Priceline Hotel: 4star during Marathon weekend?

[redmud]

Hi there,

I would like to try bidding for a 4 star in Millennium Park or the Michigan Ave area - but I don't really know where to start as I'm hoping to get 3 rooms for 4 nights when the Chicago Marathon is happening (Oct 13th). 47,000 people run the race and I'm really not sure if I have any chance at getting a (nice) room at a discounted rate when big events like this are on.

What are most people's experiences like with this - is it worth trying, and if so, where do you start on pricing when it's one of the busier periods for Chicago, in combination with a huge event like this?

Thanks for any and all help! :)

[AaronJB]

The Marathon period is traditionally one of the busiest periods of the year - it's difficult to get a discount but can also be very difficult to get a room at a reasonable rate in general. What are your date/s of travel, and what would be your desired budget per night? Additionally, are you driving or flying in?

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 read your messages and click each of the links above before replying.

Thanks.

[redmud]

Hi,

In reference to the above - done.

Thanks for offering your advice on that weekend - looks like this could be a challenge! We're staying 4 nights - Oct 10th through to the 14th. We need 3 rooms in total.

Rates on Expedia for a 4 star, for instance, are about $350. I guess it would be unreasonable to hope for anything in the $100 range, I suppose?

I'm hoping to stay under $200 per night. And we're flying in.

[AaronJB]

The issue with these date/s is that prices have already gone up South of the river as people coming in for the Marathon want to be closer to the start. There is a definite gap between prices South of the River and North of the river, despite the fact that it's really not THAT far from most hotels North of the river to get to where the Marathon is.

Unfortunately, $100 is not going to be realistic downtown - it will be realistic outside the city, but then it becomes a matter of commuting in and back each day - and if you are not driving, a commute from O'Hare is going to be around 55 minutes each way. Downtown, under $200 in the Loop area South of the river is unlikely - South of the River in the Loop a 4* will likely run in the mid $200's. North of the River in the River North-NMA area, a 4* is likely going to run in the $165-180 range, although you have the time to start a tad lower.

Are you going to be more than 2 to a room? If you are 4 to a room, there is a 4* for $195 (you may see a slightly different price) in the Mag Mile North-Water Tower zone on HOTWIRE. Given that this is a busy period and four people to a room usually results in higher rates (in this case, the listing appears as $195 whether 2 or 4), I'd consider taking that. Additionally, PRICELINE only guarantees double occupancy - while one can request two beds, the hotel can say no even on a slower day.

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

[redmud]

Thanks so much for your help, Aaron!

This is hugely helpful. I am going to start bidding tonight, using the forum PRICELINE links of course, and keep you updated on any success.

Thanks again!

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! :)

Please let us know if you have any questions before bidding - hopefully you'll get something locked in as this is traditionally a pretty tough period. While there is always the possibility that there could be last minute inventory opening up, there's also the possibility that there may be nothing reasonable left and you could have to look to outlying areas (which won't work well if you are in to run the marathon.)

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