Deerfield Zone and raised to $43..won the Hyatt Deerfield. I have stayed here before..really nice hotel with suite style rooms. Location is a good jumping off point for Chicago travel. One of my better deals using the PRICELINE link. Thanks

This hotel is very nice and the location is the best in Chicago. I would think the odds of getting it on Priceline would be low unless you bid higher than normal. But I will say to people that if you can get it on Hotwire and have never been in the Rush Street scene it's worth the extra money.

This is the second post of split bid. Won with $100 bid (The Sutton Place) for 4/8/11-4/9/11 but did not try to add a night. This win is around 2 weeks old and is a second try as I went up to $85 at the 4/3.5 * level and lost. After 2 days or so..tried again. Bid $85 at the 4* level in the Grant/Loop/Mill Zone...got the offer page starting at $115. Passed on this and added NMA/River North Zone and bid $91. Won the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile (2 Rooms). Pretty nice deal since it seems that it's a tough weekend . Used PRICELINE link Thanks

This is the first of 2 hotels. (I split my bids) Worked the 4/3.5 * levels and all the zones was getting nowhere (not even an offer page). After losing on $97, I had one more bid left. Bid $100 (The highest I was going to go) and won The Sutton Place-Chicago (Gold Coast/VT Area). I won this 3 weeks ago, so I may have bid to early as I see a win for the Palmer House ($70) for the same night. That being said The Sutton Place does not seem like your normal Priceline win. Also it is for two rooms, which at least for me have been the toughest bids. Nice win using the PRICELINE link. Regards

Just won this one..thought I would post it right away since perhaps others are looking at this date/location. Went on here to check both Priceline and Hotwire..nothing posted for this date yet. Anyway used both the PRICELINE link and HOTWIRE link to check published rates. Wow, the rates will make your head spin. Priceline published rates page: 4/3.5 star hotel...average $240-275 and going up. Hotwire: One 4* (Chicago Loop Area) $234 plus 3 published from Hotels.com in NMA-River North area Clicked on the links from Hotwire: Same thing nothing under Hotwire $234 (based on a quick look) Just based on Priceline's save 50% motto...I was thinking a $125-130 bid was going to be needed. (Which means I'm going to the suburbs.) But why not try? I went on to only lowball and feel like I tried before bidding on the burbs later on. I went to the name your own price page. First thing I noticed was that Mil-Loop-Grant had the best deal icon by it, seems like it is always on NMA-River North. So I check Mil-Loop-Grant at the 4* level with a bid of $55. My first surprise was that the red low bid warning box did not show up since the average rate in the box was listed at $269. So I placed the bid and thought I would get shot down in 20 seconds. My next move was going to be to add NMA-River North go to $60. But...the page kept searching which means your getting somewhere. Up came the offer page...which said if I increased my bid $15-70 to improve chances. The bid offer was automatically changed to $70. So I bid the $70...I still thought I would be rejected. Got the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Published rates on Hyatt website: Prepay(no refunds/changes) King Room: $254.15 (same rate posted on Hotels.com ect..) Hyatt Daily rate King Room: $299.00 This was a nice deal...I know others have got nice deals on this Hyatt as well. But this is May 14th when the weather gets nice and the rates go nuts. ( I paid $62 for Hotel Felix this past January..and yes it was freezing outside.) Since the offer page ranged from adding $15-70 other hotels in the Loop must be in play. Had I went $80 I might have gotten a different 4 star hotel. I would bid now...if anyone out there is looking. Thanks

FYI: When I posted this as Marriot Midway, that was not a mistake. The is the Full-Service (their term) Marriot Midway 3.5* hotel. The Courtyard by Marriot (along with the other hotels) shares the parking lot with it. Since I posting, I'll give my take on the hotel. This is very..very nice hotel. Must be a recent renovation because the hotel is sparkling clean. Everything is nice. The room was huge with all the 3.5/4 star stuff plus a microwave and a fridge. Great Staff as well. There are 3 room services options for food: Dempsey's (the in-house place), Coaches (in the Holiday Inn), and TGI Fridays (in the Courtyard by Marriot). Starbucks in the lobby. Pool and Fitness look very nice. There was also a outdoor courtyard by the pool. Seems like Marriot is trying to get Midway Airport users that want upscale digs. There is a $12 parking charge, when you see the area it makes sense. The area around Midway Airport is not great. There are much worse areas in Chicago but they don't build Marriot's there. All the hotels are in this brick wall/fenced in area (kinda imposing looking). I think the fee is for security. I dare you to park on the street to save 12 bucks. If you need to stay by Midway Airport this is the one. If you want a great hotel for the money and your only interested in the hotel (not the area) this a also a good option. If you see in my thread, I was at the Hotel Felix (Downtown Chicago) on Friday. This is a 4* place and is nice but the Marriot Midway is a far better hotel. The only reason it's not a 4* has to be the area. But the area also means that you can score nice bids using the PRICELINE link like I did. Thanks

