Priceline Hotel: Downtown Chicago - Traveling with 15 month old

[bennmont]

Hi,

I've enjoyed reading the threads for hotwire and priceline tips for downtown Chicago. We will be traveling 6/20-6/23 and visiting my brother who lives in Wicker Park. I was wondering if anyone had any experience requesting a crib once they successfully booked a room. I am hopeful that most major hotels offer cribs and this won't be an issue but thought I'd double check before I completed my purchase. We are considering 3 star and above hotels through both websites. I would love to save the money by booking through hotwire and priceline but am also tempted to book directly through a hotel/orbitz/Expedia and know that a crib is available.

Thanks!

Kristen

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

I would think that most, but perhaps not all, Chicago hotels would offer a crib (assuming a Pak N Play is acceptable... as more hotels are using these vs. 'full' cribs since they are portable and can easy be collapsed to save on space).

It's up to you, but i would use PRICELINE / HOTWIRE and then call the hotel afterwards to inquire about a crib. If none are offered at the property, i would then look into buying something to suit your needs for the 3 nites. For instance, Target sells Pak N Plays for less than $75... as long as you save $25/nite on the hotel you'll still be ahead of the game after this 3 nite stay and you'll have a Pak N Play to use for any future travel (or keep at your brother's house if you intend on visiting again within the next year... or i'm sure there are some local Chicago volunteer organizations that could find good use for it when you're done)

Let us know if/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.

[AaronJB]

What would be your desired max budget per night?

I'd recommend staying North of the River. Additionally, while the Gold Coast area (a separate area on HOTWIRE) is not centrally located within the downtown area (it's a few minutes walk North of the North end of the North Michigan Ave area), it's a pleasant walk from there North to the Lincoln Park Zoo (and the family-friendly Peggy Notabert Nature Museum is a block or two North of the North end of the Zoo.)

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

[bennmont]

Thank you for the info. I really appreciate the tip on Gold Coast because the zoo was definitely on our list. It looks like Hotwire has a 3 1/2* rate on gold coast for $157. It might be worth it for the convenience. We were leaning towards a $113 Hotwire rate on 4* Loop Theater district. Thoughts between the two? I will use the HOTWIRE link to book!

[thereuare]

Please list the full list of amenities associated with each of the HOTWIRE porperties and we'll try to take a guess as to what each one may be, as that will provide more information in order to make a recommendation and the pros/cons of each. Also, so we can replicate your search, as you searching for 2adults/0children?

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[AaronJB]

It's about a 5 minute CTA trip from the Loop area to the Gold Coast, or you could take a longer train trip North to Fullerton, then it's a moderate walk East on Fullerton and you will arrive at the top/North end of the Zoo (and the Nature Center is across the street.)

The Gold Coast area is a nice option if the zoo is high on the list (and it's easy to walk to the North end of the Zoo.) However, I'd recommend it *if* it is similarly priced to other areas. If other areas besides the Gold Coast are noticeably cheaper, I'd consider the savings and using transit.

The Loop area is closer (although still a trek) to the museum campus. I will note that the Loop can be quiet at night, once businesses let out for the evening. If you are not going to be out late, it's not an issue, though.

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