Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park) Hyatt Regency

[abrahf]

Hi everyone.

I am going to Chicago for a conference in Hyatt Regency Mccormick Place from 29th March - 3rd April.

I'll be travelling alone, therefore I want to stay possibly at the same venue or if not any other hotel that

is not in 'dodgy area' and have easy transportation to the above hotel.

Never used PriceLine or Hotwire before.

Hope someone could direct me to some link or give me tips on how to do the search/bidding in order

to get the criteria of the hotel that I mentioned above.

Thanks.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Start with this I've Never Used Priceline or Hotwire thread which explains the similarities, and differences, of how each service works.

You won't be able to choose the hotel you receive... only the star rating and pre-defined area which it is located within (and on HOTWIRE you'll know the amenities offered)

I'm sure AaronJB will be able to add more once he sees this thread, but afaik there really isn't much near the Convention Center, so you may want to consider how much you want to stay at/near the Hyatt McCormick Place for the conference vs. being able to go out a little bit to restaurants and such in the evening. As well, rates in the immediate area around McCormick Place seem a little on the high side while rates around the city are actually quite reasonable... what is your expected budget per nite?

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

[AaronJB]

I would not recommend staying near the convention center, which is in the "Greater Chicago" zone on PRICELINE.

There is really nothing much directly around McCormick aside from McCormick, and some patches of the area around it aren't great (some are better than others, but if someone is not from the area...)

For most major conventions, transit is offered from many of the convention hotels in the core part of the downtown area to McCormick - do check if your convention is offering transit from downtown hotels.

I'd highly recommend staying in the Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park zone on PRICELINE or the River North-NMA area on PRICELINE. I'd recommend staying in the core part of the city (those two zones) either way, but I think it also depends on how much of the city you plan to see when you are not at the conference or if you are going to be out late at night. If you are going to spend most of the time at the conference, I'd just try for the cheapest 4* you can get in either of those two zones. If you are going to be out at night, I'd try more for the NMA-River North area.

If your convention is not offering transit from downtown hotels to McCormick, transit is still quick and reasonable from most downtown hotels.

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

[abrahf]

Thank you for the replies. I was refered to your website by MSE website and blindman there mentioned that thereuare is very helpful. Glad that he's right :)

AaronJB, thank to you as well.

My budget would be from $60 - $75 per night. Since I get some funding for the travel/hotel expenses, I thought that I might use it for a 4* hotel experience.

How much would the tax be?

Is there any hotel that offers free internet?

I have googled the area and I saw that there's pretty much nothing except a stadium (Soldier Field?) which I don't intend to visit.

Since I'll be alone, I plan to go out do some sightseeing in the day after the conference, get some food and back.

But I don't know how safe it would be for a foreign female travelling in Chicago alone - I do sound very paranoid, don't I :)

This is my first time going there, I've only been to US 12 years ago with friends.

No transit offered to the conference from other downtown hotels. Will check out the transportation method.

Will definitely use the link from this forum and report back any success/failure. Do you have link for priceline.co.uk because the link you provided goes straight to priceline.com.

[Romelle]

I can answer a few of your general questions.

The tax and fees shows before you actually place your bid, so you will know before committing.

Regarding free internet, it seems to be getting more and more common in hotels. You might look at the reviews of hotels in your probable areas (under the Hotel Reviews tab, and then under "I" for Illinois under the first post - Hotel Reviews by Letter). Also, the first post in this Priceline - Illinois area has a list of hotels people have reported as wins. You can search out the hotel web sites and see if they mention free internet.

I've traveled by myself in Chicago - senior female. I've never encountered any problems, although I do exercise the same caution as in any major city.

Chicago has a good grid of buses, and a healthy system of trains.

Romelle

[abrahf]

I braved myself to bid through Priceline today.

1 room for 29 March - 3 April 2011.

I started my bid today from Millenium Park with $56.

Gradually upped the bit for $4 by adding NMA-River North (and other no 4* zone) until I reached $72.

None were successful.

Is it because the length of time is 5 nights, making it difficult to get the bid accepted?

I checked Hyatt Regency reservation and their hotel is only available for 1st April - 3 April :)

Will try again tomorrow and report back.

[thereuare]

Are both the Loop and North Michigan Ave zones acceptable?

Let us know and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow. You may also want to begin reading about re-bidding which is detailed here: Priceline Re-Bidding Explained (NOTE: at the 4* level you have SIX re-bid zones... see if you can determine and confirm with the board or ask additional questions if you read the previous link and are confused)

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

EDIT: i added my post before seeing your reply, so it didn't account for your already failed bids. But let's start with the re-bidding which will help improve your bidding, make sure you have that understood, and then we can discuss raising your budget, lowering your star rating, or SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID.

[Romelle]

Nice work. Bidding is a bit scary the first few times. But you were wise to start low. You never really know what might work. I find it more frustrating when I don't start low enough, and the first bid wins. I know I "left money on the table". Grrrr.