As you may have seen, I got the Hotel Felix for $82 for (Fri) 3/11/11-3/12/11. So I knew Saturday was going cost at least that or more. Worked the zones at the 4/3.5 levels got nothing...dropped my bid and added MDW zone. Got the Chicago Marriot Midway for $65. I did not need to stay Downtown on Saturday night so this works out as it is only 13 miles away. I have not stayed here before, but based on reviews it looks very nice....a bit of a sleeper it seems. Rate on Marriot is $149...seems like a nice deal using the PRICELINE link. Thanks

Used PRICELINE link..this was a tough win. Worked the zones...dropped to 3.5* ...I though $75 max would win..must be a busy night. Got the Hotel Felix for $82..nice place..a bit small as others have said. Thanks

No problem...you can use the non-4/3.5 star zones to get the free rebids. Example: Bid 1- NMA/River North $65 (4 Stars) Bid 2- +Mill/Loop/Grant Park $68 (4 Stars) Bid 3- + 3.5 star hotel $70 Bid 4- +Franklin Park $72 (no 4 or 3.5 stars in that zone) Bid 5- +Hyde Park $77 (no 4/3.5 as well) Bid 6- +Midway Airport North $82 (no 4/3.5) Bid 7- +Lincoln Park $85 (no 4/3.5) Caution: O'Hare North and South plus Greater Chicago have 4/3.5 star Hotels Midway Airport,Skokie-Niles Evanston have 3.5 star hotels If you add these zones you'll most likely win in one of them (the rates are much lower). If you only go for 4 stars, you can use the Midway Airport Zone. But I feel you're losing a chance at many nice hotels in the Downtown Chicago Area. Also, if this is 2 night stay. You may want to bid only on night 1 first. Then if you like the hotel you can add a night. Plus if you don't win you can just start a new bid with night 2. (no waiting period) There is some debate if splitting your bids/nights makes for a better deal. I'm not sure but it seems like the best deals are for one night with the winners then adding a night often. I would do this myself, but if don't want to risk having to switch hotels you should pass on this. Of course, you may already know all of this..Good Luck

This was for 2 rooms 2 nights part of a 3 night stay the first night being in the Bloomington/MOA area (Sheraton Bloomington $37 see post). Rooms are part of a gift trip. Been looking in to this for a while, trying to snag a deal. I was hoping to get the Westin since I won on a $54 bid for a trip in late 2/11. If not that then the Hyatt. That did not happen. Must be something going on. I worked every angle I could at the 4 star level. Minneapolis/St. Paul has numerous non-4 star zones so you can really rebid. I worked Fri & Sat with no luck till around $62..no luck. I then worked Friday alone to $65..no luck. I then did Saturday (my thinking was I could add the other night after I won) went up to $68..nothing. So I went back to my Fri & Sat bid page and added 3.5 stars and dropped my bid to $45. I think it was 2 bids later I got The Millennium Minneapolis for $50. Not my first choice, but I have stayed here and feel it's a nice/solid hotel. I think it gets bashed a bit too much. You can't beat the location, parking is $15 per night, and you can't stay at a Super 8 for $50 bucks a night. I say this because other forum users might be put off from bidding based on others comments about this hotel. Used the PRICELINE link and got a nice deal. Regards

This is a follow up to my Minneapolis Airport Zone Help post. This was for 2 rooms, 1 night. Rooms are part of trip that is a gift. Thurs by the MOA, Fri & Sat Downtown Minneapolis. I was trying to book the Downtown nights first (see post), it must be a busy weekend cause my low bids were getting me nowhere. Since I new that I was going to be paying more for the downtown rooms I went low for the Thursday night rooms. I checked 4/3.5 stars in the Bloomington and the Airport/MOA Zones. Got the Sheraton Bloomington for $37 on my second bid using PRICELINE link. Regards

