Hotwire Hotel: 4* Chicago (Mag Mile-Wacker Drive) Hyatt Regency

[annieg]

My dear, but procrastinating brother/sister in law are hoping to get to Chicago THIS WEEKEND, and since they rarely travel, I volunteered to help them out with finding the least-expensive DT Chicago option. I'm a travel junkie and love the thrill of the chase, but this is ridiculous. The usual suspects (quikbook, hotrooms) are all coming up steep, so I'm going to give Priceline a shot. They are not fussy about what hotel, or even exactly what area, so at least I have a good bit of flexibility there.

I'm a Priceline rookie, though, and can't afford to make a rookie mistake, I'm hoping I can get a bit of guidance from those of you who have successfully used it in the past. Here are the specifics:

3 Nights

Sat/Sun/Mon (7/31--8/2)

Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park OR North Michigan Avenue/River North

2* and up (pretty much anything better than a flophouse!)

Do I have a shot at this late date? What's my best bid strategy?

Thanks very much in advance for any suggestions.

[friend]

You have to bid by midnight tonight to avoid being locked out of some zones when you bid 'same day.'

Your dates are not clear. You say 3 nights Sat/Sun/Mon but then you say 7/31. Do you mean check in Sat Jul 30 and check out Tue Aug 2?

I checked Hotwire for those dates I mentioned and South and West of Loop has 3-1/2* for $88 "Best Value." I would think Priceline would be able to beat this. Anything downtown is $120+ on hotwire.

Best is probably to pick a couple of areas your brother might be interested in, check conventional rates at hotels (using the lists at the top of the category) then bid accordingly. Start your bidding for a higher star level though since you can always add a lower star level later, but can't go up to a higher star level (well, you can but you have to start a new bid, be careful when using rebids, etc).

Generally I bid 35-40% of the lowest conventional rate as a start. But for this last-minute bid, I would probably start higher, especially at the lower star levels where you have little or no free rebids.

Good luck.

John

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What is their maximum bid to stay in the areas you mention above?

[annieg]

Thanks for the welcome and suggestions. In a moment of clarity, I decided to split their visit--one night near O'Hare (where they could then leave their car), then two nights downtown. I used a combo of reservations---Hotwire instead of Priceline as it seemed a little more intuitive. I'll post my info on the rate properly ($58 for Hyatt Regency).

[annieg]

4*

Customer Favorite

Restaurant, Fitness Center, Business Center

Made this last minute bid on a Friday night for a Sunday/Monday stay.

[thereuare]

Glad it worked out well... looks like a very good rate and much better than they were expecting.

Can you please add a NEW TOPIC for the O'Hare win (assuming that too was via Priceline/Hotwire).

Thanks! Hope your brother/sister in law in enjoy their stay.

[annieg]

Nope, the O'Hare wasn't either Priceline or Hotwire. Just got a cheap stay/park package directly from a hotel.