Priceline Hotel: 3* Chicago (NMA-River North) Hotel Indigo

[slater195]

I'm not a Priceline rookie but am by no means an expert. I will of course be using the links here to bid on whatever I end up doing. I'm traveling with family (husband and 2 small kids) to Chicago, a city I've only visited once in my adult life anyway and am kind of flummoxed about where to stay and how much to expect to pay.

Here's the breakdown:

We're planning to go next weekend, 7/24 til 7/27. Our itinerary includes the Field Museum, Legoland Discovery Center, Lincoln Park Zoo and probably a little bit of Michigan Ave (but not too much, because the kids are 2 and 4 and not much for walking and shopping all day, sigh). I'd also love to hit a farmer's market, and if we have time we'd take the kids by Navy Pier (not a priority).

I know we can't guarantee enough beds for all 4 of us on Priceline, but I'm not averse to trying anyway because half the time our kids end up making pallets on the floor even if we have enough beds -- must be part of the fun, for some reason. I'd love to stay for under $90 (ideally for under $75, but I think that's probably a pipedream) but still close by at least something we can walk to (in other words, I don't want to stay at O'Hare and try to truck all four of us around town each day ... NIGHTMARE!).

I don't much care about what star rating it is, other than I want it to be clean and decent; pool and/or breakfast would be a bonus. We don't need a 4-star (a 3 or 3.5 probably suits our needs better), but in a lot of the winning bids I've seen posted for around this time frame, it seems that the 3 and 3.5 stars cost just as much as 4. Or am I making assumptions based on a very small window of bids?

I've checked out Hotwire and the non-bidding side of Priceline, but I'm so backwards and confused now about what I've seen that I've stopped making sense. Help! Can anyone help me narrow down an area and/or give me a sense what bang I could get for my buck this time of year?

One more thing to add: we are considering going to Legoland first thing (Sat) and staying out thatta way that first night, mostly to cut our costs. Then we'd move in closer to town for the remainder of the trip (Sun-Tues). Good idea or silly and extraneous?

Thanks in advance.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

A number of thoughts:

The Farmers Markets downtown are a lot of fun to browse around and there are a few excellent ones in and around downtown - there is one in the Gold Coast on Saturdays that is between Clark and State on Division in the Gold Coast area. This one actually shuts down the street on Saturdays; while it starts off slowly, as the weeks go on there are some really terrific offerings at this market. The other main one is right in Lincoln Park, across from the zoo - this market runs Wed/Sat and is the only organic market. There are also demonstrations at times in this market, as well.

I really dislike Navy Pier, but in this case, the Children's Museum there might be a good stop. I generally recommend Lincoln Park Zoo over Navy Pier; LPZ is free and a wonderful zoo, as well as next to some other sights (the Peggy Notabert Nature Museum, which is a wonderful little family-friendly museum in a beautiful building one block North of the North end of the Zoo; the Old Town neighborhood, the Chicago Historical Society Museum and the Lincoln Park Conservatory. The Conservatory offers terrific plant/flower exhibits, and is right next to the North gate of the Zoo.)

In terms of the Field Museum or the Shedd, get there early. I've been to the Shedd at times in the Summer when it opens and it's crowded, but not terrible. However, by the time I was leaving the line was a bit out the door.

Staying in the 'burbs is actually something I recommend, although only for those who are driving. It's a little too difficult to get around the 'burbs themselves using only public transit - and some suburban hotels are inaccessible using public transit (and would require cabs to get to/from.)

It is optimal and recommended to stay in the city, but for those who don't mind a trip in the morning and back at night, the savings can be significant for comparable properties.

Staying by O'Hare generally requires using the CTA "L" trains to get there and back.

