Hotwire Hotel: Using Hotwire for Chicago

[urbanguitar]

I am trying to figure out the exact property using Hotwire for Chicago

Dates are May 8 - May 11.

I have never been and do not know if I should include just the loop/downtown, mag mile, and N. Michigan Ave? With just the loop keyed in I found --

Chicago Loop (Downtown Areas) -

Selected amenities include: Restaurant(s), Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Laundry Facilities (self-service). View complete amenity list and description

Restaurant(s) Fitness Center High-Speed Internet Access Laundry Facilities (self-service) Ref No. 5081650089

Midscale

$117 per roomper night

Is this the W?? Should I take it or keep looking for another property/better rate including the other areas? I would really appreciate some advice.

Love this site - it is fantastic and friendly.

thanks in advance.

sybil

[lindabobhat]

Sybil,

I'm new to this, but after reviewing the Hotwire hotel lists, I suspect the property you referred to is the Club Quarters. If this is your first visit to the city, I think you might be underwhelmed with this property. And you don't necessarily want to limit your search to the Loop. The users of this board might be able to help you decide which area is right for you if you can tell us a little more about your visit. What is the purpose of your trip? Are there certain attractions you would like to be close to? The Loop generally refers to an area that encompasses the theatre and business districts. I think most tourists prefer North Michigan Avenue and it has the best access to shopping. Mag Mile/Wacker Drive is somewhere in between and is close to Navy Pier. Looks to me that there are several properties listed for your dates in the other two areas with better prices and more amenities (and likely to be more impressive to a first time visitor.) Hope this helped you.

Linda

[urbanguitar]

Thanks for the help Linda. My friend from Houston and I will be meeting up May 8th to go to the May9 & May 10 U2 shows at the United Center. Some of our friends are staying at the Crowne Plaza, and we are interested in staying close to this section, but would be open to any nice area. We will be mainly hanging with friends, maybe trying out some restaurants, but mostly focused on the shows.

I really haven't figured out how to use this site to ID the hotels - is there a list somewhere that one can use to reference? I know there is a list of hotels that can pop up on HOtwire, but I haven't figured out exactly how to ID a particular one. Does one just post their information and get help from the board?

I really appreciate your help and anyone else who wants to chime in.

Many thanks,

sybil

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What is the star rating of the hotel in your first post?

Here is the HOTWIRE HOTEL LIST CHICAGO

(from the main page: ILLINOIS>>HOTEL LISTS and TIPS>>HOTWIRE HOTEL LIST)

Let us know how we can help.

When you are ready, please use this HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

[lindabobhat]

Sybil's first post referred to a midscale property, so I looked at Hotwire's star ratings and saw that they use 3 stars to decribe midscale. That's why I thought it might be Club Quarters based on the amenities listed.

Sybil, are your friends at the Crowne Plaza on Madison? That's probably the closest major hotel to the United Center - checked the Inter-Continental website and, as might be expected, they have no availability for the days you are looking for. The Loop probably is the best region for you to look in if you want to be relatively close to the rest of your group. I looked at your search dates again and there is a 3.5* hotel, also in the Loop, with amenities of restaurant, pool, business center and fitness center - it's priced at $87 per night. Comparing it to the Hotwire hotel list, I think it may be the Chicago Hilton (recently downgraded from 4* as per AaronJB's recent post?) Guess we'd find out if it's the Hilton or the Palmer House if you booked it, huh? If it's the Hilton, you'd be about 2 miles from the Crowne Plaza; if it's the Palmer House, you're just 1 mile away. The Club Quarters is also about a mile from the Crowne Plaza. Either way, you're not "walking distance" close, so I might just go for the least expensive option (or I might try a Priceline bid for a 4* and try to get the "W" for somewhere in the same price range. Perhaps Thereuare could comment and offer you a bidding strategy.)

[urbanguitar]

My friends are at the Crowne Silversmith on Wabash -which I booked a reservation w/government rate of $130/night. I can cancel anytime, and would if I could figure out how to get the W or something close to it in rate and stars.

The property I posted about is rated a 3 star, and I was trying to figure out the best place for the money. We don't necessarily have to stay close to the friends, but it would be nice.. I just want a great hotel for a great price and am relying on you good people with experience to help me out. So, if anyone looks at my dates and sees a great deal, please post and I will be forever grateful.

Also, if someone could point me in the right direction of how you ID the hotels that come up I would be grateful. You guys are great.

Thanks,

Sybil

[thereuare]

How long ago did you reserve the rate at the Crowne Plaza?

[urbanguitar]

Last night at midnight.

[thereuare]

If you are going to ask the board for help, it would also be appreciated if you helped support it by using the CROWNE PLAZA link found on our SUPPORT PAGE?

As the time and expense it takes to run this board continues to increase, it is increasingly frustrating when it does not receive the support of those who use it.

[lindabobhat]

Sybil,

Hope you didn't think I'd deserted you - just been away for a few days. I checked HOTWIRE again for your dates and I don't see any real "bargains" any more for the Loop. Since you are booked at the same hotel as your friends and you have a reasonable rate, you will probably just want to hold onto that reservation, unless you happen to come across any last minute deals. FYI, the Crowne Plaza Silversmith gets great reviews on Trip Advisor - it may not be a really well known hotel, but people seem to be very pleased with it. As far as ID'ing specific hotels on Hotwire is concerned, each post for a purchase is supposed to note the hotel you got, along with the city, area, star rating, price & amenities that you saw before you decided to buy, and also if the hotel came up as a "customer favorite." So you need to write all that info down before you hit "continue" to make your purchase. Once you post this info, someone else can see it and potentially make the same purchase, pretty much knowing what hotel they will get. Those posts are also compiled into hotel lists for each state - obviously the prices will vary from date to date, but you can see all the other data for each hotel, and compare it to the choices that come up in your Hotwire search. Those lists were what I was using to help you ID specific properties. The only drawback to this is that Hotwire occasionally changes star ratings (hence the recent post about downgrades) and hotels sometimes add or remove amenities. Consequently, while the lists are helpful, they are not 100% accurate. The lists most certainly depend on the users of this board to post their recent purchases accurately and timely (much as this site depends on the users to utilize links when they intend to make a hotel reservation at various sites. I, too am pretty new to Better Bidding, and didn't realize just how many links there were. I saved that page in my "favorites" and will use it frequently now (thanks for pointing it out, thereuare!)

Linda