Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (NMA-River North) Marriott Mag Mile

[Jeska]

Hello!

I'm SO glad that I've found this site! I am new to Priceline and honestly it makes me a bit nervous bidding on a hotel without knowing what hotel you'll get.

I've tried looking over as much information on these forums as I can and hopefully I've done most of it right. Could you give me any advice or pointers as to why my bids aren't being accepted or if I'm not doing something in particular?

My husband and I are traveling to Chicago the weekend of 10/1-10/4. We ultimately would like to stay in the Loop area and preferrably spend around $100 or less per night for a 4* hotel, however we are open to staying in the NMA area. I checked the calendar and it looks like someone won a bid of $81 for Friday night. I've tried bids higher and lower and still haven't won.

1st day - $65 for Loop and then NMA area

2nd day - $70 for Loop and then NMA area

3rd day - $75 for Loop and then NMA area

4th day (finally read this site :) ) - Started with $66 for Loop, added Franklin Park for $71, then added Hyde Park for $77, then added Lincoln Park for $81, and finally added NMA for $86.

5th day - Started with $86 for Loop, added Franklin Park for $91, then added Hyde Park for $96, added Lincoln Park for $102, and finally added NMA for $106.

Sorry for the novel here, but wanted to give as much info as possible. Oh and I've used the PRICELINE links that's been provided here if that makes any difference. Please let me know if I've forgotten anything.

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

These are busier dates (and a busier season), unfortunately - regular rates are a bit higher than normal and will likely require a higher bid. I think you're probably looking at around $120-130 +/- for a 4* win in either zone.

If I can make a suggestion, the Embassy Suites Lakefront is a very nice 3.5* property in a terrific location right by the river and lake (plus free breakfast and evening reception.) That property is unusually priced for these dates, coming in far lower than any other comparable property - it's showing at $109 on Expedia for these dates and coupon code RELAX10 takes $10 off = $99. While not a 4*, that's a really nice 3.5* with free breakfast and evening snacks/drinks.

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

[Jeska]

Thank you for the quick reply and advice.

After I had posted this message, my husband found that deal on Expedia. :) We've stayed in various Embassy Suites in the past so this is looking pretty good. If we can't get the price we want, I think we'll definitely take a closer look.

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

Let us know what you ultimately decide to do or if we can be of further help along the way.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board, or our Expedia link if you go that route, to begin your purchases.

Good luck with your next round of bidding.

[Jeska]

We finally got a hotel. Unfortunately, compared to the other wins, it doesn't look like we got that great of a deal. It's still quite a bit off the suggested price though ($100ish off). But as never doing this before and not knowing what to expect, I'm pleased with the hotel.

I can't remember exactly all of the bids along the way. We did up the price quite a bit. I know for the Loop/NMA area all of the bids were between $111 - $141. At $141, Priceline offered us a price to bid for the same area and star level. Since we wanted to move on, we decided to take the price.

Priceline win - Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile - $166 (10/1/2010-10/4/2010).

We're definitely kicking ourselves that we didn't get the $99 deal from Embassy Suites. We decided to sleep on it a night and the next morning it was gone! This seems like a pretty nice hotel with a pretty good location so overall we are happy. Of course we wish that we would have gotten something a little cheaper though. Lots of lessons learned. :)

Thanks again for the assistance and will definitely be coming back here for future bookings.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Discounts do vary by dates - unfortunately, these are busy dates and sorry to hear the result was more expensive than you had hoped. :) Still, for these dates (I think there's a convention going on), this is a very good deal for a very well-located property directly on Michigan Ave, right near the bridge.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the site's PRICELINE link.

Enjoy your stay, and we look forward to helping with future trips.