However, those driving and staying in other suburbs can take the Metra trains (see Metrarail.com), which are much nicer and more comfortable. The Metra trains are two levels, have conductors and bathrooms, as well as more comfortable bench seats that can be "flipped" so that a larger party can sit together. The Metra train tickets are a bit more expensive, but I think they are well worth the extra money for a longer trip in and out of the city. Staying by ORD and taking the CTA train downtown generally takes 50-55 minutes. Staying in some of the North burbs generally takes about 35-40 minutes to get downtown. The Metra trains are a bit more family-friendly, as well.

I do often recommend the North 'burbs, which are quite nice and offer a variety of sights (Homer's Ice Cream, Wagner Farm, Ravinia Music Festival, Long Grove and Long Grove Confectionery Candy Store, the Chicago Botanic Garden and more) and a good deal of restaurants and shopping (and pretty easy transit access to downtown.) However, the Northwest burbs are also nice and offer activities (Legoland, Woodfield Mall), but they are a further trip out if one were to stay out there and go back-and-forth to the city.

Wagner Farm in the North 'burbs is a nice (if limited, a visit will probably be around half an hour or so) family friendly stop. It is a fully operational (if small) working farm in the middle of suburbia. There are also a few exhibits, as well; it's owned by the local park district, but run as an actual farm - you do see farmers going about their daily tasks while you are there. Again, brief but fun - and free. The local Farmer's Market also does take place at the farm on Saturdays. The Chicago Botanic Gardens (which, despite the name, are in the North burbs) are also absolutely beautiful, and one of the top Botanic Gardens in the country. Admission is free, but parking there is a bit pricey (however, consider it as an "admission cost" and it doesn't seem so bad, especially for what the Gardens offer.

The Kohl Children's Museum (http://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/), is another family-friendly activity in the North burbs - the Kohl has been around for 25 years and recently moved into a new facility.

The nearby Ravinia Music Festival also has family concerts sponsored by Kraft on Saturdays; during the week, they often showcase major touring acts.

Additionally, most suburban hotels offer free parking, which is definitely an additional savings versus downtown parking cost.

As for downtown hotels, a few initial tips:

There are two major downtown zones - River North-North Michigan Ave and Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park. I would primarily concentrate on bidding for River North-NMA. The Loop area - especially the South and West portions - can be very quiet during the evening and into the night. Some of the hotels - especially those in the West Loop - are not particularly convenient from a tourist perspective during the day. Additionally, some of the Loop hotels - especially a few at the 3* and 3.5* level - are really geared primarily towards business travelers.

Several of the 3* and 3.5* (not all, but quite a few) properties in the River North-NMA area are more family-friendly. There is no way to guarantee one of them using PRICELINE, but in terms of trying for a family-friendly property, the 3* and 3.5* level in the River North-NMA area have a number of them.

There is no way to guarantee pool or breakfast using PRICELINE; many hotels downtown do not have pools. Several of the 3/3.5*'s in the River North-NMA area do, but there is no way to guarantee. Only a small handful of downtown hotels offer breakfast. HOTWIRE would allow you to be able to spot a hotel that offered one or both of those features if one was available via that service, but the service is generally at least moderately more expensive than PRICELINE.

As for downtown hotels, there are a few conventions going on during these dates, but 7/24 seems problematic, with a number of hotels sold out or expensive. 7/25-27 looks much more reasonable. Looking at 7/24-27 as a whole both in terms of regular rates and HOTWIRE offerings, staying under $90 may prove difficult. Staying under $90 when looking at 7/25-27 only should not be a problem. You could try bidding for all 3 days together and see if that is successful, or break the stay up if that does not work.

Let us know your thoughts on the above and we would be happy to offer further suggestions. Additionally, please feel free to ask any city questions, too.

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

[thereuare]

I started to look at this before i saw AaronJB's reply so i'll just add to the above...

If you're trying to watch your budget i would look at the cost of staying near LegoLand for the first nite as Downtown Chicago seems expensive for the solo nite of 7/24 (likely due to the conventions referenced above). For your complete stay in Downtown Chicago think you're looking at $100+... but if you take out the Saturday nite i think you can likely get something within, or at least much closer to, your $90 budget.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[AaronJB]

I'll throw out this idea, as well.