If your looking for the best deal...Use the PRICELINE link and Bid 4 star NMA/River North Zone. It looks like the Hotel Felix is in play. Some nice rates being posted. It's a 4 star. I have stayed there it's really nice. The rooms are a bit small, not very wide to be exact. Nice Bathroom (walk-in shower ect..). It's going for the arty/modern/eco thing so I think it's going for the hip crowd so to speak. Lots of reviews online. Like I listed above, parking is cheaper in the River North area. I won this hotel for $61 and it was well worth it. You might want to start bidding at that level. In fact, you could just keep bidding at the 4 star level in both the Loop and NMA/River North Zones till $85. You can't get a bad hotel at the 4/3.5 star levels in Downtown Chicago. Regards

I hate to break it to you, but the is zero chance of getting free overnight parking in Downtown Chicago. There is just no way around it. Here's a few tips if they help. If you go with the hotel's valet parking: $40-50 (plus tip) might not be even 24hrs worth. Self-Park options North Michigan Ave/Gold Coast: $40 for 24hrs if you want near the action. River North: $23 for 24hrs (not bad only 2-3 blocks from NMA) The Loop: $40 for 24hrs if your in the North end near Grant park ect.. but as you go south it gets better. More like $20 for 24hrs near the Willis tower. West Loop/Greektown: You can park for free here on side streets. Pretty open on the weekends. Navy Pier has some good rates as well. As far as the nice hotel worth the parking fee, don't worry the nicer the hotel the more they hit you for parking. All this being said, don't let it stop you from going. If you don't need to stay overnight downtown the Chicago Suburbs provide great deals using the PRICELINE link. You might get a 4 star for 50-55 bucks with free parking. You could then take the train Downtown or drive. Good Luck

Started at the 4 star level at $38 worked the Northbrook and Deerfield zones..no luck. Dropped to 3.5*..nope..I was up to $47 by then. Used the 3 non 4/3.5 zones like Waukegan. Got the Hilton Northbrook with a bid of $51. This was a really nice hotel...a bit of a suprise. I not sure why it is not 4 stars. The outside looks pretty standard but once you get in you'll find huge lobby/common areas. Very nice decor all around. Restaurant/Bar and Pool/Fitness all at a 4 star level. The room was huge, bed was great, and had all the extras (fridge, USA Today at the door in the morning, HDTV, extra pillow & blanket, large desk, love seat ect...) Using the PRICELINE link, this was one of the best deals I've gotten. Regards

Started in NMA/River North and Loop. Worked the non-4 zones. Got the Hotel Felix. Nice Hotel, but the rooms are small. Parking neary is $23 for 24 hrs. Used PRICELINE link. Regards

This is a follow up to another win. I won the Hotel Minneapolis Autograph for 2/27/11-2/28/11 for $71. Could have tried to add the Saturday but thought I could get lower since hotel rates vary on Sat & Sun. Anyway, started at 4 stars at $41 added non four star zones 3-4 times. Got the Westin for $54. Worked out nice, I thought I would get the Hyatt. I just took a chance as I raised my bids. Who knows how the Priceline dark side works, but it seems that the Westin is playing ball right now. Nice deal using the PRICELINE link. Regards

Self-Edit...I see the Hyatt Regency is listed under Greater Chicago on wins, looks like people must first post it as Loop/Grant Park but then it gets corrected. Anyway, I guess I was like most people and assumed the Hyatt was in the Loop. But the Holiday Inn was listed in the Loop at the time of my win. Thanks

Based on the Name Your Own Price map, they Hyatt Regency is in the Greater Chicago Zone now even though it is listed as Lopp/Grant Park on the retail side. I'm pretty sure its the only 4* in the zone. So If your on bidding Loop/Grant Park and NMA/River North 4 * Hotels but not Greater Chicago your not going to get it. Looks like if you just start with Greater Chicago Zone at 4* level and then rebid with Hyde Park, Evanston, Lincoln Park as needed you should get it. I think the winners you've seen may not have even known the Hyatt is in a new zone since everybody starts with 4 stars in the Loop and NMA Zones and uses Greater Chicago as a rebid with the star levels already locked in. I'm kinda new to Priceline, but it seems like these zones can change at anytime. The Hyatt thing could be old news but it was new to me. Good luck

