Priceline Hotel: Chicago 6/7 - 6/11 Should I wait until the last minute?

[IslandWay]

I booked flights to Chicago on a whim and read the convention dates wrong. Forty thousand people are flying in for a convention on 6/11. I would prefer to stay in the loop or north river, but the prices are high and availability is limited. Does anyone have experience when there is a large convention in town? If I wait, is their a chance that rates will come down? Any suggestion for other areas that have good CTA access?

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

There is no way to know if rates will come down and more inventory will come online closer to the date/s, as discussed in the FAQ.

Prices may come down, but the risk with these dates is that the convention is combined with elevated seasonal traffic.

What would be your desired max bid for these date/s and have you tried bidding already? Are you driving or flying in?

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

[thereuare]

It's not clear from your post... are you coming in for the convention OR you're making leisure travel plans and mistakenly booked airfare for dates that coincide with a large convention?

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

[IslandWay]

Thank you. I read the FAQ, but thought someone familiar with the area might know if very large conventions tend to overbook. That information would have been useful. This is leisure travel that happens to coincide with the dates of a large convention. My preference would be to stay in the Loop/River, but I don't want to spend $250 or more a night (I've been spoiled by great deals on Chicago Hotels in the past). I have placed bids on 4* and 3* in the Loop/River areas up to $149, but have been rejected. I have reservations at the Carlton Midway, that I can cancel ($99 a night). The hotel is nothing special, but it's newly renovated and .3 miles from the Orange line. I'm not familiar with the outlying areas and wonder if there might be another area with more character that has good transit access and similar pricing to the Carlton.

Thanks

[AaronJB]

There is no way to know for sure - sometimes conventions appear to overbook and inventory comes online at the last minute, but on other occasions, those who wait for the last minute find that prices have only risen. In this case, there's not much time between now and your stay, and with seasonal travel adding to traffic, I think waiting does risk the possibility of higher prices. 40,000 is a sizable convention for Chicago, and even if not all of those 40,000 show up, that will still result in high rates. I don't think you would have to spend $250, but I do think a 4* win in the River North-NMA area is probably going to have to require working up towards the $160-190 area.

The issue with Chicago is really that once you leave the city, it's 30-45 minutes until you start getting to areas with hotels. The suburbs are quite nice and offer a number of great hotels, but these areas really are best if you are driving, as quite a few are not walkable to the train. Evanston is a great town on the border of the Chicago city limits with access to both CTA and Metra trains, but the area does get expensive, as it's first to get overflow traffic (the Hilton is $143 for your dates in Evanston on Expedia.) There is no way to specify Evanston when bidding on PRICELINE or HOTWIRE, as Evanston is part of the large Evanston-Skokie-Niles zone, and neither Skokie or Niles are as convenient to transit as Evanston.

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

[IslandWay]

Thank you for the very informative and helpful post.

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! :)

Please keep us updated on what you decide and if you have any questions. Rates do appear slightly lower tonight vs this morning on HOTWIRE.

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

[normthe]

As a long time Chicago area resident I would recommend booking something near O'Hare airport. The pricing will be better than the Loop or River North but the transportation options will be better than near Midway. I also think you will not be happy with the area surrounding Midway Airport. Evanston, which was recommended previously, is also an excellent option. Check out the Lincolon Park area of the city. A new hotel opened there in the last month or so and has gotten good reviews. Not sure about the pricing though. It is easily accessible to the Downtown area.

[IslandWay]

Thanks for the information. We weren't planning on spending any time in the neighborhood around the hotel. It's just for sleeping. We have stayed at a hotel in O'hare before and felt that the trip from the Pulaski station where we are staying to the loop would be about 10-15 minutes shorter than traveling from O'hare. Is that true? Do you happen to know the name of the hotel in Lincoln Park?

Thanks

[IslandWay]

Need Help in identifying these two hotels:

3 1/2* Theater District 90% Hotwire reviews $207 per night

Hotwire.com

3.5-star Hotel in Chicago Loop - Theater District

This Hotel features the following amenities:

Fitness Center

Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply.

Restaurant(s)

Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary.

Business Center

Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply.

High-Speed Internet Access

Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

Golf Nearby

Property is located within walking distance or a short drive of at least one golf course; an extra charge typically applies.

Accessible for the blind

Braille or raised signage

Accessible for the deaf

TTY for telephone, visual or flashing fire alarm and vibrating alarm clock

Accessible path of travel

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

In-room accessibility

Accessible path from the room entrance to the window, the bed and the bathroom; accessible hardware and minimal resistance to open the door; accessible temperature controls and window coverings

Accessible bathroom

Raised toilet, hand-held shower and grab bars at the tub and toilet

Handicapped parking

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Roll-in shower

Bathroom has a roll-in shower

4-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower 75% Hotwire reviews $217

Hotwire.com

4-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower

This Hotel features the following amenities:

Smoke Free Rooms

Guest rooms at this hotel are always smoke-free.

Fitness Center

Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply.

Restaurant(s)

Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary.

Business Center

Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply.

High-Speed Internet Access

Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

Accessible for the blind

Braille or raised signage

Accessible for the deaf

TTY for telephone, visual or flashing fire alarm and vibrating alarm clock

Accessible path of travel

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

In-room accessibility

Accessible path from the room entrance to the window, the bed and the bathroom; accessible hardware and minimal resistance to open the door; accessible temperature controls and window coverings

Accessible bathroom

Raised toilet, hand-held shower and grab bars at the tub and toilet

Handicapped parking

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Roll-in shower

Bathroom has a roll-in shower

Thanks

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread, and only post the amenity names (not the descriptions) as you can see how much easier it is to read your post, which helps minimize the chance we miss an amenity when researching your stay:

3.5-star Hotel in Chicago Loop - Theater District

Fitness

Restaurant

Business

Hi-Speed Internet

Golf

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

4-star Hotel in Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower

Smoke Free

Fitness

Restaurant

Business

Hi-Speed Internet

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

Best guess for the 3.5* would be the 3.5* Crowne Plaza.

For the 4* property my guess would be either the Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago or the Allerton Crowne Plaza.

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

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[AaronJB]

The Hotel in Lincoln Park is the new Hotel Lincoln; it has occasionally been seen as a win on HOTWIRE, but has never been reported on PRICELINE. I'm not seeing it on HOTWIRE for these dates, but I did notice this morning that the first two nights separately are cheaper downtown (still high, but noticeably cheaper) than all four together. The last two nights of this stay are really causing the issue.

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