Hotwire Hotel: 2* Chicago (Magnificent Mile - River North) Howard Johnson Inn Downtown Chicago

[SaturnMom]

Is Spring Break (3/16-3/23) a busy time in Chicago?

My daughter and her college roommates is going to Chicago for Spring Break and asked me to bid a room for her. I looked up to Hyatt Regency, where I normally stayed and they are fully booked. And when I used Hotwire to check rate, most of the room in downtown area are more than $150/night, which is over their budget. I am trying to bid a room either at Midway or O'Hara, which one will you recommend? Will the hotel at O'Hara area have easy access to "L"? If not, which area will have easy access to "L" and safe. The girls are very excited about the trip, and I don't want to disappointed them.

I have a few questions:

1) They are under 21, and most hotel required over 21 to check-in.

2) They have no car, but don't mind using public transportation, even up to one hour.

3) Is the hostel in Chicago area safe?

4) They will take the Amtrak to Chicago, and need transportation to the hotel. Any suggestion?

Thanks in advance.

[AaronJB]

I don't think Spring Break is necessarily a busy time in Chicago, but there are a few sizable conventions in March, such as the Housewares show (which I think takes place during part of this period.)

A few thoughts/questions:

1. What would be their desired budget per night? How many are in the party?

2. O'Hare would be better than Midway in terms of more hotel options (and more competition often leads to cheaper rates), but I think it's not fun to have to go on a 55 minute "L" ride each way to downtown, and there's nothing around the hotel once they get to the O'Hare area. I do have some alternate ideas on outlying areas that would be fun in terms of areas that offer shopping and restaurants near the hotel, but it depends on budget.

3. In terms of under 21, PRICELINE isn't an option; HOTWIRE listings do show required check-in age.

4. If they are coming into downtown on Amtrak and staying downtown, then there's no need for transit to the hotel, as Union Station is right downtown. If they stay in an outlying area, then that requires CTA Trains to go to/from the airport, or the nicer Metra trains if they stayed in a suburb (which may be another option.)

5. Are they flexible in terms of splitting their stay - if downtown is more expensive for part of their stay, would they stay downtown for part of their stay, and stay outside the city for more expensive days?

I'll also note that while Michigan Ave is appealing, they may want to consider heading up to the Lincoln Park/Lakeview neighborhood, which has a lot of boutique/hip thrift places where it's more likely they'll find a gem/surprise. Lakeview/Lincoln Park also offers a lot more reasonable restaurants.

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

[SaturnMom]

Hi Aaron,

Thank you for your quick response. I know you are very familar with Chicago area, please help.

Their budget is $100, don't need to be a 4* hotel, but want a clean place to stay.

I meant if they book a hotel outside Chicago downtown area, then they need to take public transportation to the hotel. Also, I need to find an area which has lot of public transportion to downtown or other places.

I will ask them about the hotel splitting, they are still in class ;) .

Thank you.

[AaronJB]

I would be happy to take a look around and pull together options available. How many are in the group? Just to confirm, are they looking for the entire 3/16-23 period?

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

[SaturnMom]

Four in the group.

[AaronJB]

The issue is a convention (30,000 people) for 3/19-23, as well as a smaller one (10,000) that takes place during the first few days. St Patrick's Day celebrations may also be causing some hotel traffic downtown for that weekend.

Unfortunately, I think given the rates that I'm seeing, downtown is going to be too expensive for these dates, aside from from one very so-so idea and one risky idea. When searching for two people on HOTWIRE, there are options close to the desired budget for the first few nights (3/16-19), but with four people and the extra person fees added, rates are considerably higher for those nights, as well as the remainder. Without a car, HOTWIRE becomes a bit difficult as a number of properties are not easily accessible (or accessible) via Public Transit, and if a listing is new or changed, there's the possibility of being stuck. If they were driving, there would be quite a bit more hotel options in the outlying areas, as well as major outlet mall shopping at Gurnee Mills and the Premium Outlet Mall, which is just over the WI border.

A few options I'm seeing for the period:

1. Hampton Inn Skokie (a bit over budget at about $110 per night before taxes on Hilton.com; please use the site's Hilton.com link under the Support Links section.) This property is a newer Hampton Inn behind and a little bit further back from the Old Orchard Mall (http://www.westfield.com/oldorchard/, a very nice outdoor mall that offers a lot of similar shops to Michigan Ave.) in the suburb of Skokie. This property would offer breakfast, and there's restaurant options and shopping nearby. There is a shuttle listed on the hotel website that goes within 3 miles. The Central Ave Metra station in Evanston is about 3 miles, as is the Skokie Swift "L" station. It's about a 20-25 minute bus ride from the Old Orchard Mall West to Evanston, which is a college town (Northwestern) that offers a lot of shops and great restaurants, as well. Once you get to Evanston, you have the option of Metra trains (which are kind of like Amtrak trains) downtown or the CTA "L" trains. You'd have to confirm the hours of the shuttle, but it would be an option instead of taking the bus from Evanston. So, this would be a trip from downtown, but would offer things to do near the hotel, both in terms of Evanston and Old Orchard.

