Priceline Hotel: HELP!! 3* or 4* chicago(NMA-River North), 7/22/11-7/24/11

[texasmom]

Hi-

I tried bidding on priceline for 2 rooms, for 5 girls get away wkend for 7/22/11-7/24/11 in NMA -river north last night but i did not have any luck!

here is what I did:

I started with 4* and bid $75, then I added franklin, increased to $85, then added hyde park, added lincoln park, added mid way airport north and in the process, I also went down to 3.5*, and 3*, but at the end my last bid was at $85, still got rejected.

the reason for my staring bid @ $75 was because yesterday I got an email from priceline showing someone getting a winning bid for 3* in NMA-north river for $75!! I do not want to overbid.

Please help!! what do you suggest that I should do next? wait till tonight or get the other girls to bid? or continue with my bid and change/add other areas... not sure if it's risky since the other area i add may have 3*...

do you think the inventory is running low? I thought it may be better to wait and they would want to sell their leftover inventories??

appreciate any input ASAP as time is getting close!!

[Sota327]

Not to take away from Priceline, but I saw a special on Travel Zoo for the Wyndham Chicago, valid your dates. They are offering a 700 sq. ft. King room with sofa bed for $149/ni. I think it technically only sleeps 4, so if you are a party of 5 you will have someone on the floor. I've pasted the Link below. You will see the travel zoo rates in the results. Just something to consider . . . and you know what hotel you are getting. This is not a "advance payment" reservation either. It says it can be cancelled up to the day before your arrival with no penalty.

http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/ORDDT/main.w...p;ref=251111213

[ericawatford]

I am traveling to Chicago for a wedding from 8/11-15. Just booked through PRICELINE, using your same steps, but continuing to add zones through Skokie. I kept the rating at 4*, only wanted a room near NMA, and ended up a winning priceline bid at the Whitehall Hotel for $113/night. I think this is a good deal (the advertised rate is $170), but had not planned on spending this much for a room... I am not sure if there is an event that weekend or is summer rates are just high, but I did panic a bit when my bid for $105 was rejected... Hope this helped, and good luck!

[AaronJB]

Texasmom,

In terms 5 people/2 rooms, are you going to need more than 1 bed per room? If so, I would suggest HOTWIRE, where you can indicate the amount of people in the party.

The email alerts tell that someone won a 3* for $75, but that is most likely for other dates, and prices vary from day-to-day in major cities.

Based upon rates for these dates, unfortunately I don't think $100 (including taxes/fees) is going to be realistic. I'm guessing a 4* in the NMA-River North area is going to require a bid in the $110-125 area, and possibly slightly higher. What would be your desired max budget per night?

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

[texasmom]

AaronJB-

Thanks for the suggestions. maybe i'll try HOTWIRE...

I was hoping to get 2 or 1 double beds rooms.

3* for $100 is fine with me . we dont really need to get 4*. Mainly i just wanted stay within that $100 range.

I agree that $75 winning bid may have been for different travel dates, although i received the notice yesterday. so i tried to bid on the same day.