PRICELINE does some averaging, so a five day span is not necessarily a problem. It only is a problem when there is no availability. You've got quite a bit of time left, a little more budget, and some options like the 3 1/2*s if you hit your max budget on the 4*s without success. Are you open to having to move to a different hotel part way though?

If you decide to split your bid, you might go for a 4* for the first part of the time, and a 3 1/2* for the second part.

Also, when you get a successful bid, Priceline sometimes offers to "extend" your bid. Sometimes at the bid rate, and sometimes higher. There is a second basic fee charged for the extension, but sometimes it lets one stay at the same hotel.

You are probably pretty close with your bid. HOTWIRE had $99 for all 5 days (NMA 4*), and individual days at 99, 99, 102, 103, and 104. HOTWIRE tends to be a little higher than PRICELINE for comparable offerings (although there is the advantage of selecting amenities and sometimes a well educated guess at to the actual hotel before accepting). The numbers also suggest splitting your bid wouldn't make much difference.

Romelle

Just for the record, I'm a member, not an official moderator like thereuare and AaronJB.

[abrahf]

Would appreciate it if someone can help me identify the following hotels:

03/29 - 04/03

1) 3.5* NMA-WT-GC $83

Boutique, Fitness Center, Restaurant, Biz Center, High Speed Internet Access, Golf Nearby

No Trip Advisor rating, 90% Hotwire reviewers recommend

2) 3* Streeterville $84

Complimentary Breakfast, Biz Center, High Speed Internet Access

Trip Advisor rating 3.5/5.0, 85% Hotwire reviewers recommend

3) 3.5* NMA-WT-GC $99

Boutique, Fitness Center, Restaurant, Biz Center, High Speed Internet Access

Trip Advisor rating 4.5/5.0, 95% Hotwire reviewers recommend

4) 3.5* Streeterville $102

Fitness Center, Restaurant, Biz Center, High Speed Internet Access

Trip Advisor rating 4.0/5.0, 90% Hotwire reviewers recommend

Thanks

[AaronJB]

My guess for the 3* Mag Mile would be the Holiday Inn Express Cass.

My guess for the 3.5* Mag Mile would be the Doubletree

The 3.5* NMA-WT has not yet been ID'd; I'd guess it MAY be the Whitehall at the 3.5* level, but it definitely could be something else.

Is your #3 on the list a 4*?

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

[abrahf]

Sorry was quite sleepy when I typed last night.

I couldn't edit the previous post.

Yes #3 is 4*

When I tried Hotwire few minute ago, for the same amenities, * rating and location, I got different prices and different Hotwire customer reviews. Does it mean that its offering a different hotel now?

(#1 Hotel now is $85 with 85% hotwire reviewers recommendation)

I tried yesterday all the PL bidding combination for 4* up to $80 ($96 with tax) but all was unsuccessful.

I also lowered the star rating to 3.5* and tried again up to $75 ($89 with tax) (less re-bidding zones).

Thats why I thought of looking out for hotels through Hotwire.

My max budget is ~$480 (with tax) for the 5 nights (~$96/night) and I wish to get some good hotels (wouldn't mind moving out part way).

[Romelle]

Sometimes hotels don't give rooms to Priceline until the last minute, so even if bids don't work now, they may work later as you get closer to your dates. The Chicago experts here can probably give you an idea of whether your bids are at a reasonable level or not. You've still got quite a bit of time. One strategy is to make some cancelable back-up reservations, and then you can comfortably keep bidding.

Hotwire tends to be a little more expensive, but one can usually figure out what the hotel would be before accepting it. And one can see the amenities ahead of time.

Romelle

[AaronJB]

I see a 4* in the NMA-Water Tower-Gold Coast area w/fitness, business, restaurant, internet for $98 (the price you see may vary slightly.) This could be a number of properties - the Drake, Allerton, Knickerbocker, Avenue, Westin Michigan Ave or Sutton Place. However, if you click on "see details" to go to the detail page and then scroll down, there should be a tripadvisor logo with "4.5 out of 5.0" and 4.5/5 green circles shaded next to it. While not guaranteed, that would make me lean towards the Sutton.

If this is in fact the Sutton, it's a very nice property.

The problem: this hotel is on the other side of the city from where you need to be. It's just a few minutes walk North of the North Michigan Ave area in the Gold Coast neighborhood, which has quite a bit in the way of dining and nightlife.

If your convention is providing transit from a nearby hotel, it wouldn't matter much; you could just walk over to the nearest convention hotel to catch the transit.

Otherwise, you could take the nearby "L" about 5-10 minutes South further into the downtown area and then just catch a cab the remainder of the way. There are certainly options, but in terms of distance (and again, while it is a distance, Chicago is not that giant) it would be the furthest downtown hotel from McCormick.