My account says Greater Chicago now, but I know that at the time of the win it was Mil/Loop/GP because I was surprised I won a hotel in that zone. I thought it would be Evanston. Priceline must be able to go in a change/update even old wins. I know it was Mil/Loop/GP because I have never won in Greater Chicago. I took a look at the Greater Chicago Zone map and it's right on the edge now. Also the Greater Chicago Zone now has a 4 Star option on the name you own price, The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is in the Greater Chicago Zone now. Guess that's takes the guess work out off trying to get that one. On the flip side, makes using Greater Chicago as a rebid for 4 stars a risk if you don't want the Hyatt Regency McP. I see there's a couple new wins for this one, the person that detailed their bidding added the Greater Chicago Zone after the Loop and NMA Zones. Since the 4 star was already used they would have been bidding on the Hyatt, might not have know it. You might start seeing more Hyatt wins. Same may go for the Holiday Inn. Both are still listed as Loop/Grant Park on Priceline's retail side. Regards

A late post... but since I have not really seen this hotel posted. I was looking for downtown but could have stayed in the suburbs so I was bidding low. This was a very busy weekend in downtown Chicago, so I thought I would not get anything..it was a tough bid. I was not going to go lower than a 3 star hotel. Anyway...I started with the 4 stars/NMA River North with a bid of $41..shot down pretty fast...added the 3.5*'s with Mil/Loop/GP at $48...again pretty fast rejection...added Franklin Park (nothing higher than 2 * there) went to $51.. no luck but the no took a little longer...tried Lincoln Park upped it to $55...another long rejection... Since the rejections were taking longer I thought I might be getting closer so I kept going... though I know $55 can get you a pretty nice hotel in the suburbs. Back to the bidding. Went to $57 plus Evanston zone..it took like 2 minutes to get a no...Next time I dropped to 3* and only went up to $58...long wait then got the offer pending page/check your account page..still no...went to the Midway Airport North Zone (only 1 star hotels) $61 offer...got the check your page again..no...tried Greater Chicago Zone $63...check your page/no dice...So I was down to my last bid I went $65 with the addition of the Hyde Park zone...This time I got the check you page after 20 minutes. So I walked away and check around 30 minutes later...Bid of $65 accepted by Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites Downtown Chicago. Sorry for the long description but this was a strange bid. Since I've already gone...thoughts on the hotel. First, this is not the Holiday Inn on the River Bend. This Holiday Inn is by the Willis/Sears Tower. This hotel is pretty much 3 stars: Pros: Very good staff (the hotel was really busy) polite, explained stuff without having to be asked (example: that if you used the self-park lot below the hotel it would cost you $17 for 24hrs instead of the $30 Valet that is only good till 4pm the next day). While I was checking in a group of tourists (from China I think) seemed very confused about incidental deposits. The staff stayed polite and kept going over it with them. (this was like 10 minutes during a very busy time). Prior to going I looked up this hotel on Trip Advisor and the staff got high praise in the reviews and I saw nothing that would disagree with that. The rooms are very large, the bed really good (a bit of a surprise), HDTV, nice desk/work area, and very clean. The Pizza Restaurant (Aurelio's) is inside the hotel. I got a carry out pizza. Pizza was good..price was reasonable. Parking: As I wrote above...$17 for 24hrs is a good deal for Chicago. Cons: The hotel is showing age, feels like the early 90's at best. Like I said the hotel is well maintained but the decor is really outdated. The bathrooms are strange. While the have nice towels soaps ect.. it's like a locker room. The divide between the sink/toilet and the shower is the shower curtain. They share the same floor. I have never seen anything like it in a hotel. Like I said it's like a locker room. Might have been a good idea in the 80's or something but most people will really dislike it. I'm going to put location in the cons because I think most people will want to be closer to stuff. This is not were the action is. The Willis/Sears Tower is right there but Millenium Park is a good 30 minute walk. A good grasp of Chicago Public Transportation would help if you stay here and don't want to walk far. This hotel is at the very edge of the loop. All and all a solid hotel..you could do worse..I would think you might be able to win with $45 this time of year. Based on the Holiday Inn Website this room would have been $159 on the night I stayed. So it was a good deal using the PRICELINE link.

Thanks for posting. If you feel like posting a short review of the hotel after your trip. I'll be sure to take a look at it. Regards

Thanks for posting this. I been waiting to see a recent Westin win. It's interesting you did not get the Hyatt since you started bidding in the $40 range. The most recent Hyatt post is $49 and they bid in a similar way as you did. It seems $41-60 (4 stars) or so will get you the Hyatt almost everytime. For some reason the Westin and Hilton Minneapolis sneak in there once in a while. All the other 4 stars seem to take a $65 plus bid. I've been trying to see if a $52-55 bid right away could get the Westin or Hilton, sorta jump the Hyatt I guess. My fear would be bidding over $50 and still getting the Hyatt when it can be got for $41 at times. You must have good timing. Regards