katkos Posted April 30, 2012 Report Posted April 30, 2012 Looking for a 4* downtown preferably near McCormick Place but NONE are available at this time. Dates 5/6-5/8. Am I too late?
AaronJB Posted April 30, 2012 Report Posted April 30, 2012 Please provide a follow-up for your prior Hotwire Venice thread (post what you decided for that stay within that thread, then reply to this thread.)Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
katkos Posted May 2, 2012 Author Report Posted May 2, 2012 Thank you very much for your help. It seems most of the hotel rooms in the downtown Chicago area are booked, we are late with booking for the National Restaurant Show. Appreciate your thoughts.
AaronJB Posted May 2, 2012 Report Posted May 2, 2012 Yeah, this is unfortunately one of the worst shows of the year in terms of convention traffic/hotel cost in the city. Are you driving in or flying in? (Edited to add: HOTWIRE is showing no availability for downtown for these dates - I'd be happy to suggest hotels in outlying areas.)Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.
katkos Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Posted May 3, 2012 Thanks Aaron. We are driving in & would appreciate any suggestions.
AaronJB Posted May 3, 2012 Report Posted May 3, 2012 In terms of transit:CTA - If choose to stay out by O'Hare. Cheaper, runs more often, but not as comfortable a ride for the 50-55 minute ride. A number of hotels by ORD do charge for parking. transitchicago.com Not sure if it's overflow from downtown (quite possible) or something additional going on by ORD (or both), but O'Hare rates do look higher than average for these dates - the 4* Westin and Hyatt are nearly $300 regular rate. HOTWIRE has a 4* ORD for $247. Additionally, if you were to stay in the suburb of Skokie, there is a CTA station nearby, but my concern with bidding in Skokie is the possibility of the Holiday Inn North Shore, which has gotten negative reviews for quite some time and is an older HI. What looks to be the Holiday Inn is showing on HOTWIRE for $80.Metra: Runs to the 'burbs. More expensive, runs less often (especially on weekends), but a much nicer ride. 40-45 minutes from the North burbs, but can be longer to other areas. Depending on the line, ends at either Ogilvie Transit Center or Union Station, in the West Loop. During the weekdays, there are more trains (some express that do not make all stops) during the morning/evening rush. metrarail.com. I'm seeing a 3.5* in the Northbrook-Glenview-Mt Prospect area w/Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry and Free Parking/Free Internet for $64 (the price you see may vary.) This listing has not yet been ID'd/reported to the board, but my guess is that this is a possible match for the Crowne Plaza Northbrook. That is about 3MI from a Metra station. Given the HOTWIRE price, you could attempt bidding on PRICELINE in the North Shore zone and likely get a win in the $50-55 range. (the PRICELINE area is the North Shore, but this specific zone is also called North Shore.) Travelocity Top Secret deals also has a 3.5* in Northbrook for $59 in their "Top Secret" section, which I'm guessing also may be the Crowne Plaza, although no Travelocity Top Secret deals have been reported to the board in this area yet.If you are going for the restaurant show, I'd research to see if transit is offered from downtown hotels, and if so, walk to the hotel offering transit and take it the remainder of the way.Driving - Parking is readily available downtown, but costly + a high city tax.Let us know your thoughts on the above (and if you have any questions) and we would be happy to offer further suggestions; additionally, if you are driving in from another direction (coming up from the South), I'd be happy to offer suggestions on SW burbs.Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE or Travelocity links to start your purchases and searches.
katkos Posted May 5, 2012 Author Report Posted May 5, 2012 Kept bidding with PRICELINE. I was shot down as high as $350 per night bidding on 4* in the river north & loop areas. About 6:30 Friday night my offer of $275 was accepted for 3 1/2 & 4 star, river north and loop by the Omni. Whew.
AaronJB Posted May 5, 2012 Report Posted May 5, 2012 Congrats on your success. :)While definitely very expensive, thankfully the result is one of the nicest 4* options in the zone.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.
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