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

[Hannbo]

Three friends and I (+1 baby) will be in Chicago 3/30-4/4. we don't have any clues about good areas (heard the loop/streeterville/river north/gold coast). also we are not sure what star level to choose? we won't need a fancy hotel but travelling with a baby you don't want anything shabby. budget is 50$/person (100$/room) any suggestions on bidding?

we are also non-us but as far as I can see it shouldn't be a problem, right?

thanks

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

In terms of focusing on area, it depends on what your plans are - if you are going to be out at night a good deal (restaurants/nightlife, etc) then I would recommend staying North of the river. Is your budget $100 per room per night "all-in" (including taxes/fees) or $100 + taxes/fees? These dates aren't sky-high, but they are early Spring dates and a bit higher. $100 + taxes/fees may be a little difficult for these dates, but if that proves to be the case, the bid shouldn't require much higher than that. Let us know a little more about your plans for your stay and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.

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

[Hannbo]

Thanks for the quick reply.

We are rather looking for a hotel well located to get to the tourist attractions so that we don't have to drive too far to get downtown. We don't need one that's right where all the night life is. Is there any other area you would recommend that's close to downtown and less expensive?

How much will taxes+fees be? 100$/room "all inclusive" would be great but if that is impossible, I guess we have to pay more ;)

thanks

[thereuare]

AaronJB is more local to the area than i am so i'd certainly wait for his additional comments, but i think you should might be able to get a 4* hotel around the $100 area (before fees and taxes). HOTWIRE has a 4* hotel in the NMA zone at $111/nite, a 4* in the MagMile zone for $118 and a 4* Loop hotel for $112.

So your budget should be in the right ballpark and it may come down to whether you want to for the NMA-River North zone OR the Loop zone... or bid them both together and take the least expensive of the two. My suggestion would be try for the NMA zone first since 1) it's typically considered the better location (and the Loop is a better consideration if your needs have you in this part of the city OR if it's somewhat cheaper), and 2) when traveling with a baby it's always better to opt for convenience as you never know when you'll forget something needed and it's necessary to head back to the room, mom and baby may need to excuse themselves from the rest of the group and had back to the room early on their own or take stop by n the afternoon for a short nap, etc.

Ultimately it's up to you and your group, but the above would be my initial thoughts.

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

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

[Hannbo]

So I'd go with NMA first as thereuare recommended. what offers should I start with?

I have seen others getting rooms 70-80$ in the same area, starting with 65. I'd be glad to get that too.

thanks for the help!

[thereuare]

Your dates will likely require a bit more than the lowest rates that we have seen reported to the board.

When bidding 4* in Chicago you have SIX re-bid zones. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* NMA...

Bid $70, if rejected add re-bid zone...

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

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.

[Hannbo]

So I tried it today (using your link of course), went up to 90$ for NMA and Loop area but didn't get anything. We were hoping to get something around 90$ and not have to go up to 100$.

Is there maybe a better time to bid (weekday/hour)? Also we had another room so that we are up to 3 rooms/six people. Does that make it less likely to get anything?

Would you recommend going down on the star levels? What about the 3.5 ones, are they good too or is really only a good deal with the 4 star ones? Any suggestions on how much a 3.5 hotel would be in NMA/Loop?

Thanks for your help!

[AaronJB]

There is not a better time to bid, and there is no way to know for sure if rates will come down closer to your stay. Unfortunately, some dates are busier and as the weather starts to get more decent, rates start to slowly go higher.

It's a little surprising that you didn't get any wins at $90, as there is a 4* in the NMA-Water Tower-Gold Coast area on HOTWIRE for $111 available when searching for 3 rooms/6 adults. My guess is that you're quite close, and I'd suggest heading higher by smaller numbers - $92, $95 if $92 isn't accepted, $97 if $95 isn't accepted and then $100.

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

[slruud]

To the OP...I may have missed it in the discussion, but are you aware of what parking rates might be for any of the downtown hotels? Don't want you to get a bid accepted to find out the hotel charges $30-$50/day to park...something to consider.

[Hannbo]

thanks for the info.

are there any other optinos, though? I read that it's expensive everywhere. we probably wouldn't have to use the car during our stay. would you recommend parking it somewhere else (where?) and then take public transport back to the hotel?

[AaronJB]

Garages generally cost $25-35 +/-, and there are city lots at Navy Pier and Millennium Park. Hotel parking is generally anywhere from about $35 to as much as over $60, although the majority are $45-55.

Are you going somewhere else in the car after this? I wouldn't rent a car to be in Chicago or rent a car at the end of your stay to go somewhere else after Chicago.

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

[Hannbo]

I tried it again today, had to change the arrival date: 3/31-4/4

went up to 100 and didn't get anything for the loop/NMA

I guess my only option is to go down on the star level. What would you recommend as a starting bid? What do I have to expect to pay for 3 rooms 3.5 NMA/the loop 3/31-4/4?

THANK YOU

[AaronJB]

You are probably $5-10 (possibly less than that) away from a 4* win in either zone. If you do not want to go any higher, I would start again at the 3.5* level at $75 and work higher by $5's.

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

[Hannbo]

Thank you for all the advice.

I tried 3.5* again for the loop/NMA and went up to 100$ but didn't get anything. At 100$ it didn't at first say "try again right now" but "it looks like we have an answer for you" but after waiting several minutes it went back to "try again right now".

I found a 4* NMA-Water Tower-Gold Coast for the exact same details for 102$ on HOTWIRE.

Somehow it doesn't seem to work out with PRICELINE for me, what's wrong?

[thereuare]

What are the amenities associated with the 4* HOTWIRE hotel?

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

[Hannbo]

ameneties are: smokefree rooms, fitness center, restaurant(s), business center, high-speed internet access

[AaronJB]

This is a possible match for the Westin Michigan Ave, Allerton or Affinia. The Allerton is a 3.5* on PRICELINE, so there is the possibility that the Allerton the HOTWIRE listing and therefore the 4* on HOTWIRE is not an accurate reflection of what it *may* take to win a 4* bid in the zone. Still, at this point I really don't think you're very far off from a 4* win at all. If you do not want to go any higher, then it would be best to start over lower and work higher again at the 3.5* level.

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

[Hannbo]

finally got a hit at 102$ for Hotel Felix. (using the link of course!)

Reviews aren't a 100% positive but I guess we'll see for ourselves!

Thank you so much for all your help!

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success!

Very nice deal for this boutique property, which is in a nice area between the nightlife-heavy River North area and the shopping of Michigan Ave.

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.