Priceline Hotel: 4.5* Chicago (North Michigan Ave - River North) The James Chicago

[bradley]

While I'm quite familiar with Priceline bidding in Canadian and Asian destinations, I've unexpectedly found myself with air tickets to Chicago for August 19-21, and absolutely no knowledge of the city or Priceline rates for summer.

I have a question. Since last using Priceline Name your own Price, these 'Express Deals' have come along. Should I use them to inform my bidding range? For example, (after clicking through from links on this board) I notice there's a 4-star Express Deal available in NMA-River North area at 101USD today. Does that mean I can start bidding at about 80 bucks and hope for success? Less? Should I consider express deals instead of bidding?

Also, for the first-time visitor who loves food and art and architecture and can walk for hours soaking in the atmosphere of a new city - is that the area I want to be in?

I appreciate any insight from the Board users. Thanks in advance.

[yellowdog]

Please provide a follow-up for your prior Montreal Priceline thread (post in that thread what you decided for that stay), then reply to this thread and we'll be happy to look into the above. Please follow-up your threads with whatever you end up doing, even if you chose to book direct, cancel your trip, etc.

Thanx for using boards HOTWIRE and PRICELINE links :)

Yellowdog.

[AaronJB]

After you follow-up on your prior thread, I'd also be happy to offer any city recommendations. Let us know a bit more about what you're looking for and I'd be happy to offer suggestions downtown and a couple of suggested outlying areas.

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

[bradley]

Done.

[AaronJB]

I'd suggest staying North of the River - the River North-NMA area has a wider array of dining and is (generally) open and active later into the evening. A fair amount of the Loop area South of the river is dominated by offices, and once the offices let out, those areas can become noticeably quiet later into the evening.

These are not terribly busy dates and you have time, so I do think you could certainly start at $70 (may not be enough, but worth a try this far out and given the nature of the time period) and work higher by $5's using re-bidding.

Please let us know if you have any hotel or city questions.

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

[bradley]

Thanks for your reply, Aaron. That's great news! Also, the hotel list at the 3.5 star level seems quite good. I guess I could try that as well, since it'll just be me and I won't be in the room much. I see what your saying about the area, but if I can get a 4-star for much less in the neighborhood immediately south, it seems like a good idea: are the distances that great? For example, could one walk easily from the river to Lincoln Park? It's hard to visualize the distances having never been there.

[AaronJB]

Thanks for your reply, Aaron. That's great news! Also, the hotel list at the 3.5 star level seems quite good. I guess I could try that as well, since it'll just be me and I won't be in the room much. I see what your saying about the area, but if I can get a 4-star for much less in the neighborhood immediately south, it seems like a good idea: are the distances that great? For example, could one walk easily from the river to Lincoln Park? It's hard to visualize the distances having never been there.

People have different views - I think Chicago is actually very walkable for a major city, some people don't. I'm not a big user of the city's public transit, but there are a lot of public transit options and there are some very good smartphone apps that allow one to see how long until the next train or how far the next bus is.

However, the issue with Chicago and long walks is during the extreme periods in terms of temperature - during the middle of Winter when it's freezing and during late Summer (late July into August) when it can be very hot and humid.

To use a couple of example points, it's about three miles from the center of the Loop (the area South of the river) to the Lincoln Park Zoo and about 3.7mi from the far South end of the Loop area to the Zoo. If it's a nice day, it's a pleasant, straightforward walk. On a hot day in the city, it will likely feel longer than three miles. It's about 1.6-1.7mi from the center of the River North/NMA zone (North of the River) to the zoo. The nice thing about the walk up North to Lincoln Park is that it is very straightforward and a portion of it goes through a very nice residential area in the Gold Coast (and the Old Town area is also right nearby, which has the famed Second City theater and an assortment of shops/restaurants.)

The area to the South of the river actually appears a bit more expensive for these date/s. If you were to stay in the Loop and were planning to be out later at night, I'd suggest maybe taking a cab back vs walking, which would add a bit of extra cost. If you are going to be out later at night - restaurants, nightlife, etc - it's just a lot easier staying North of the river.

$70 for a 4* very well may be short of what's needed, but with Mid-August in Chicago (and there's nothing much on the convention calendar), I would not be aggressive in bidding, and I think a 4* is possible around $85-95 (but it's worth trying lower first.) I don't think there's going to be much of a difference between the 4* and 3.5* levels for these date/s.