7/24:

Searching for Schaumburg on HOTWIRE for 2 adults/2 children:

There is a 3.5* listing in Arlington Heights-Elk Grove Village w/

Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf for $49.

This would likely be the Sheraton Suites Elk Grove Village.

Also 7/24:

Searching for Northbrook, there is a 2.5* w/Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Complimentary Breakfast, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry for $46 for 7/24. That would likely be the Holiday Inn Express Deerfield/Lincolnshire.

Finally, if you are going to be in the suburbs on that Saturday, there are tours of the Long Grove Confectionery Candy Factory in Buffalo Grove. They did have free tours on Saturdays (http://www.longgrove.com/acatalog/SatTours09A.pdf) as of last year - you'd have to call to see if they were still offered. There are also family activities at the Botanic Garden throughout the Summer.

Lastly, it would depend on which hotel you were staying at, but if you are driving and wind up with a hotel with expensive parking downtown, I'd suggest Navy Pier's lot as a possible alternative at $20-25 a day.

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

[slater195]

Wow, and thank you so much AaronJB and thereuare for both quickly filling me in on what would have taken me weeks to compile myself. I love the idea of the candy company, as well as the farm and the other kids museum. I'm also glad to learn about the other transit option -- I had not heard about (nor admittedly researched much) about Metra. The kids would probably enjoy riding on a train into the city. My husband is already on that, printing out maps and schedules and costs. I'll take a look at the hotwire hotels you found, and I imagine we will end up going one of those two routes for at least the first night. Maybe we'll play around with Priceline for the next two nights and see what we can find, and if it doesn't come in at our budget, it may well make sense to go ahead and stay out in the burbs and just take in the Metra for what we're going in for.

I should also add, since I didn't say this in my first post, that we are in fact driving up to Chicago, so we'll be mobile but also have the parking issue. We parked in a garage last year (when it was just hubby and I) in the Millennium Park area and walked to the hotel - I think it was around $24/day? Not sure if that's the same garage you're referencing or not, but thanks either way. It's good to know those options still exist.

I'm so thankful to have a resource to turn to that can quickly provide so much great information! I will begin searching in earnest now with the BB links and report back when I have more to offer.

Oh, and if you have any restaurant suggestions (kid-friendly) to offer, throw em at me? We're planning to hit hot Doug's (hubby's choice) and maybe Frontera (my choice) if we can get in for an early or late lunch and the kids are behaving well, and I know I've heard a lot about Ann Sather's. But other than that, it's an open book.

Thanks again!

[AaronJB]

Ann Sathers is an institution and provides a fine meal at a pretty reasonable price. I would not say the food there is outstanding, but it's certainly *very* good and you will not leave hungry - in fact, I suggest going there on an empty stomach. Homer's Ice Cream is a good choice in the suburbs - it has been there for decades and has been rated either Chicago's best (or in some cases among the country's best) Ice Cream.

The Metra trains come into Ogilvie Station or Union Station downtown (depending on which line you take.) Both are impressive stations and more than comfortable places to sit while waiting for the train (in other words, you are not waiting on a platform in the open; both stations also have restaurants and newsstands and are comparable in size to Penn Station in NYC or other, similar major train stations.) There are trains coming in from all parts of the outlying area to both stations and in terms of Union Station, there are trains coming there from all parts of the country (as it is a major Amtrak station.)

Both stations - which are right next to each other - are in the West Loop, so there is some traveling to do around the downtown area to get to some of the major sights from either Metra station.

However, there are buses and CTA "L" stations nearby. For example, it's a couple of blocks from the Metra stations to a brown line CTA train. You could walk from the station to the nearest Brown Line train, and take the Brown Line in a loop around the city, then ride it to the North to Fullerton. From Fullerton, it's a nice walk East towards the Lake to the Zoo and Nature Center. From the Zoo and Nature Center, it's then an easy walk or public transit ride to Michigan Ave.

