Priceline Hotel: Chicago May 15-22 bidding help

[burkedevlin]

Hi there,

I'm new to this and have been trying to get a hotel in Chicago for May 15-22. I'd like to keep it under $150/night if possible. The last couple of days, I've tried for a 4* in N Michigan Ave and Millenium Park / Loop up to $145 with no success.

Will going to 3.5* make much of a difference? Is there a chance prices drop closer to my dates or am I losing money with every passing day? Also, I don't know Chicago well and would be willing to stay in another area if it comes recommended (looking for restaurants, shops, museums - the usual for a 30-something couple on vacation).

Thanks in advance for any help / advice.

-BD

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

May tends to start becoming more expensive due to nicer weather, graduations, baseball and other events. The problem that you are running into on these date/s is that the National Restaurant Association show (which is one of the biggest conventions of the year) happens on the back half of this stay (5/18-21, so the night of the 17th may also be busy.) Looking at 5/18-21 on their own, the cheapest property on HOTWIRE downtown is $231 for a 3.5*.

5/15-17 is still pricey, but much more reasonable, 5/15-18 starts to get more expensive, 5/18-21 is quite expensive and the cheapest listing with all date/s (5/15-22) combined is a 3.5* for $215.

Are you driving or flying in? If you are driving in, I would be happy to offer some considerably cheaper ideas and very nice outlying areas, but it requires a trek (Metra train) ride in. The outlying areas (which do offer a variety of restaurants, shopping and some sights) would likely be around $65-75 for a 4* but require about a 38-45 minute ride in on the Metra train (which are nice, Amtrak-like two level trains) You could also split the stay.

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

[burkedevlin]

Thanks for the information. This is disappointing, but I'm not surprised to hear about the convention.

I'm flying in and would prefer to stay somewhere in the city. A 45-minute trip is a bit much. I will probably just have to pay through the teeth on this one. Though I'd be fine with a 3* hotel as well. The best rates I see on Hotwire are $222 for a 3* and $223 for a 3.5*, both in the Loop.

In your experience, is it worth trying to beat these rates on Priceline? What result might that get me?

[AaronJB]

If you're flexible on which hotel you may get given the specifics (star rating/zone) chosen, bidding is often moderately less expensive than HOTWIRE. Additionally, would you be willing to split your stay?

You can see the list of hotels that have been reported to the board in the area on HOTWIRE and PRICELINE by clicking "Can't Find What You're Looking For?" in the upper corner and clicking on "See Hotel Lists".

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

[thereuare]

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

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

Thanks.

[burkedevlin]

After re-bidding for 3.5* in the Loop and N Michigan Ave up to $191 with no success, I decided to go with another option and booked an apartment in Old Town through AirBnB. No win for me on this one.

But thanks to everyone here and I just want to say I love this board and will be back next time I need to book a hotel. Thanks!

-BD

[AaronJB]

Thank you for closing the thread. This is unfortunately just a very busy period. If the AirBNB booking is able to be cancelled, you may want to take a look at HOTWIRE again closer to your date/s - while this is a huge convention, there's always the chance that inventory may open up closer to your date/s.

If you are staying in Old Town, I highly recommend a stop at The Spice House (http://www.thespicehouse.com/info/chicago-spice-store.html)

Enjoy your stay.