The Ambassador East is $79 on Expedia and coupon code FROST11 takes $10 off - $69. That would be the cheapest regular rate option. You could attempt to bid for that property though, which is a 3* in the NMA-River North area (other services have it at 3.5*) The Ambassador East is a very historic property that, while somewhat more low-profile today, was the "it" hotel for visiting celebrities (there are celebrity suites named for celeb guests who've stayed there over the years) decades ago. It's not as modern as most nearby hotels, but it's still a nice place if you are not expecting a super modern property. It was recently bought by famed hotel operator Ian Schraeger, who will be turning it into a boutique later in the year.

The Ambassador is unique for the fact that it is actually in a residential area in the Gold Coast - it's surrounded by beautiful (and in many cases historic) townhomes/apartments. The restaurant/nightlife part of the Gold Coast starts a couple of blocks South. Lincoln Park is a nice trek to the North.

If you are looking for a 4*, the NMA-WT-GC option (although do look to see if you're also seeing a 4.5/5 tripadvisor rating) on HOTWIRE is a good choice.

If you are trying to keep under budget, there are some nice 3* and 3.5* properties in the NMA-River North area and you could try to see if you could get a 3* or 3.5* for less (and given the Ambassador East's $79 rate, I'd definitely start low at the 3* level - maybe $45-50. There's only one 3.5* that I think is more so-so (the Allerton) and one 3* that is a bit off on its own (The Holiday Inn Mart Plaza), although the Holiday Inn would work well in that it's next to an "L" station.

Let us know your thoughts and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.

Thank

[abrahf]

I plan to heed the advice to make some cancelable back-up reservations. Any link/website that can be suggested?

I will keep on making bidding on PL (using this forum's link definitely) that would work for my budget and be on a look out for any good Hotwire offer.

I would like to know whether there is any major event taking place around 3/29 - 4/3 or if it is a high-season?

Hyatt Regency is unavailable for 3/30 - 3/31 (when I checked through their website).

[AaronJB]

Not sure if there's a major convention going on on these dates. I've noticed that Chicago's Spring period (later in April onwards towards the Summer) does seem a bit on the higher side this year in comparison to last year. There's a couple of mid-sized conventions listed for these dates, but no major (50,000+) conventions or other events.

You can use the coupon code FROST11 to take $10 off per night using Expedia. You can also use Hotels.com, Travelocity.com or other services listed in the site's support/travel section.

If you do make a back-up, do be sure to read the fine print on the cancellation policy.

[abrahf]

Hi. Need help to ID the following hotels:

29 March - 3 April

Museum Campus $67 3*

Bed Choice, Boutique, NS, Fitness Center, Business Center, Internet Access

85% Hotwire recommendation

29 March - 1 April

Magnificent Mile Area - Streeterville $56 3*

NS, Fitness Center, Swimming Pool, Restaurant, Business Center, Laundry Facilities Internet Access

95% Hotwire recommendation

I'm thinking of breaking my stay to 29 March-1 April and 1-3 April because it seems that the prices for 1-3 April are higher and therefore made the price for the whole duration 29 March - 3 April to be higher (and also less choice). I need 2 rooms for the trip since a friend is joining but want to have separate room. Please give suggestion on how to proceed. Thanks.

[AaronJB]

I really would not recommend the Museum Campus area - there's little around the area for tourists and the few hotels in that area are not really that convenient to the Museum Campus, they are further South of the city towards McCormick Place (the convention center). That property would likely be the Chicago Loop Hotel (although it's not in the Loop area, despite the name) but again, not what I would recommend.

The 3* could be the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza or the Four Points Sheraton, but I'd lean towards it being the latter.

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

[thereuare]

Are there any reasonable options in the Loop or NMA zones for 4/1-4/3? You could then split your stay with a NMA/Loop hotel for 3/29-4/1 and then another NMA/Loop hotel for 4/1-4/3.... aking advantage of the increased optins and lower price for the first 2 nites... then only 'paying up' for the last 2 nites.

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

[abrahf]

Please ID the following hotel

3.5* NMA 1st April - 3rd April $92/night

Boutique, Fitness, Restaurant, Biz Center, Internet, Golf Nearby, Tennis Nearby, Spa

85% Hotwire recommendation (no trip advisor)

Thanks

[AaronJB]

The Indigo has been reported with this amenity set previously, so that would be my guess.

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

[abrahf]

I couldn't believe it!

I got my bid accepted by Hyatt Regency through PriceLine (which I clicked through the link given in this forum).

Was really suprised coz I tried bidding up to $90 several times before but never got accepted.

I was just giving it one final try before changing the date to 2 separate stays as discussed before, and my first bid got through.

Here's the deal I got:

3/29 - 4/3, Hyatt Regency, 2 rooms, Offer price Per Room, Per Night: $54.00

Thank you so much for all the help.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

I'm definitely quite impressed as well! The hotel must have just put up new inventory. The regular price on Expedia for these dates is a whopping $259 a night.

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

Enjoy your stay.