Hotwire Hotel: 3.5* Chicago (Magnificent Mile - River North) Doubletree Mag Mile

[Cal760]

Being new to this game, I have a question comparing Hotwire to Priceline. My family (2 adults and 3 kids ages 7-13) is planning a trip to Chicago for 2 nights from July 12-14. We were about to start the process with Priceline using some of the tips we picked up from this website and then noticed the disclaimer about PL only guaranteeing double occupancy. It seems very risky to make a reservation and then hope that we can request a room with 2 double beds and it will be honored (our kids will have no problem having one of them bunking down on the floor for one night). I also see that Hotwire might be a better option because you will have a guarantee that there will be sleeping availability for your family (even if a sofa bed may be involved).

My questions are:

1. Is the above information correct between these two different booking sites?

2. If so, should I pursue Hotwire?

3. What advice would you give in this matter?

I really do appreciate your help with this, I have been really impressed with the information I have read in this forum.

Thanks in advance.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

PRICELINE does only guarantee one bed/double occupancy. One can request two beds with the hotel, but there is the risk (especially if it's busy) of the hotel saying no or charging more.

HOTWIRE allows one to search for 4 which ensures some form of bedding for the entire party - that is often 2 beds, but can be 1 + rollaway or other combo. HOTWIRE would be what I would recommend in this case.

What would be your desired budget per night for this stay? Was there a particular area you were looking to stay in?

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

[Cal760]

What would be your desired budget per night for this stay? Was there a particular area you were looking to stay in?

Thanks for your quick response Aaron !

Would a budget of $80-100 per night be a good place to start? (someone suggested those numbers to me)

We need to be in the downtown area. The PriceLine map used titles such as Millenium Park, Loop and Grant Park (#7) or the North Michigan Ave-River North Area (#8).

We are planning on using mass transit so these two areas would serve our needs the best.

Looking forward to your response.

[AaronJB]

What would be your desired star rating? Additionally, when searching on HOTWIRE for these dates, are there any listings of interest? If so, please provide the complete details of the listing (star rating, full list of amenities, zone and price per night before taxes/fees.)

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

[Gallus50]

If HW does not work out, you can also look at LastMInuteTravel.com. There is a thread in Run-of-House that teaches you how to ID the hotels. I also jointed their club through a post that told how to do it for free. The prices in the "club" are a bit better than their usual listings and they are not opaque.

[mikki]

Thanks for the tip! Love it!

;)

(FYI - I've noticed LMT is showing a better price for the 4 night stay at the James in Chicago that I just booked a couple of days ago thru HOTWIRE. LMT is showing a $118.00 rate for non-members and 106 for club members. I paid 123.00. Not a big deal, except I also noticed that the taxes & fees shown on LMT are about $25 less in total than what I paid on hotwire. I would have booked through LMT had I seen this post first! I'll make sure to check both sites before booking next time. Thanks again for the tip)

[Cal760]

I was able to use information posted from you and other members to get 2 nights at The DoubleTree Magnificent Mile.

It is definitely the ideal location (MM-River North), with 3.5 stars and all that we need. We were pretty confident this

listing was for the DoubleTree based on postings from other members, so in the end I think the system worked.

Our price was $170/night, which I think is a little pricey but our timing was not the best. The Taste of Chicago is occurring

at the same time we are visiting, we noticed that a couple of days earlier would have resulted in a much better rate.

No matter, I think it will all work out in the end, I just wanted to follow-up with you. We made these reservations the same

day we were communicating but just have not had a chance to let you know the outcome.

Thanks again for helping out a rookie.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Nice win for a busy period - the Doubletree website and Expedia are showing sold out.

Can you confirm the amenities that were showing with this HOTWIRE listing? This information is available under the trip information in your HOTWIRE account.

There's a very nice Dominicks grocery on the opposite corner for cheaper snacks/drinks. Please let us know if you have any city questions.

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.