If you came into Ogilvie, you could walk to State St and then take the bus to the Museum Campus. There's really a lot of different options either if you stayed downtown or came in from the suburbs. Once you get a hotel locked in, I would be more than happy to offer more detailed walking routes and other suggestions.

Portillo's hot Dogs downtown is a family-friendly restaurant option. I loved Ed Debevic's as a kid (it's a 50's diner where all the waiters and waitresses are dressed for the era and act like they are from a 50's diner movie), but as an adult, I went there a few years ago after not going there for years and years and my opinion was really not very good, but maybe it's just primarily a kid thing.

The Original Pancake House in the Gold Coast area on Bellevue is a nice choice, although it's a tiny place and fills up fairly quickly. Maggiano's and Corner Bakery are also good family-friendly choices. South Water Kitchen (which is actually at the Hotel Monaco in the Loop) is another fine choice that offers good comfort food.

In the burbs, there are a few institutions, such as Barnaby's Pizza in Northbrook and Hackney's in Glenview, as well as Walker Bros. Pancakes in Wilmette and the previously mentioned Homer's. Hackney's - at least the original location - is a very small burger joint/bar almost hidden in the middle of a suburban residential street (likely because there was literally nothing else around it when it was originally built in the early 1900s, then the residential area developed around it.)

The place has been there for several decades and was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" on the Food Network (see the clip here). This is right by Wagner Farm, as well - it's a little, funky place, but it continues to be successful primarily because it offers good food, but also largely because so many people grew up going there and when they come back, it's the same place they remember - quite literally. Ann Sathers is a downtown example.

One other random suggestion - there is a Trader Joe's grocery on 44 East Ontario Downtown. That is an excellent, excellent choice to pick up reasonable (and good quality) snacks for the day. it's right off Michigan Ave. There are several Trader Joe's locations around the area - if you have never been, Trader Joes are small grocery stores that largely offer their store brand (all of which are either organic or use natural/quality ingredients) of all sorts of food. $3.29 does not get a mere bag of really good animal crackers, it gets practically a tub of them.

I'll think of other suggestions, too.

The Millennium Park lot is still available and around $25 a night, although Navy Pier has a similar price listed on their website for parking, and would seem like a nice place to head to/from before/after parking.

[slater195]

We really liked the 3.5 star in Schaumberg/Elk Grove for the first night, especially since it's all suites (a huge bonus with little kids), and it seemed like there was plenty to do up there to keep us busy for a day or two. So we went ahead and locked that one in for Saturday night through the HOTWIRE links here.

So now we're looking at trying to find something closer in the city Sunday 7/25-Tuesday 7/27. I agree that the River North area seemed like the best bet when we were there last -- lots to do, close to much. But tell me more about these north suburbs; is there easy public transport into the city? Or will it take a couple trains/buses to get most of where we're going? I'm hoping to do less of that once we're in town, although I'm sure they will like riding it some.

If I go the NMA/River North route, can you help me plan a bidding strategy that is feasible on a 75-90 budget? I suppose I should try for a 4* just for the heck of it, but I'm fine with a 3 or 3.5. Don't think I want to go much lower than that, because I know we have a pretty nice hotel out in the suburbs for half the price without the hassle of parking that I could fall back on for the next two nights (albeit with increased transportation time and money).

Should I attempt the Lincoln Park area at all? From what I read on other posts, it seemed that maybe there weren't many hotels in the area (any definitely not 4*), and they stayed pretty well booked. Should I try to add on Millennium Park or just stay away from it? I know it's more of a business area, but is it still closer to (and easier to get to?) many of the in-town attractions we're looking at?

