Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Magnificent Mile Area - Streeterville 5/16-5/19 for $219

[lilyian]

I would love to have some help identifying what the possible hotels are for this hotwire listing.

I searched for a hotel for 5/16/09-5/19/09 for 2 adults & 2 children. It listed a hotel for $219 in the Magnificen Mile- Streeterville area. Here are the amenities that are listed with this hotel:

Business center

Fitness center

High Speed Internet Access

Restaurant

I am surprised by the 4.5 star rating, as this sounds more like a 4 star hotel. Hotwire lists Omni as an example of 4 star, so I am at a loss as to what this hotel could be. Any help would be much appreciated! I can move my dates by a day or so, but these dates were ideal (except for the fact that it is Mother's Day and Chicago hotel rates have all risen that weekend).

Also, since I searched for a room for 2 adults/2 children, does Hotwire provide a room with 2 beds or is there a chance you can get a king?

Thank you SO MUCH for any help with this!

[AaronJB]

This would be either the Intercontinental or the Conrad.

Rates are high on these dates due to a major convention happening during part of this time period (I believe it's 5/15-17?) Prices are somewhat better for 5/17-20 - there's a 4* for $159 on HOTWIRE in the NMA-Water Tower-Gold Coast area and a 4* in the Mag Mile/Streeterville area for $86.

If you search for 4 total people on HOTWIRE, then you will get bedding for the amount of people in your party. While this is usually 2 beds, it can be 1 bed + sofabed. Bedding depends on what the hotel has.

If you are driving, there are nice areas in the suburbs where hotels would be far cheaper for 5/16-19, and you would be near a train station.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link to start your purchase, and let us know if you have any questions.

[lilyian]

Thank you for the help! After doing more reading, I was beginning to think this could be the Intercontinental, so it appears that I figured out part of it. We could change our dates to the ones that you found. Do you have any idea what those hotels would be? This would help me determine if we should spend the extra money for a 4.5 * or not.

Thank you again!

[AaronJB]

On 5/17-20, when searching for 2 adults/2 children, I'm seeing:

a 4* in the North Michigan Ave/Water Tower/Gold Coast area with the amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Spa. $159. This would likely be the W Lakeshore, a hotel that I don't believe has shown up on HOTWIRE for a while.

There's also a 4* in the Mag Mile/Streeterville area with the amenities: Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Spa that could be the Hyatt, Swissotel or Felix, but is likely the Hyatt.

You're seeing what is likely the Intercontinental for $219 for 5/16-19. What looks like the possible Hyatt is $82 for 5/17-20. The potential Hyatt option would be $411 cheaper for the 3 day total. You may not see the exact same prices I do, but the difference between those two options for the 3 day total is going to be around $400 bucks.

Personally, if the Hyatt is the HOTWIRE 4* in the Mag Mile/Streeterville area for $82 for 5/17-20, it's not my favorite hotel, but it's a centrally located 4* that offers fine rooms. The hotel is an enormous, conference/convention-oriented property; if you need personalized, boutique-style service, it's not the place to go. If you're looking for a central place to sleep and it's the cheapest option (as it often is on PRICELINE and HOTWIRE, as the hotel needs to try and fill its 2,000+ rooms), it works.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link to start your purchase.

[lilyian]

Thank you Aaron. I guess I have some deciding to do. We have traveled to Chicago frequently over the years, and I have stayed at the Hyatt. So, I know exactly what you mean about it not being your favorite, but it is a good price. I guess I just have to figure out if the hotel ambiance is that important to us or not. We are trying to take a "second Spring Break" trip for the kids because our first trip to NC and Washington DC ended on the first night in an ER from a freak accident for my little girl. Had to return home the next day for hand surgery, with a promise to the kids that we would do a Spring Break later. Now logistics are preventing us from recreating the same trip, so we are thinking of our good old standby -- Chicago. The kids have been there several times, but it might spruce it up to stay at the Intercontinental (we generally stay at the Omni, etc).

Your help has been just great, and I should be able to take it from here. Still not 100% decided on which hotel or if I should risk it and wait even closer to the date and try again. I am a bit of a risk taker with HOTWIRE, so I am leaning towrad waiting and seeing what prices appear. Only downside is that if I want the Intercontinental, I bet it will be gone. I will post in this forum when we decide and bid on something.

[AaronJB]

I'm very sorry to hear about what happened - I hope your daughter recovered quickly!

This is kind of a crazy suggestion, but depending on how old your kids are, they may like the Wisconsin Dells, which is about a 3-3.5 hour trip from Chicago. It's a resort town that's largely made up of things like water parks, arcades, mini golf and attractions like the Ducks (land/water tour vehicles that go from driving through the forest to floating down the wisconsin river.) Probably won't appeal much to older kids, but to younger kids, it would be a lot of fun. It's sort of like if an amusement park ate a town. Dells.com is the city website. If you went to the Dells, you would not quite be in the "on-season", so hotels would not yet be as expensive as they can get there.

I'm seeing a 3* in the Loop for $129 on 5/16-19, with free breakfast as one of the icons. That would appear to be the new La Quinta Downtown. It wouldn't be the Intercontinental, but it would at least offer free breakfast. Just offering up another option to consider. The Intercontinental is still showing for $219 as of this morning.

I also see a 4* Loop boutique (Boutique, fitness, business, internet, restaurant) for $159 now on 5/17-20, which would likely be the Burnham. While that is a gorgeous hotel, the rooms are small, and I don't think it would be the best fit.

[AaronJB]

One other idea - there is a Westin "Stay 2 Nights, Get 1 Free" non-refundable deal here:

Stay 2 nights, get 1 free

Click the link above, and search for Chicago on your dates. The Westin River North should be one of the options. Click on that, and select 2 adults in the room. Then the room options should appear.

That would allow you to get a Club Room floor at the Westin River North for $359 for the first 2 nights, 3rd night free (which averages out to about $239.

There's also a river view room for $339 x 2, 3rd night free (which would average to about $226) and a regular room for $299 x2 , 3rd night free (which averages out to $199.)

That would be a great deal for a VERY nice Westin property right on the river.

The Club Floor room would be more expensive than the Intercontinental, but it would be a nice upgraded room. Even a regular room would be quite nice at $199 ($299 x 2 nights, 3rd fee.) Plus, you'd be booking direct through the hotel website.

[AaronJB]

Additionally, the Westin deal is available for 5/16-19 only. Since you would be booking through the hotel website, you should be able to use your Starwood Preferred Guest membership number on the reservation. If you do not have a Starwood Preferred Guest membership, it's free to sign up for at spg.com.

If you do decide to book this deal, it would be greatly appreciated if you could start your purchase by using the "Stay 2 Nights, Get 1 Free" link above.

If you do book a Club Floor room at this property, I would strongly suggest calling the hotel to see if you can block a room on the South face of the building, overlooking the river. The river view rooms at this hotel, especially on higher floors, provide beautiful views of the river and surrounding city.

[AaronJB]

Also, this page offers information about the Club Floor at the Westin.

http://www.westinchicago.com/accomodations...cutiveclub.html