Hotwire Hotel: 4* Chicago (Museum Campus-McCormick Place-Soldier Field) Hyatt

[kavm]

A new user - so do not know the ins and outs of the proper etiquette. In any case, here are the details of our trip:

• Dates: 6/10 - 6/13
  
• Star rating: 3.5 to 4
  
• Area: Little familiarity with Chicago - know and like Magnificent Mile, but are flexible. Somewhere quieter such as lake near the lake might work well for us.
  
• Nice to Have's: We are driving, so reasonably priced parking (at hotel or nearby) is would be nice. That said, we know that with PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, that's hard to know.
  

I would very much appreciate any area advice, and, of course, the bidding advice. Also, is it better to book now or wait until closer to the actual stay to get good prices?

Thanks!

PS: Really excited to find this forum. I like to use HOTWIRE or PRICELINE - so this will be on my must visit list!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Please provide your desired max budget per night and we would be happy to look into options that are available.

Additionally, reasonable parking in downtown Chicago is extraordinarily difficult, and the cheapest public parking is - at best - around $20-25 per night (plus a big sales tax.)

In terms of a 4*, prices on these dates downtown are above average, with HOTWIRE showing 4* rates downtown between $150-175. The suburbs around the city are quite nice, provide some sights of their own and are much cheaper hotel-wise (3.5*-4*'s between $60-80 on HOTWIRE) and free parking. However, you would have to drive downtown or drive to the nearest train station (Metra trains) and then head downtown.

In terms of the suburbs, the Chicago Botanic Garden Food and Wine Festival (http://www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/winefestival.php) is on 6/12-13. Despite the name, the Chicago Botanic Garden is in the North Burbs. (3.5*-4*'s between $60-80 on HOTWIRE in the nearby area for these dates.)

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[kavm]

AaronJB -

First an apology! I checked back several times, but erroneously thought I had no replies! I used My Assistant -> Last 10 posts, and that just showed my post and not the reply. I thought it was my poorly framed questions! Today when I checked again and this time noticed that that it listed 1 reply. I am sure it was there earlier, but I simply missed it.

Anyway, our trip is still on - and I am still looking for the hotel for 3 nights starting Thursday, June 10th. Now to answer your the questions:

BUDGET: I'd think we do not want to pay North of $150/night. Prefer close to 100/night; can go above to 150/175 per night. In other words, flexible in budget but value conscious.

SUBURBS: Sounds like something we might be interested in. Definitely like the Botanical Garden link. I will need to check with my wife. What suburb / HOTWIRE /PRICELINE area you recommend? Overall - I could use advice on the following areas: (1) suburbs you mention, (2) Magnificent Mile, since that's what we are familiar with (and my wife does want to browse the shops), and C ) something close to the lake front - as we like walking about, and happened upon a bike/walking path near the lake last time that looked attractive.

PS: I do have $50 PL coupon, so might prefer that. I assume I can use it when using the links on this site.

Thanks a lot! And, sincere apologies for late/non-reply to your post [i hate it when folks ask a question only to not look for the answer, but this situation was indeed different].

kavindra

[thereuare]

Welcome back :)

I'll let AaronJB answer the particulars regarding the suburbs, but i just took a quick look and don't think your budget will likely be an issue if you choose to stay Downtown... i think there is likely availability in the ~$100 range.

Thanks for asking how to use the PRICELINE links on the board along with your bonus money/coupon. You can use them both as follows:

1) click the PRICELINE link on the board

2) go to the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS link at the top right of their home page

3) use the bonus money link in the MY REWARDS section of your profile (not a link from an email) and bid as usual

I'm sure AaronJB will provide you with the information you're looking for regarding the suburbs, then once you decide upon zone(s) and a budget somebody will advise of a strategy to follow.

[kavm]

thereuare -

Thanks for the instructions on using the PL coupon. The lowest I saw on HOTWIRE for downtown was 179 :) so I am still wondering if that's still possible.

Thanks again!

[AaronJB]

Staying in the suburbs instead of the city is really something that may appeal to some and not others. The 'burbs are very nice, and if you're driving, it's easy to get to the Gardens, Ravinia (ravinia.org) and a number of other sights, such as Long Grove (a very quaint little town, with the popular Long Grove Confectionery Candy Store) and Wagner Farm (a small but very nice working farm in the middle of modern-day suburbia, which one can visit - it's owned by a local Park District - see

.) There's also restaurants like Hackney's, which was featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" (clip at Youtube here)

The other nice thing about the North burbs for those driving: 1 - hotels are cheap and 2 - free parking. The issue is that you have to get to the nearest Metra station and then take the train 35-40 minutes downtown, but the Metra trains are very nice. I wouldn't recommend the burbs for those who aren't driving.

