Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Chicago (NMA-River North) Embassy Suites Downtown

[LizaM]

I'm back!

Would like a hotel in the Millenium Loop OR NMA district from Jul 29 - Aug 1 - hoping to stay above 2.5* and trying to keep the cost with taxes under $100 per night.

I always suck at determining what price to start the bidding at so any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Liza :)

[thereuare]

If the prices you quote above are bid price (vs. all-in price) i think you have a chance at a 4* hotel for $100 or less... are you willing to pay more for a higher rated hotel OR is your goal the least expensive 2.5* or better for this stay? (if the latter i would at least raise your minimum to 3* or higher)

Let us know your thoughts and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[LizaM]

Hi!

Thanks for the reply! I don't want to go over the $100 all in mark and would be happiest to have a decent hotel for a cheaper price so will agree with your recommendation of 3* minimum. We won't have a car while we are there so will just be wandering around and don't want really need anything too fancy.

Please advise!

Thanks!

Liza

[thereuare]

At the 3* level you have TWO re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)

Select 3* NMA...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* Loop...

Bid $60, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $65, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $70, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* NMA and Loop...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $85

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[LizaM]

Thanks for your help thereuare! After reading some other posts in the forum, I decided to focus on NMA solely.

So I started out bidding:

3* $60 NMA - rejected

3* $65 NMA + 1 rebid zone - rejected

3* $70 NMA + 2 rebid zones - given counter offer of $90

waited a day and tried:

3* $75 NMA - rejected

3* $80 NMA + 1 rebid zone - rejected

4* $90 NMA + 2 rebid zones - rejected

4* $95 NMA + 3 rebid zones - rejected

waited another day and tried:

3.5* $70 NMA - rejected

3.5* $75 NMA + 1 rebid zone - rejected

3.5* $80 NMA + 2 rebid zones - rejected

Finally won 2 nites at the Embassy Suites Chicago Downtown with:

3.5* $85 NMA + 3 rebid zones

Their website is showing $269/nite as their cheapest rate right now - so a pretty hefty savings! So happy to have a hotel downtown! I love this site!! =) Used your PRICELINE links btw!

[yellowdog]

LizaM

Congratulations on your success!

Thank you for sharing your win with the board and using our PRICELINE link to begin your bidding :)

Looks like a nice deal for you!

We hope you're satisfied with the outcome and will like the Embassy Suites.

Enjoy your stay.

Yellowdog.

[AaronJB]

Outstanding deal for this Embassy Suites property. I'll recommend Fox and Obel Market and Cafe (a nice cafe for breakfast/lunch/dinner, but the market is also fun even to use browse around), which is a couple of blocks East on the corner of Illinois/McClurg. Across the street of this hotel is a giant Dominicks grocery - with the Kitchenette in the ES, you can bring back snacks/drinks to the hotel.

[LizaM]

Thanks for the suggestions AaronJB! Do you have any must do's for Chicago and where is your fav pizza??

[AaronJB]

Must:

Art Institute

Lincoln Park Zoo (free)

Recommended:

Field Museum/Shedd Aquarium

Only if you have time:

Adler Planetarium

Museum of Contemporary Art

Must not:

Navy Pier

A few other notes:

The boat tours that leave from the Michigan Ave. bridge (either the Wendella or the Chicago Architecture Foundation) are a nice way to spend some time, but I'd really recommend doing it very early before it gets hot. Millennium Park is fine for a brief stop on the way to the Art Institute, but I continue to be unable to understand the appeal of the main feature - a giant, reflective orb. As for Pizza, I like Giordanos or one of the local offerings, such as Quartino on 626 N. State. I strongly dislike Uno's; it's a really tiny, cramped place and the lines can be ages. The Sears Tower Skydeck is fine if you are in the area, but the Hancock on Michigan Ave. is generally easier to work into a schedule (and certainly easy to get to from your hotel.) You could also have drinks at the Signature Lounge at the Hancock and see views there, instead. If you would be interested in thrift shopping, there's some great stores in the Lakeview area, which isn't far from Wrigley - I think some of the stores in this area represent a fun, neighborhood-y alternative to the pricier Michigan Ave. offerings.

There is a great Farmers Market on Division between State and Clark on Saturdays, as well as a big organic Farmers Market in the park next to the Zoo on Sat - both are quite fun to browse around.

Please ask any city questions you may have - I'd be happy to answer.

I'm a huge fan of The Spice House, which is a husband/wife run spice store in the Old Town neighborhood - that's an easy walk from Lincoln Park Zoo (website) They have Chicago-themed blends and their spices are very high quality and extremely reasonable - many of Chicago's top chefs buy there. There's also a few other fun stores in the Old Town neighborhood, as well, such as Old Town Aquarium, which is a pet store that actually supplies some of the country's top public aquariums.

I'll als

I definitely recommend walking as much as possible (and I'd be happy to suggest walking paths from your hotel around the city), but if the temperature is as hot as it's been, you'll likely need to use public transit (and I'd be happy to answer any questions about that, as well.)

[LizaM]

THANKS so much AaronJB!! Really appreciate all of your suggestions!! I am so excited for this trip!! :)

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! Glad you are excited about the stay.

I will make one recommendation - it's been not only pretty hot here lately, but also rather humid, which only makes it feel worse. If it's hot definitely grab drinks along the way, and I'd say it's not a bad idea to have cab money handy in case you're out and suddenly start feeling exhausted by the temps. I'm not a big fan of Navy Pier, but I'd definitely not recommend it if it's hot; it's right in direct sun, it's crowded and right on the water; if it's hot and crowded, it tends to feel worse there. Additionally, there are sidestreets that run N/S right by this Embassy property, such as Columbus (which the hotel is on) and McClurg (which is a block East.) If you want to head up to the North half of the NMA area, these streets are good, shaded & less crowded detours.

Hopefully it'll cool off by month's end, though.

[LizaM]

I LOVED THIS HOTEL!!! The staff and location were amazing and I couldn't believe how large the room was! The complimentary hot breakfast was great as well - such a great deal for what I paid for it! Red line for the subway is only 1 block south of the hotel but if you are coming from O'Hare with baggage, you might want to just take a $5 cab ride from Lake & Clark to avoid having to transfer subway lines.

Had a great time in Chicago as well! Took in the 90 min Architecture Foundation boat tour, strolled around by Millenium park and the pier, supper at Gino's East ( avoided the long line by using a priority seating coupon found in the WHERE magazine at the hotel ), made it to the Hancock tower for some great night views. Also took in 2 concerts at the Chicago Theatre and the Congress Theater.

My Mom ended up leaving her purse on the subway when we were travelling with all of our bags, so we had the extra excitement of how to replace a Canadian passport while in the US as it was never recovered but we really enjoyed our time in Chicago and met some great locals!!

Thanks so much for your recommendations Aaron!!

[thereuare]

Glad to hear you had a GREAT stay! :)