Priceline Hotel: help with hotel Indigo

[Dessie]

please help me with bidding for the Indigo hotel zone 8 04/19/13 till 04/23/13

[thereuare]

Please follow-up your previous Hotwire Savannah thread with whatever you ended up doing for that trip, then reply to this thread and we'll have a look at your post above.

Also, what is the name of Zone 8? The zone numbers will change as PRICELINE adds, removes, or renames zones... please post the zone names in order to avoid any confusion by future readers of this topic (and also saves me an additional search to determine which zone you're referring to ;) ).

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

[Dessie]

Zone 8 is north michigan ave - river north.

thank you!

[AaronJB]

There is no way to guarantee a particular property when bidding. The Indigo was last reported at the 3* level in this zone - if you bid for the 3* level, you could possibly get any 3* in the zone, as well as potentially be upgraded to a hotel at a higher star rating.

When I look up these date/s on HOTWIRE, I see a 3.5* on HOTWIRE in the Gold Coast-Lake Shore Drive area for $165 (the price you see may vary slightly) w/:

Boutique Hotel

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

High-Speed Internet Access

Golf Nearby

Tennis Nearby

Spa Services

Accessible for the blind

Accessible for the deaf

Accessible path of travel

In-room accessibility

Accessible bathroom

Handicapped parking

Roll-in shower

That would be a possible match for the Indigo.

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

[Dessie]

Do you think my travel period is a bit on the price?

The max i want to bit for a 3* with free wireless internet is about $65.

i tried a few times but $50-55 3.5-3 * was rejected.

[AaronJB]

The Spring season is definitely busier and these dates seem particularly busy. Prices may come down (or may go higher if traffic comes in higher than expected and/or there's something going on these dates), but unfortunately $65 for the spring is unlikely.

There is no way to guarantee free internet when using PRICELINE, but with HOTWIRE you can look for a listing with a free internet amenity. If you are driving, $65 (and likely less - quite possibly less than $50) is likely possible in the suburbs, but that's about a 35-45 minute trip into the city.

Given rates for these dates, I think a 3* or above in the two main downtown zones is likely going to require more towards $80-100 (and may not be free internet - many hotels downtown do not offer free internet.)

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

[Dessie]

I dont mind staying a little further since we are traveling on a budget. Which area do you advise i should search?

We don't have a car, we use public transport.

[thereuare]

Given rates for these dates, I think a 3* or above in the two main downtown zones is likely going to require more towards $80-100...

I dont mind staying a little further since we are traveling on a budget. Which area do you advise i should search?

We don't have a car, we use public transport.

I'm sure AaronJB will reply further, but to get you started in the meantime, i think his comments above indicate that based upon this is going to be a tough win at $65 or less. Once you get outside of the two main Downtown zones mass transit becomes a bit spottier so there will be no way to ensure that you're close to a train or bus.... although you could possibly look at staying near O'Hare and taking the Blue Line in from there, but it's about an hour to 'downtown' which adds at least 2 hours to your roundtrip commute to/from the city, as well as takes away from most of the convenience of staying directly in the city.

To give you an idea of current retail rates, go to MAPS and HOTELS.com and search within 1 mile of Chicago, then only checkmark 3* and higher hotels, then sort by price (by clicking the PRICE tab at the top of the list of hotels)... what is the best rate you're able to find for a 3* hotel for these dates? If you then include 2.5* is anything lower in price offered?

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

[Dessie]

could you help ID

this 3-star Hotel in McCormick Place

on hotwire?

This Hotel features the following amenities:

Free Parking

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Free Internet

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Boutique Hotel

Property offers a distinctive, unique or eclectic atmosphere. Many boutique hotels are smaller, hip properties in an urban setting, or renovated hotels with historical flair.

Smoke Free Rooms

Guest rooms at this hotel are always smoke-free.

Fitness Center

Guests have access to exercise equipment; an additional charge may apply.

Restaurant(s)

Property offers at least one restaurant on the premises; hours and days of operation may vary.

Business Center

Guests have access to business equipment and services; an additional charge may apply.

High-Speed Internet Access

Guestrooms are equipped with high-speed Internet access; an extra charge may apply.