And thanks for all the restaurant background and info. Going to add the burger joint to the list, because as my hubby says, anyplace that's on Food Network is good enough for him to try. Probably also Portillo's, since that was on our list last time but we never got there. He also chuckled at the Ed Debevic suggestion, recalling a fond memory from his childhood trip to Chicago as well; alas, it will not make our list this weekend because of wifely veto. :)

[AaronJB]

Overall, the suburbs are a savings (and you could likely save even further in the suburbs using PRICELINE), but it does involve the trip downtown, as well as extra trekking around the city (and back to the train station at the end of the day.) While staying in the city is more expensive (both in terms of hotel and the added cost of parking), having a base to return to in the city at the end of the day OR if you are simply looking to take a break mid-day - is certainly a benefit. Staying in the city or suburbs both have pros/cons.

You can find someone's quick couple of minute video of their ride on a Metra train and their visit to the Sears Tower skydeck (which is only a few blocks from the train station at this

That video offers a good look at the interiors of a Metra train and what the ride is like, as well as the view from the Sears Tower Skydeck.

In the video, they do not go out on "the ledge" (essentially a "fully glass balcony") at the Sears Tower skydeck, which is a newer attraction (about a year old) that people will either find exciting or horrifying. You can see "the ledge" (and hear a very nervous Chicago Tribune reporter)

, or read more about it at this link.

The Metra trains run less frequently on the weekends (every 1-2 hours), but there are more frequent trains during the weekdays (including express trains in the morning and evening to and from the city.) The Metra trains do end in the West Loop.

In terms of children, kids do ride the Metra train free - family fares allow kids 11 and under to ride free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult (http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/tickets.html?cq_ck=1251746486500#FamilyFares) Adults can purchase "weekend passes" on the train that offer unlimited Metra (not CTA) rides for Saturday and Sunday. During the weekdays, tickets must be purchased in the station or a penalty applies.

Most hotels in the North suburbs are near one Metra line, but there are some that are closer to the other line that runs through the burbs. Both are similar in terms of frequency and distance, but offer completely different scenery. You do not have to transfer trains from the burbs to downtown - it is a direct trip on the Metra with either Ogilvie Transit Center or Union Station (which are next to each other, one line ends at Union, the other Ogilvie) as the end of the line. When you return to Union or Ogilvie, there are large electronic signs next to each track that state the time of departure, the particular train line, as well as each stop that train is making.

However, once arriving downtown, it is a trek or going to nearby public transit to get around to other parts of the city/sights. As noted above, the Sears Tower is the one big attraction that is only a few blocks away from the train stations.

About 7 +/- blocks East of the train stations is State St (Chicago Theater, the former Marshall Fields and other shops, including Nordstrom Rack.) There are also a number of different buses that go up/down State to other destinations (such as Michigan Ave or the Museum Campus), and several Red Line subway stations along State.

The nice thing about Chicago is that the downtown is fairly compact as big cities go; I could probably walk from the South end of the South Loop to the North end of the NMA area in about 50-55 minutes. However, the "L" can cover essentially the same distance/route in several minutes. If it's a pleasant day, Chicago is incredibly walkable. If it's a hot day (like it has been and I really hope it will not continue to be), public transit is a good bet. It is an additional trip beyond the core of the downtown to the Lincoln Park Zoo or Museum Campus, but there are public transit options or one could take public transit part of the way and walk the remainder.

I would not recommend the Lincoln Park zone, as while it's a really nice area to visit (and easy to get to by the "L"), there are a limited amount of hotels in the area and discounts - based upon Hotwire prices for the zone - do not seem to be that significant. The main hotel in that area - the Best Western Hawthorne - is usually taken up by visiting baseball fans during the Summer months. There is also a Days Inn and a few indie hotels in the area - none have been reported as participating on PRICELINE. I've actually wondered why they have not built more hotels in the Lincoln Park area - it's quite popular, people visit people living there, it's a really terrific part of the city, etc.

The main aspect as to why I often recommend the River North-NMA area over the Loop is that in the evening, there are a wide variety of choices for shops and restaurants open at night. While it may vary somewhat by season, areas of the Loop largely shut down once offices let out for the day. When I stayed at the W City Center, I wound up getting room service (which was actually quite good) because just about everything right nearby appeared closed for the night, and it wasn't that late. I've been in the Loop after dark on occasion (and not that late, maybe 8:30-9) where I really felt like more or less no one was around. An area that is incredibly busy during the day can be remarkably quiet at night.