If you are looking for biking/walking paths, there are two or three major ones in the North burbs, with the biggest one being the Green Bay Trail, a historic trail that literally stretches from Wisconsin to Wilmette (which is not too far North of the Chicago border).

There's another path that starts across from the Botanic Gardens and winds around the Skokie Lagoons (which is quite pretty), then throughout various burbs to the North side of Chicago (and runs along the river at a number of points).

The Green Bay trail is probably the easiest (from a walking or biking perspective), as it goes by a lot of little towns (one can simply get off the trail and explore the town, then get back on the trail again), while some of the other trails go through less populated areas and are a bit more bike-friendly.

The Green Bay trail is also not far from the lake during most points (one gets off the trail and walks a bit East to the beach of whatever town is at that point.) Additionally, if one gets tired on the Green Bay trail, there are a number of train stations right along the trail that one can take the train back to where they started. There are also Farmers Markets in some towns on Saturdays.

There's a lot of other, smaller trails that run throughout the 'burbs, too, especially within some of the larger Forest Preserves.

As for the Botanic, there is a large center with exhibits and a very nice cafe, so there is a place to take a break. Additionally, the wine fest is also 6/12-13 at the Garden, and there is a "Garden Chef" demonstration that weekend on both days, too. There is a

When searching for Northbrook (a North suburb zone) on HOTWIRE, I see a 3.5* for $63 and a 4* for $79, so you could likely get a hotel nearby (either the Deerfield or North Shore zone on Priceline, although the hotels in the Deerfield area are a bit nicer overall) for less - I'm guessing a 3.5* could possibly be had for $40-45, and unless something has changed, the hotels in the North burbs offer free parking. Some of the nicest properties in this area are $100-120 regular rate for these dates, and a Marriott Suites in nearby Deerfield is $79 regular rate on Expedia - coupon code 10SPRING takes another $10 off per night = $69.

Rates for downtown are on the high side; I think a 4* may be able to be had in the Loop area downtown for around $110-125 (maybe $100, but these dates do seem rather busy downtown.)

Parking is at least $20-25 in a public lot, and $35-50 at most downtown hotels.

There's a great walking trail downtown that starts by Navy Pier and then winds around and up the lakefront.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE, PRICELINE or Expedia.com links to start your purchases and searches.

[thereuare]

...i just took a quick look and don't think your budget will likely be an issue if you choose to stay Downtown

The lowest I saw on HOTWIRE for downtown was 179...

You're correct... although i'm fairly certain i saw lower rated when i checked last. Perhaps i searched for July instread of June??

With the new information above let us know how you'd like to proceed an we'll take it from there.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[kavm]

Thank you both for the very helpful responses. I am on the road tonight, but plan to get back tomorrow and purchase something. I will definitely use this site. Can/should one use it for buying through Expedia too?

Thanks again! You guys are great!

[AaronJB]

You can use the site's Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity or other links on the Support Page. Thanks! :)

Additionally, please do ask if you have any questions at all.

[kavm]

Hotwire is showing 4.0 stars hotel Museum Campus - McCormick Place - Soldier Field area Hotel area for my dates. Any idea what it might be and how good an idea it might be. I am not hot about the area, but it is in the city...

Thanks again!

[AaronJB]

What are the amenities showing with the listing?

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[kavm]

This is the amenities list:

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-speed Internet Access

[kavm]

So, I went ahead and booked it through HOTWIRE (from this site). It is Hyatt Regency. I gather from comments that the location isn't great, but this seemed like the only reasonably priced deal in roughly central area. Before that I tried up to $125 (with +10 supposedly) from PRICELINE in NMA area with 3.5 or 4 stars and the bids were rejected.

[thereuare]

Glad to see you were able to find something within your budget.

While not in the heart of downtown, hopefully you'll be able to make this work for your needs during these busy/expensive nites ni Chicago.

Thank you for sharing your results and using the HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[AaronJB]

There is really not much around the hotel itself aside from McCormick and I wouldn't walk around to the West/South if you are not familiar with the area.

It's been a while since I've been down to McCormick, but I think one can walk around the McCormick Building to the lakefront and then walk North along the lake to Museum Campus. However, it's a long walk downtown (if you walked along the lakefront (I would only recommend walking along the lakefront) it would probably be around 3.5-4MI) and a pretty decent walk to the Museum Campus to start with. There is a Metra Electric train station at McCormick that heads North to the Millennium Park station. I believe this hotel has a shuttle downtown, but if I remember correctly, it doesn't pick up - you could shuttle to the city and taxi back.

[kavm]

Thank you very much to both of you. Your feedback has been very helpful indeed - even beyond the help with bidding strategies, etc. I very much appreciated the help and interaction and will be back.

Best regards!