2. Holiday Inn Skokie. This is a poorly reviewed Holiday Inn in Skokie, and not something I'd recommend, but it is cheap for these dates at $56 on HOTWIRE. It appears to be available for both part and all dates. This is not near the Old Orchard Mall above, although one could get there using public transit.

3. There is a 2* HOTWIRE listing in the Loop for $83 with restaurant, business, internet. It does not get good reviews (3/5 tripadvisor) and it has not yet been ID'd/reported to the board. I'm very familiar with the city, but remain puzzled by this one, as it doesn't appear to be the Travelodge on Harrison or Congress Hotel on Michigan, both of which fall just outside the boundaries of this zone. This would definitely be a riskier option.

4. I see what appears to be the Ohio House Motel for $104 on HOTWIRE downtown for 3/16-22. I haven't stayed here, but this is a bare basics property (although in a very good location in River North.) It's a very basic motel, complete with outdoor entrances to the rooms.

5. There are some cheaper ORD hotel options during the first few nights (including a 3* for $57 in ORD North from 3/16-19), but looking at all dates together gets more expensive for higher rated hotels and there are less lower rated options - I'm guessing overflow for 3/19-23 from the convention downtown. Some of the ORD HOTWIRE properties do require 21+ to book.

Please let us know if you have any questions before booking.

Thank you for using the site's HOTWIRE, PRICELINE or Hilton link in the Support Page area.

[SaturnMom]

Aaron,

You are awesome!! I told the girls to read through your suggestions and tell me what they wants to do. I still want to bid a hotel room for them for the first few days in downtown, if possible. Then they can do the downtown attractions then move to city/college town for fun.

I will let you know after I hear back from them.

Thanks again.

[thereuare]

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

... and please click each of the links above before replying.

Thanks.

[SaturnMom]

No problem, I will use the Hotwire and PRICELINE links everytime to start a research.

My daughter said they don't mind staying in a motel or 1 or 2* hotel. They only need a place to sleep in Chicago downtown area for around $100.

This morning, I used HOTWIRE to look up hotel in downtown area, but no luck. Should I use PRICELINE then?

[thereuare]

This morning, I used HOTWIRE to look up hotel in downtown area, but no luck.

Which zones are you willing to accept, as i'm seeing 2* hotels under $100 in the Loop zone.

Should I use PRICELINE then?

You then run into the 'under 21 years old' issue addressed above... at least with HOTWIRE on the details page (after you click the red SHOW ME button with the price in it) at the bottom of the page in the 'Know Before You Go' section they tell you the minimum age in order to check-in... with PRICELINE you could receive a hotel that requires guests be 21 years or older.

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

[AaronJB]

The issue with PRICELINE is that you have to be 21 years old to book a hotel room using the service. While there are some hotels that are 18+ check-in in downtown, there's no way to isolate them when bidding. If you were to get a hotel with a 21+ check-in, you could maybe work something out (take the mini-bar out?) but there's no guarantee and there's the definite risk they may say no to allowing them to check-in. Unfortunately, it's tough because so many hotels in the city are 21+ for check-in. Unfortunately, these dates are also tough rate-wise with the two conventions.

When searching on HOTWIRE for 3/16-23 for 4 adults, I'm seeing a 2* in the Loop-Theater District zone for $83 w/restaurant and internet. I'm a little concerned as to what this might be - it shows 3/5 tripadvisor rating on the detail page, which made me think the Travelodge, but that falls just outside the shaded area of this zone. This may be an instance of if you see this for the one night only separately and then for the remaining dates separately, book the one night, see what it is, and then book the remainder separately if you are happy. If you book the one night and it's a disappointment, try something else for the remainder.

The other option that I'm seeing is a 2* for $101 in the Mag Mile-River North area w/free parking and internet. This only shows for 3/16-22. This is likely the Ohio House Motel. VERY, VERY basic property and it is a literal motel w/doors on the outside. It is, however, in a great location in the River North area - lots of restaurants nearby and not terribly far from Michigan Ave. If the 2* Loop is available for the last night and this is available from 3/16-22, that would be a possibility to combine.

I'm seeing what appears to be the South Loop Hotel for the first 3 nights at $108. That property is going to be somewhat nicer than the above two options, but the problem is that - despite the name - it's rather far South of the city and there's really nothing directly around it. The "L" isn't really right nearby, either - it would be a matter of taking the bus or bus to "L". So, a nicer property for the first few nights but really not an optimal location South of downtown.

Please let us know if you have any questions before booking.

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

[Romelle]

Are you looking for one room or two? With PRICELINE and one room, you are only guaranteed bedding for two people. And this can be just one bed. With HOTWIRE you can put in the number of people and you will get bedding for that many. It can be a pull-out sofa or even a roll-in, but there will be four places.