A couple of the Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park hotels are in the West Loop by the Metra stations (the Allegro and W City Center; the 3.5* Blake is also not particularly well-located from a tourist perspective in the South Loop), so these properties do present an extra trek to get around and are in areas that are really very quiet later at night. Aside from the Sears Tower, the blocks around these hotels in the West Loop are largely offices.

There are also a couple of mild concerns about some Loop Hotels, as well - the two Club Quarters properties - which are seen fairly often as wins - do have small rooms, for example. I'd say the River North-NMA area is a more family-friendly area to stay in overall, as well.

There are a lot of great hotel options in the Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park area, especially closer to the river; it's just that some of the possibilities in this zone are not optimal from a tourist/location standpoint and/or a family-friendly (either in terms of being more focused on business travel or room size, in the case of the Club Quarters properties) standpoint.

There are a few hotels at the far boundaries of the River North/NMA area, as well - the 3* Indigo and Ambassador East, for example, are at the far North end of this zone. However, these hotels are closer to Lincoln Park Zoo, have a variety of restaurants nearby open at night (and a couple of major grocery stores), are a very easy walk to Michigan Ave. shopping. Additionally, a Red Line stop is right nearby - it's an easy and direct Red Line trip from these hotels South to Harrison or Roosevelt, then a walk through Grant Park and along the lakefront to the Museum Campus.

The one hotel at the West boundary of the River North-NMA zone is the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza. The area right around this hotel is not busy at night, but it is a very brief cab ride or mild walk (you could walk there in the early evening, then take a cab back later in the evening) to the River North area, which has a lot of restaurants. Additionally, while upgrades are not guaranteed with PRICELINE reservations, you could try to upgrade (as the difference between a regular rate and upgraded rate is pretty slim, so it shouldn't be much more) to a river view room, as this property looks right out over the river and much of the city. Additionally, there is a brown line "L" station right at this property, which can head South into the Loop or North towards Lincoln Park. This hotel was also fully renovated in the last year or two and offers a pool.

So, while there are a few properties in the far boundaries of the River North-NMA zone as well, these hotels still offer access to both day activities and dinner/evening options. A few are not as "family-friendly" (the Allerton and Ambassador East, although the Ambassador East does have a neat wall of signed celeb photos from over the years), but have more family-friendly options within easy access right there - the Ambassador East is a couple of blocks from Oak Street Beach, for example. At night, there are a variety of family-friendly restaurants within easy walking distance.

One other "family-friendly" (or, anyone friendly, actually) suggestion is the Ghirardelli candy store, which is right off Michigan, just a few doors West on Pearson. It's an old-fashioned chocolate store, which often gives out samples as you walk in. The Hershey Store, interestingly enough, is directly across the street.

I would also highly recommend taking a look at these online coupons offered by the city (http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/supp..._Discounts.html)

[AaronJB]

In terms of bidding for a 3* in the River North-NMA area, based on the prices I'm seeing, I think a likely winning bid is between $65-75 +/- (although $65 would be a lowball possibility), while a 4* win is possible between $80-90 +/-.

I think a 4* is a likely possibility within the higher range of your budget, while a 3* is likely within the lower range of your budget.

Prices on HOTWIRE actually look slightly better for these dates than they did yesterday; what would appear to be the Indigo is showing for $92 (although the price you see may vary slightly), while the same listing was $109 yesterday. Other prices also appear to have come down slightly.

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

[slater195]

Thanks so much for the continued wealth of information. I'll be adding Ghirardelli to the list! I'm also copying your extensive Metra/L/Bus knowledge for my husband to study; don't know why, but when I'm not right there in the city, I get completely overwhelmed -- so I'll leave him as the transport master.