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

[purplelotus]

I don't live in Chicago any more, but I grew up there, spent a fair bit of my adult life there, and visit quite frequently. I,too,love architecture and art, and Chicago has much to offer. I would highly recommend taking one or two of the Chicago Architecture Foundation walking tours. There are heaps to choose from, and the docents are generally excellent. Check out their web site. They also offer a boat cruise on the Chicago river which is pricier (and no walking obviously). Their office is almost across the street from the Art Institute, a premier art museum, on South Michigan Avenue. Check out Caillebotte's "Paris Street, Rainy Day", Seurat's " A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte", Hopper's "Nighthawks", and Wood's "American Gothic", all classics. If you're into Frank Lloyd Wright, you could visit Oak Park, but that would be time-consuming for your short visit.

[bradley]

I've never used express deals before, and this offer seems like a good deal if it's any of the hotels in the Priceline and Hotwire hotel lists on this site.

4½ Star Hotel in North Michigan Ave - River North Area for $130/night August 19-21 (two nights)

Free Internet

Pets Allowed

Restaurant

Business Center

Fitness Center

Bed choice available.

Could this be a hotel that is on the Hotwire, Priceline hotels lists here? If so - it seems like a great deal!

Thanks in advance for any insight.

[thereuare]

The Sofitel, Conrad, or The James would be my guess for this one.

With the 4.5* rating and 9.0+ user review rating i'd feel pretty comfortable that this will be a 'good' hotel.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases. (or directly with our PRICELINE EXPRESS link)

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[bradley]

Took the Express Deal hoping for the Conrad or the Sofitel and got the James Hotel in the end for two nights at 130 USD.

Price per night $130.00

Nights: 2

Room Subtotal: $260.00

Taxes & Fees: $54.36

Total: $314.36

A bit more than I had hoped to pay, but at least guaranteed a good nights sleep for my first visit to Chicago! Thanks for your support and advice on this board.

[yellowdog]

Thank you for sharing your result with the board!

Also thanx for reporting this new star rating to the BetterBidding Priceline Hotel List

Good to see that you found the board useful.

Enjoy your stay.

Please use the board's PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your purchases and searches

Yellowdog.

[AaronJB]

The James is a very nice property - superbly located and it also offers a great restaurant. Let us know if you have any city questions.

[bradley]

Thanks Yellowdog and Aaron. I was disappointed with the result but your words are encouraging. As I said- I'm starting from scratch- knowing exactly nothing about Chicago - but what can be better than a few free days to explore a new city?! Of course, the more I learn, the more I realize that three days isn't nearly long enough...

[AaronJB]

A few random thoughts:

1. The restaurant in your hotel is good, although you're a short walk away from the River North area (which is just a bit to the West.) The RN area has a wide variety of restaurants and nightlife. Recommendations include the Doughnut Vault, Xoco (or Frontera if the wait isn't long for some reason, but Xoco is a newer casual offering from Frontera chef Rick Bayless), Yolk, La Madia (very good pizza), Lou Malnati's (if you want deep dish pizza), Doughnut Vault, Sable, Portillos, Gene and Georgetti, and many others. There's Chicago's famous popcorn (Garrett) not far from your hotel and there will probably be a line - it's good popcorn, but - and I'm in the minority with this view - it's just way expensive for what it is. If you want a treat, I'd say Doughnut Vault (although it's cash only and they are open until they're sold out -website http://thedoughnutvault.tumblr.com/) That's just the River North area - there are tons of great restaurants throughout the city, including the Gold Coast area further North (Chicago Q) and Old Town area yet further North (Graham Elliott, La Fournette)

2. There is a Trader Joe's about a block away from your hotel for cheap snacks/drinks/etc.

3. I'd skip Navy Pier - overpriced restaurants, rides, etc. Nice views, but it's right on the water and in the middle of Summer it always seems much hotter there than it is a few blocks inland. The Art Institute is a must and Lincoln Park Zoo is terrific (and free) - both are recommended and can be combined with other things (Lincoln Park Zoo w/Old Town and the Lincoln Park neighborhood) The boat tours that leave off either side of the Michigan Ave bridge over the Chicago River are also a good option (CAF on the SE side, Wendella on the NE side), although in August I'd really recommend doing it early in the AM.

Enjoy your stay and let us know if you have any additional city questions.