Romelle

[SaturnMom]

Hi, I just want to thank you all for helping me.

Do you want me to start a new topic on Hotwire Forum to continue? I think I will use Hotwire to book the room, so I can make sure the room can fit 4 person and for under 21 of age. They want to stay near downtown, so I am looking to Loop and NMA. Since it is impossible to get a room in NMA for $100, so Loop is my only choice.

I love Aaron's idea of bidding the first night to see what will come up, especially on the location.

I am guessing the $83 2* at Chicago Loop & Theater area be Travelodge too. It is one of the 2* hotel in the Loop & Theater area, right? If not, what else will you guess? Is Hotwire only dealing with chain hotel?

Also, I checked the Ohio House Motel website, the maximum capacity is 3 ppl per room, so it probably not the 2* at River North.

Thanks again, I will check with the girls and keep searching.

[AaronJB]

Given the free parking on the 2* Mag Mile-RN and 3.5/5 tripadvisor rating, I'd be pretty surprised if it isn't the Ohio House Motel; the website may have a max of 3 listed but there may be some flexibility. The Ohio House allows booking with 4 on Expedia.

In terms of the one night idea, that would be for the mystery 2* HOTWIRE listing in the Loop. I think that looks likely like the Travelodge, but the Travelodge falls just outside of the shaded zone. If this isn't the Travelodge, I'm stumped as to what it could possibly be. There is the possibility of non-chain properties with HOTWIRE, but I really don't think there are any in the Loop or right nearby.

Sorry that there aren't many options for these dates downtown; there are some nicer hotel options for similar prices in the burbs and by O'Hare, but the issue with that becomes the lengthy trip each way every day for a week.

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

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for this stay in this thread and continue this topic with your HOTWIRE request(s).

Once a hotel is won/purchases you can use the EDIT TO REPORT WIN button on the lower right corner of this page (only visible by the OP) and the thread will automatically move to the correct section of the board.

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

[SaturnMom]

The $83 and $106 deals are gone!!!! :o What should I do next ??

[AaronJB]

Let me take a look and see what is available.

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

[AaronJB]

I see what appears to be the Ohio House Motel for $106 for 3/17-21 only. The 2* Loop property is showing for 3/21-23, but unfortunately it's saying no longer available when I click on it. It does appear available for 3/22-23.

I also see what appears to be the South Loop hotel (which I mentioned above - not a great location) for around $100 for part of this stay, but just noticed now that it requires 21+ check-in.

Unfortunately, 3/16 and 3/21 nights remain problematic.

_____________________________________

Additionally:

While rates for these dates may remain high due to the convention, you could book a refundable reservation outside the city for all or part of the period, then change if rates came down closer to your stay. Unfortunately, rates remain higher than usual outside the city.

Please let us know if you have any questions before booking.

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

______________________________

[SaturnMom]

Do you have any bidding strategy for a 2* hotel at Downtown Chicago, Loop, or NMA? There probably no free bid zone at all. My top is $100.

[AaronJB]

Do you have any bidding strategy for a 2* hotel at Downtown Chicago, Loop, or NMA? There probably no free bid zone at all. My top is $100.

Just to really confirm, are you willing to take the risk that they might wind up at a property that does not accept under 21 at check-in?

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

[SaturnMom]

Worst case scenario, I have to drive 9 hours to check them in :) and spend a weekend over there shopping.

I have this though because I can't use Hotwire to book any 2* for the whole 7 days, so I have to try priceline.

[SaturnMom]

Thank you for you help, I got Howard Johnson Inn from 3/17-3/23. Still need to find a room for 3/16. I did used the link from your site.

Howard Johnson Inn - Chicago

720 North LaSalle Street,

Chicago, IL, 60610

(312) 664-8100

Rate per night:$107.00

Nights:6

Tax recovery charges & fees:$118.74

Subtotal:$760.74

Trip total:$760.74

[SaturnMom]

Thank you for you help, I got Howard Johnson Inn from 3/17-3/23. Still need to find a room for 3/16. I used the link from your site.

Howard Johnson Inn - Chicago

720 North LaSalle Street,

Chicago, IL, 60610

(312) 664-8100

Rate per night:$107.00

Nights:6

Tax recovery charges & fees:$118.74

Subtotal:$760.74

Trip total:$760.74

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

Nice win for this property, which is showing as sold out on the hotel website when searching for these dates.

Thank you for letting us know about this new PRICELINE property so that we can update the site's Hotwire Hotel List.

This property is a few minutes West of the center of Michigan Ave shopping; it's also not far from the restaurants of the Gold Coast and River North areas. I'll note that this area may be on the quiet side at night, but is fine during the day and I think the hotel should work well location-wise. If you have any city questions at all, please post them here and I'd be happy to offer my thoughts.

Please start a new thread for your 3/16 stay.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[SaturnMom]

I used Hotwire, not Priceline. I followed thereuare instruction to edit the post, but not success. Can you help me to move it to Hotwire forum?

Thank you.