I just tried to bid NMA at 3.5 star up to $80 and was rejected. Not sure if I want to hold out for the upper levels or go ahead down to a 3*. We have a few days so I'll just bide my time and see what happens, I suppose! Good to know that prices may be going down a bit. And thank you for the Hotwire comparisons; that has helped tremendously.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear your bids were not accepted. Thank you for keeping us updated and please let us know if you have any questions.

Once you have a hotel locked in, I'd be more than happy to detail both walking and transit options from the hotel to city attractions.

Additionally, not sure what their schedule is, but be on the lookout for the "Transformers 3" production, which is filming throughout downtown, including some pretty large-scale action sequences on the streets of the city.

[slater195]

Another update: We decided to go ahead and try to save some bucks by bidding on 3* in the NMA area, since all of them looked like fine hotels in pretty good locations. Rejected at 60 and 65, Priceline counteroffered at 70, and I lowballed back at 71 after reading the thread about how to deal with this (usually I split the difference and get the hotel, but I'm feeling cheap tonight). I was rejected but will try again tomorrow, hoping the magic number doesn't change much between now and then! Thanks again for all the assistance AaronJB ... looks like your estimates for winning bids were spot-on.

[thereuare]

When you bid $70 how much was the counter-offer?

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

[slater195]

Their counter was $85

[thereuare]

Are you willing to bid this high on your next round of bidding (not from the start of course... but how high will you go on the next round?)

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

[slater195]

To bid up to $85? No, I was hoping not to. My budget was under $75ish for a 3*. I'm going to try now and will report back.

Wait, is there a different bidding strategy I should be employing now that they've countered. Maybe I ought to hold off a bit until Obi-Wan(s) can give further instructions.

[slater195]

Tried a couple things but nothing panned out. Tried bidding 3* up to 81 and was rejected, kept countering me an additional $15 higher from each bid (74 was countered with 89, 78 was countered with 93). Decided that if I was bidding in the 80s I'd try my luck at the 4*s. Bid up to $97 with no luck there.

Back to the drawing board and not sure exactly how to proceed from here. If I'm spending $100, or real close to it, is the difference in quality between 3 and 4* enough to make it worthwhile? Or I've even considered dropping down to a 2.5* and seeing what happens there, since both of the hotels on the list (which I know is not all-inclusive) look decent.

[thereuare]

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option as it looks like the first nite of your stay is the more expensive nite... you might even be able to get a 4* hotel within your budget for 7/25-7/27, but this would still leave a question mark as to what you to for the first nite of your stay, which would be much more expensive.

As far as the difference i star ratings, there are some 3.5* rated hotels which some would actually prefer more than the 4* rated hotels in the same zone, but there are also some 3* hotel which many may feel are overrated and are more what they would expect from a 2.5* rated property. Unfortunately ratings are subjective and as a result there can be a lot of inconsistencies from one star level to the next, when using the opaque providers it's usually advisable to stick with the highest star rating within your budget, as some of the lower rated hotels may be fine for your needs, but there may be some which are not, and when using PRICELINE / HOTWIRE you can't choose which type you will get :) .

I'm sure AaronJB will be able to add some more particulars specific to Chicago, but i figured i'd at least give you a general overview to get you thinking.

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

[slater195]

Oh yes - I actually have already split my stay and have the first night confirmed (through BB's HOTWIRE link) at the Sheraton Suites Elk Grove. So all my failed bids from last night are for 7/25-7/27.

[AaronJB]

I'm sorry to hear and rather surprised that bidding for 7/25-27 has not been successful, as prices really do seem pretty reasonable (well, for Chicago in the Summer) on these dates both on regular rate and on HOTWIRE.

The 2.5* level in the Mag Mile would really be more of a last choice - there are only 2 "known" hotels at that level, the Holiday Inn Express Cass (a former budget hotel which was given a complete renovation) and the Tremont; while the former would be a satisfactory result, the Tremont is in a great location but has gotten very mixed reviews over the years. The Tremont is actually a Starwood (Westin, Sheraton, W) property but oddly, it does not appear at all if one tries to search any set of dates for Chicago on the Starwood website.

