Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Chicago (Magnificent Mile North - Water Tower) Omni Chicago Hotel

[kcgriff]

For 4.5 stars in the Chicago Magnicent Mile - River North area, it looks like the two options available via Hotwire are the Conrad and the InterContinental (according to reading previous posts here). I stayed at the Intercontinental and noted that the room was kind of small. Is the Conrad pretty similar? The wife likes the Intercon due to it's location across from Nordstom and the Starbucks down in the lobbY. Do you and your readers have preferences on the two?

Once I figure it out, I'll use your site's HOTWIRE link to submit.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[thereuare]

Please follow-up your previous Priceline Chicago thread with whatever you ended up doing for that trip, then reply to this topic with the date(s) you're searching for and the amenities (and room rate) that HOTWIRE associates with the property offered.

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

Thanks.

[Romelle]

While it is always possible to get an entirely new hotel, the very first thread in this Hotwire-Illinois area is a list of all hotels members have reported getting via HOTWIRE. You'll find one more hotel there, beyond the two you've mentioned.

If you post back here with the amenities of a HOTWIRE hotel (and the dates and rate), the experts can give you an "educated guess" as to what it might be. No guarantees, but it really improves the odds.

And clear at the bottom of this board is the Hotel Review area with reports from members. For a wider view there is of course this.

Romelle

[kcgriff]

I updated the previous Priceline query. Also, per your HOTWIRE link, I found a 4.5 star hotel for $97.00 with the following amenities:

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High Speed Internet Access

Any thoughts on this one?

[thereuare]

What are the date(s) of your stay?

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

[kcgriff]

Sorry about that....Checking in 12/24/2012 checking out 12/26/2012

[thereuare]

Besides the Inter-Continental and the Conrad... The James would be a possibility as well.

Unfortunately there is no additional information provided by HOTWIRE to determine which may be more likely than the other, although AaronJB may have some insight based upon the user review comments.

I will add that regardless of which this one ends up being, the 95% recommendation from previous guests and the very high ratings on the criteria that HOTWIRE asks previous guests to rate (4.5 or 5.0 across the board), would make this seem like a very good hotel.

If you're looking for a specific property you can pick either one for just about $20 more per nite, as you can book the InterContinental for $119 or the Conrad for $123.

I'd also consider the Palomar Chicago and the Hotel Monaco which are each 'on sale' for $111/nite.

Let us know whatever you decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help.

[AaronJB]

The Conrad is essentially across the street of the Intercontinental. It is above the mall and used to be the Le Parker Meridien Chicago.

The Intercontinental's basic rooms are on the small side but I like the history of the property. The Conrad is certainly the newer of the two and is a very nice property that's a bit more personal in terms of service and offers a sleeker, newer feel.

All that said, this is absolutely not a busy time period in the city, and I'd rather suggest some regular rate options.

The Amalfi - $98 on sale via Expedia: very nice boutique property near the river in the River North neighborhood, to the West a bit from Michigan Ave. Not a far walk from Michigan Ave, and free breakfast served on each floor.

Palomar - $111 on sale via Expedia: the newest (and this is a new build, not a renovated pre-existing hotel) of the Kimpton properties in Chicago, this is a bit more in the "core" of the River North area and is conveniently located right by a CTA subway station. Hotel gets terrific reviews and offers Kimpton's free wine social hour. Also not that far from where the IC is.

James - Stylish and trendy but comfortable, this is an excellent boutique that is even closer to where the IC/Conrad are.

Monaco - $111. Also a terrific Kimpton and just a really nice property, although location-wise it is on the other side of the river (although along the side, so not too far from Michigan Ave. shopping.)

The Conrad and Intercontinental are very, very similar from a location standpoint and both are very nice, although the Conrad is more modern.

Still, I think the Amalfi for $98 is a very good value (and a very nice property) and the Palomar and James are compelling "know what you're getting" options for not much more than the HOTWIRE listing.

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

[kcgriff]

OK...Update after booking through your HOTWIRE link.

4.5 stars for $95.00

With the following amenities:

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High Speed Interent Access

Thanks to all for your assistance.

[Romelle]

OK...Update after booking through your HOTWIRE link.

4.5 stars for $95.00

With the following amenities:

Smoke Free Rooms

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High Speed Interent Access

Thanks to all for your assistance.

Which hotel did you get?

Romelle

[kcgriff]

Sorry...The Omni

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success.

Definitely a nice deal for this property, right on Michigan Ave. Thank you for letting us know about the change in amenity set for this HOTWIRE property so that we can update the site's Hotwire Hotel List.

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.