Priceline Hotel: When to bid for Chicago Hotel in Oct?

[rle]

Hi,

I need a hotel in the Magnificent Mile area of Chicago Oct 19-21. When should one bid? Is there a sweet spot when hotels need to unload rooms before they get tight?

Thanks, rle

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

The FAQ discusses purchase timing in greater detail. The Fall is generally busier in the city, and rates are moderately high for these dates. What would be your desired star rating/budget per night, and which zones would be acceptable?

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

[rle]

I was thinking 3-3.5 range. I will be on a mini college road trip with my daughter so we don't need anything too fancy but it would be fun to be close to shopping & city stuff after our school tours are over. We will be in in Lake Forest on Friday and at DePaul on Saturday morning then shopping and sightseeing before driving home to MN on Sunday. So I was think River North, Michigan Ave, etc.

I'll check out FAQs Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Lake Forest is really quite beautiful, and the North suburbs are well worth exploring, as there is a lot of shopping, restaurants and a few sights. Staying in the North Suburbs and then training downtown is cheaper, as well (both from a hotel standpoint and free parking.) Highland Park - a couple of train stops South - is also a great choice to look at if going to school in Lake Forest (Lake Forest is gorgeous, but Highland Park has somewhat more going on - more restaurants, more activity and a short distance from the Ravinia Music Festival and not far from the Botanic Garden.)

Also, the Chicago Botanic Garden (despite the name, it's in a burb) is not far from Lake Forest, and is particularly beautiful if Fall Colors are out by this point in the year.

What would be your desired budget per night for this stay? You are likely looking at $90-100 for a 3* (although I'd start at $80) in the River North-NMA area downtown, $110-125 for a 3.5* (although I'd start at $90) and probably $120-135 for a 4* (although I'd start at $100). I'd recommend staying North of the river in the River North-NMA area. The North Suburbs would likely be $50-60 for a 3.5*/4*.

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

[rle]

Thanks this is really helpful information we'll get out the map and checkout the alternatives in the northern suburbs.

Becky

[thereuare]

If you haven't yet please read your messages

Keep us updated on your progress and whatever you decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help along the way.

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

[AaronJB]

If you are interested in the Northern 'burbs, I often recommend Deerfield, which is a very nice area to the SW of Lake Forest (although easy drive to LF.)

The "known" 3.5*'s in this zone are the Marriott Deerfield Suites, the Hyatt Deerfield (which was recently renovated) and the Embassy Suites Deerfield. The Marriott has had a couple of negative reviews recently (which you can see on tripadvisor.com), but otherwise gets pretty good reviews. I've stayed in all three properties (the Hyatt and Marriott more than once) and have enjoyed/would (personally) be happy to stay again at all three. If you were to bid for a 3.5* in this zone, I'd start at $40, then try $42, then $45. I would not be surprised if you were able to get an accepted bid at $45, given the regular rates in this area for these dates. If not, then try $47, $50, $52, $55. I'd be very surprised if you would have go higher than that.

The Metra train (metrarail.com) line that goes near these properties stops at Union Station downtown. The Metra trains do not run as often on the weekends, but do run express routes during morning/evening rush during the week. The Metra trains are two levels with conductors and much more comfortable seats than CTA trains.

In terms of driving downtown from this area, you could either take the Expressway, or there is a couple of scenic routes that either go along/near the lake or through the North Shore towns and then eventually to Lake Shore Drive.

The North Burbs also have a trio of high-end malls (Northbrook Court, the outdoor Old Orchard and the Glen, which is also outdoor) that offer a lot of the stores seen on Michigan Ave (although it's not the same experience as shopping downtown, certainly)

There's also a lot of great dining options around the North Shore area, as well. Vernon Hills, which is just to the West a little bit from Lake Forest, is wall-to-wall malls. There's also a Costco and Sams in Vernon Hills, too.

There is not a lot directly around Lake Forest (downtown Lake Forest is somewhat isolated, which was the original intent when the town was first developed - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Forest,_Illinois), but Vernon Hills and Highland Park, as well as the smaller town of Highwood, are easily drives (or short train rides for Highland Park and Highwood.) Lake Forest's downtown is postcard-level classic during Christmastime, especially Market Square, which is regarded as the first planned shopping center in the United States. The beach in Lake Forest is also really quite nice, as is the library.

We would be happy to suggest options for downtown - which I'm guessing will run around $90ish for a 3* in River North-NMA + $25 per night parking (in a lot, more if you park at the hotel - probably $35-50), but I thought I'd suggest the North Burbs, which will probably be $50ish + free parking, especially if you are going to be spending time in Lake Forest - and I'd really suggest taking some time to stroll around the downtown area in Lake Forest - Foodstuffs (http://www.yelp.com/biz/foodstuffs-lake-forest) and Caputo's Cheese Market (which has a cafe - http://www.yelp.com/biz/caputo-cheese-market-lake-forest) are good options to stop for a snack and Egg Harbor Cafe (http://www.yelp.com/biz/egg-harbor-cafe-lake-forest) is a good fairly casual dining option. (http://www.yelp.com/biz/egg-harbor-cafe-lake-forest)

Let us know your thoughts (and if you have any area/hotel questions) and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.

[rle]

Thanks for your feedback. I talked with my daughter last night she really wants to stay downtown. We will finish up in Lake forest around 3PM Friday then drive downtown, park the car in a lot until we leave Sunday. We'd like to stay in the River North - Michigan Ave area. The last time we were in town we stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton. we had a great promotional rate so I was surprised to find the regular rate is twice what we paid last time. We liked the hotel and pool. If I could find a hotel in this area around $100, a pool would be nice but not necessary, I would be happy.

Thanks so much for all of your help! Becky

[thereuare]

I was thinking 3-3.5 range.

Did you first want to try for a 3.5* up to your $100 limit, then if rejected try for a 3* hotel up to your limit... OR is the goal the least expensive 3* or better for this stay? I'll also add that i think a 4* might be had for $120-$140, which on the low end of the rate isn't too far from your desired budget, if you're interested in 'reaching' a bit.

Please let us know the above and we'll suggest a strategy for you to try in the NMA-River North zone.

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

[rle]

Let's try for 3.5 and then change if necessary.

Thanks!

[thereuare]

When bidding in Chicago, at the 3.5* level you have FOUR re-bid zones... at the 3* level you have THREE re-bid zones.

(NOTE: 're-bid zone1' is not the same as priceline's Zone1, 're-bid zone2' is not the same as priceline's Zone2, etc, etc)

Select 3.5* NMA-River North...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* NMA-River North...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $85, if rejected close browser and use this link to re-access PRICELINE

Select 3* NMA-River North and re-bid zone3...

Bid $90, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone2...

Bid $100

Any questions feel free to ask.

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

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[rle]

Hi thanks for your advice unfortunately I'm striking out. I went through the 3.5 process below and the same for 3.0 up to my final bid of $125. Do you think I should keep going or try a different area, wait a few weeks or pin this down now? We've switched our plans and we are flying in so we will not have a car so we'd need someplace with easy access via subway.

Thanks, Becky

[AaronJB]

It's easy (and a very nice ride that provides an overview of a good portion of the North burbs) to get to Lake Forest via the Metra from downtown. At $125, I think you're quite close - I really would be surprised if a win would require more than $130-135 in the River North-NMA area.

You can wait, but I would not recommend waiting long (maybe try every few days for a couple of weeks up to $125 and if not, then try higher) if traditional rates are any indication - Chicago tends to be pretty busy in the Fall into the early Winter.

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