To give a sense of prices, what appears to be the Tremont is showing for $94 on HOTWIRE for 7/25-27. What appears to be the Indigo is now showing for $109; I've seen the Indigo for these dates vary between the $90's and the low $100's.

There are a few average/mediocre properties at the 3* or above level in the NMA-River North area, but I wouldn't consider any of them terrible. The Ambassador East gets some mixed reviews, but I thought it was a pleasant hotel with a pretty neat history (as well as the Pump Room restaurant, which was THE place to be for visiting celebs - Sinatra, Bogart, Bacall, Newman, Garland, Jagger and many others - for decades and still sees celeb visitors.)

The older 3.5* Allerton is iffy, but it's right square on Michigan Ave and benefits from an A+ location. The Sheraton (4*) I didn't care for, but not because it was a dump, just because the service could have been better and I found the property to be a bland convention hotel that wasn't really noteworthy in any way, aside from the views of the area that some rooms offer. The Knickerbocker was the least desirable 4* win for quite a while, but that hotel's reviews have improved after a significant renovation.

Other than the Allerton and Sheraton (and again, I wouldn't be upset with either of those, just blah), I'd be happy getting via PRICELINE any (and there are some I'd be thrilled to get) of the 3* and up NMA-River North hotels that have been reported to the board.

If NMA-River North bidding continues to be unsuccessful, you could try bidding for the 4* level in the Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park area and hope to avoid the W (which I think is a nice hotel, but not optimal from a family-friendly or location standpoint.)

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

[slater195]

Tried a couple more lowball bids today hoping against hoping they might counteroffer me back to the 85 range, which now seems reasonable, given what I've bid and failed with. No luck.

Hubby and I are trying to decide whether to up our budget or just throw in the towel and stay out in the burbs, something neither of us really want to do. If we do that we might cut our visit short a night this time, and plan to come back in the fall when the rates are lower and some of the museums we want to hit have free days (or at least they did back when this guide book I was reading was published five years ago!).

May give it one more shot tomorrow, then pull the trigger on the 'burbs.

[AaronJB]

Suggestions at this point.

1. Raise your bid (I really can't imagine much more, given the rates I'm seeing) for 3*+ in NMA.

2. Try for Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park (optimally at the 4* level, if not then at the 3.5*, although the 3.5* level is more hit-and-miss) to see if this zone is cheaper than the River North-NMA zone for these dates - hopefully you would be able to get one of the properties in this zone more optimal from both a location and family-friendly standpoint. Additionally, I didn't notice earlier that you are coming in from Indiana - if you were downtown, being less of a distance after the last day would be a benefit.

3. Try bidding for 2.5* NMA; both hotels are excellent from a location standpoint, although the Tremont is more mixed from a hotel standpoint. If you were to get the HI Express - and certainly no guarantees - at least that would offer free breakfast. The only issue with this possibility is that I'm not sure the 2.5* level is going to offer a substantial price difference from the 3* River North-NMA area.

4. Stay in the burbs, either an additional night at the Sheraton Suites and then one downtown, or two nights in one of the North suburb hotels.

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

[AaronJB]

It's only appearing when searching for 2 people, but what appears to be the Holiday Inn Express (2.5* Mag Mile, breakfast, business, internet) is showing for $76 now as of this morning for these dates on HOTWIRE.

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

[slater195]

Wow, you are on top of things! I saw that one too, but only because I'm trolling the hotel websites like a predator right now. That one is definitely an option, but I'm going to try once more in the 3.5 and 3* range to see what happens.

Thanks for keeping me updated on all the latest, and I'll update if/when I ever win a Priceline bid!

[AaronJB]

Very happy to help! :)

I'll keep looking to see if anything else appears during this time period. Thank you for keeping us updated, and please feel free to ask any questions at all.

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