Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (North Michigan Ave - River North) Whitehall Hotel

[dr.cox]

hi guys,

4*-3* chicago central convenient safe 4/25-4/27

the two of us need above mentioned type of hotel in chicago. we are first time visitors so need all the help we can get! we like cultural activities as well as shopping eating out and live music.

how much with what strategy and where is it best to bid? 3* would be acceptable if deal is good.

thanks4all ur help!

[AaronJB]

The two core zones and really the only ones that I would recommend for visitors would be the Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park zone and the NMA-River North zones. If you are looking for more nightlife and plan to be out later in the evening, I'd suggest focusing on the NMA-River North area to the North of the river. In terms of the "coolest" place to say, if you're looking for a particular style of hotel, HOTWIRE may be a better choice in an attempt to try and make an educated guess as to which hotels are showing.

What would be your desired budget per night?

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

[thereuare]

Can you please add the date(s) of your stay to your Washington DC Priceline win so we can add add this information to the topic title and enable your purchase to appear in the Priceline and Hotwire Calendar of Wins.

Also, please read your messages, then reply to this thread and we'll continue your discussion above.

Thanks.

[dr.cox]

thanks for the quick reply. well, nightlife is important only to the extent that we'd like to eat out nicely with a concert afterwards and maybe a quick drink. no partying as such. I'm new to the priceline / hotwire way of booking hotels and am a bit hesitant / scared regarding hotwire.

we'd be looking at 100-150$ per night; less would be lovely but not on the expense of a great risk to be in a bad location / substandard hotel.

[edit:] I'd like to try rebidding this time. what would be a good strategy regarding 4* places. what areas can i add and be safe? (from my research it would be "franklin park, hyde park, lincoln park,skoki-niles-eventon,and both midway areas", right?) so i'd bid on 4* loop and grant with x$ and if that doesn't work progressively add the other areas as there is no 4* hotel to be had there, right?

kind regards and thanks again.

p.s.: added the dates to my winning bid thread!

[thereuare]

Yes, you have your SIX re-bid zones correct, but don't forget to double check them just before bidding to make sure that nothing has changed (using the method at Priceline Re-Bidding Explained)

Did you want to stay with only the NMA-River North zone and try up to $150 for a 4* hotel? (which based upon current rates should be more than enough for a win)

Please confirm and we'll suggest a strategy for you to follow.

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

[dr.cox]

well, i think the millenium park / loop zones would be most ideal?! right`?

so I'd try to get the best bang for the buck there? that would be 4* for as little money as possible (start with 70$?), correct! or should i start with 3,5* and bid even lower and hope to be upgraded to 4*? (I'm not fixed on 4* but i deem that to be the option with most security regarding what to expect? ( i hope i'm making some sort of sense)

but for these specifics i guess you are the experts as you know the hotels there better.

cheers and thanks

[thereuare]

well, i think the millenium park / loop zones would be most ideal?!

The two core zones and really the only ones that I would recommend for visitors would be the Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park zone and the NMA-River North zones. If you are looking for more nightlife and plan to be out later in the evening, I'd suggest focusing on the NMA-River North area to the North of the river.

No, the NMA-River North is generally considered 'more ideal', assuming you're looking for nightlife and things happening in the immediate area of your hotel. The Loop zone is acceptable/do-able (especially for the right price), but if looking for nightlife the NMA-River North zone is likely the better option... most look at the Loop zone if 1) they're mostly looking for museums, aquarium, etc OR if the NMA zone is too expensive for their particular dates.

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll take it from there.

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

[dr.cox]

ok, now i get it! NMA zone it is then as the primary target! looking forward to your suggestions / plan and apologies again for being a bit slow!

[thereuare]

We always prefer extra questions vs. making a mistake ;)

Using your SIX re-bid zones i would bid as follows:

Select 4* NMA-River North...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $105

If the above is rejected, HOTWIRE has a 4* hotel in the MagMile-Streeterville zone for $110/nite with: Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Internet, Business (best guess for this would be the Hotel Felix, Hotel Palomar or Hotel Sax)

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[AaronJB]

The NMA area would be the best in terms of nightlife, but would also provide easy transit access to areas like Lincoln Park if you wanted to venture to Lincoln Park or another nearby neighborhood to visit one of the concert venues there - it really depends on what kind of music you plan on seeing. Smaller-to-mid size acts can be seen at some of the venues in the North neighborhoods (such as the Vic), while larger touring acts can be seen downtown at places like the Chicago theater. If you plan to be out late though, the NMA area is certainly preferable.

In terms of safety, both of these PRICELINE zones (MP-Loop-Grant Park and River North-NMA) are safe as cities go, but you have to remain aware of your surroundings. The MP-Loop-Grant Park area can be particularly quiet in some areas at night - especially the West and South portions of that zone.

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

[dr.cox]

hello to all of you magnificent people of this forum,

went like a charm.

95$ at the whitehall hotel on deleware street!

rebidding worked great! wish i had tried that in Washington, might have saved me a few bucks but I am happy nonetheless!

I'll add my win to the forum ASAP!

merry christmas to all of you.

p.s.: how well does all of this work for small towns like port clinton, ohio?

[dr.cox]

hi there,

winning bid was made december 21st;

started bidding at 75$ ... used rebidding and went up to 95$

seems reasonable, as the priceline engine says the 4 star average at that time is 264$ ;

what do you think? is the hotel nice?

merry christmas and thanks to all of you!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you're pleased with the hotel and deal you received.

PRICELINE can sometimes be a little tougher in very rural areas as there is less competition among hotels (which can often drive down rates), but if you do a little research first to check retail rates, adjust your maximum bid accordingly, it's always worth a shot.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy this leg of your trip.

[AaronJB]

Location-wise, you really can't do much better - this property is in a great location right off Michigan Ave, and is within easy walking distance to nightlife in the nearby Gold Coast or River North areas. The Chicago/State Red Line subway stop is also within a short distance, too. Please let us know if you have any city questions.