Accessible for the blind

Braille or raised signage

Accessible path of travel

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>In-room accessibility

Accessible path from the room entrance to the window, the bed and the bathroom; accessible hardware and minimal resistance to open the door; accessible temperature controls and window coverings

Accessible bathroom

Raised toilet, hand-held shower and grab bars at the tub and toilet

Handicapped parking

<amenity names only please... not descriptions>

Roll-in shower

Bathroom has a roll-in showe

[thereuare]

Please post only the amenity names (and not the descriptions) as you can see how much easier it is to read and helps minimize the chance that we'll miss an amenity when researching your trip.

3* McCormick Place

Free Parking

Free Internet

Boutique

Smoke Free

Fitness

Restaurant

Business

Hi-Speed Internet

Blind Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

This matches previous reports for the Chicago South Loop Hotel so that would be my best guess for this one.

HOWEVER, this is showing for $90/nite on my search, which is within the range AaronJB mentinoed above that you could likely get for a hotel in one of the 'true' Downtown hotels... why not try bidding on PRICELINE there first?

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

[AaronJB]

The suburbs are quite nice and provide a lot of restaurants and shopping (as well as a few sights of interest), but without a car it's difficult to get around and difficult to get from the hotel to public transit to get downtown. The best option if you don't have a car and are looking for a less expensive rate is to look by the airport that you're coming into (ORD has more hotels.)

In terms of the McCormick Place listing, as thereuare noted, I'd much rather suggest trying to get something downtown for $90 than near McCormick Place. That hotel is NOT near downtown and there's not much around it.

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

[Dessie]

Could you please help me ID this hotel periode 04/19-04/23

Do you think $112 is a reasonable price for hotwire?

3-star Hotel in Lake View - Lincoln Park - Wrigleyville

This Hotel features the following amenities:

Free Breakfast

Free Internet

Boutique Hotel

Smoke Free Rooms

High-Speed Internet Access

Accessible for the blind

Accessible for the deaf

Accessible path of travel

[AaronJB]

My guess would be the Majestic or Willows, with the City Suites being a lesser possibility (all three are small boutiques in Lincoln Park owned by the same company.) The Lincoln Park area is a nice area, but it's a ways North (especially the North end of the zone) from downtown. I think you could likely get something at the 3* level in the River North-NMA area downtown for less by bidding on PRICELINE.

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

[Dessie]

thank You. I tried several times but even $95 for 2,5* has been rejected. Maybe I'm to early with my bidding.

[thereuare]

Could you please help me ID this hotel periode 04/19-04/23

Do you think $112 is a reasonable price for hotwire?

3-star Hotel in Lake View - Lincoln Park - Wrigleyville

I tried several times but even $95 for 2,5* has been rejected.

If you're willing to consider the 3* hotel in the Lake View - Lincoln Park - Wrigleyville for $112/nite why not bid up to this amount for a 3* (or higher) hotel in one of the truer 'downtown' zones?

HOTWIRE has a 4* offer in the Loop zone for $116/nite, which i'm guessing to be the Palmer House Hilton:

Indoor Pool

Fitness

Pool

Restaurant

Business

Hi-Speed Internet

Spa

Blind Accessible

Deaf Accessible

Travel Accessible

Room Accessible

Bathroom Accessible

Handicapped Parking

Roll-in Shower

You could try bidding on PRICELINE for a slightly better price (although you could then receive any 4* hotel in the zones you bid and not necessarily the Palmer House)... but if successful for a 4* at $115 or less i would think that would be a very good deal for these dates considering you have already been rejected for a 2.5* hotel at $95.

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

Let us know how you'd like to proceed and we'll try to assist further.

[AaronJB]

I would recommend visiting the Lincoln Park area - it has a lot to offer in terms of sights (Second City, Lincoln Park Zoo), as well as a much more neighborhood feel (great local restaurants, boutique/smaller stores, etc) but in terms of where to stay, I'd definitely stay more central (one of the downtown zones) and then take public transit (or you could possibly walk if you were up for a really long walking day - and certainly not a bad time of year in April) up to Lincoln Park.

If downtown was really expensive and Lincoln Park was much cheaper, I'd say stay in Lincoln Park, but when downtown offerings are about the same price on HOTWIRE (or could be had for less on PRICELINE), I'd definitely stay downtown.

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