Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (Millenium Park - The Loop - Grant Park) Allegro Chicago, a Kimpton Hotel

[chic]

Going to be in Chicago 8/9-8/11. I really want to stay near the Blue line in the Loop since I'll be taking the train to O'hare. I'm wondering if I should just book a hotel (thinking of theses Burnham, Monaco, Palmer House, DeWIT, or Hard Rock) or should I try bidding. I'm just afraid I'll get Allegro because it seems far from the museum and all that on the map. If bidding, I want to spend about $180/night.

Thank you for your help!

[thereuare]

Please follow-up your previous Priceline Washington DC thread with whatever you decided to do for that trip, then click each of these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links and reply to this thread, we'll have a look at your post above.

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

Thanks.

[AaronJB]

Chicago is not a giant city and walking (or taking public transit) is easy. I would not limit yourself to being near the Blue Line and would also consider the Michigan Ave. area.

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

[chic]

Thanks, Aaron. It's just that the last time I was there, I stayed at Knickerbocker and felt that the walk from the red line train was too long and Knickerbocker seemed far from the places I wanted to be. I wouldn't mind being on the other side of the Mile that is closer to the red line, but I know with bidding, specific hotels are not guaranteed. Do you think that with the dates I have, the chances of me getting a 4* hotel in the Loop would be impossible?

[thereuare]

I do think you can get a 4* hotel near your $180 budget in the Loop zone, but if you bid on PRICELINE the Allegro would be a definite possibility in the Loop zone (and the Knickerbocker a possibility in the NMA zone).

HOTWIRE does have what appears to be the 3.5* rated Crowne Plaza Hotel Chicago for $138/nite... perhaps this would work for your needs and still be nice enough to warrant the $40/nite savings?

Also, if you do decide you want to pick the specific location (or see how much 'traditional rates' are) you can try using our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com which makes it easy to see hotel rates in a given are as well as how much more/less it would cost to go up/down in star rating or to stay closer/further for your ideal location.

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

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

[chic]

Just as expected, I got the Allegro Kimpton for $180/night 8/9-8/11. Oh well. I wanted to stay at a Kimpton so I guess this will be a first. Thanks for the all the help!

[thereuare]

Sorry to see this was one of the hotels you were hoping to avoid, but it does give you a change to try our a Kimpton branded property, which have some of the best run hotels in the industry, almost all of their properties get great reviews.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that you got the Allegro, but one minor tip regarding this property: if you walk a few minutes West, you will get to the Ogilvie Transit Center. Under the station, there is now a French Market with a number of vendors. You can see directions here: http://www.frenchmarketchicago.com/hours/

My favorite vendor is Wisma, but there are a number of nice options. There are tons of restaurants in Chicago to choose from, but if you just want to pick something up to take back to the hotel, this is a nearby option that's kinda fun.

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

[jostty]

Just curious.... What did you start your bidding at?

[chic]

Got back from my brief trip on Sunday. It's funny that someone mentioned the Ogilvie Transit Center (OTC), I had to get from Palatine to Chicago and was taking the Metra, but of course, this is my first time doing that and had no idea where the train goes. Eventually got off at OTC. Had to call Allegro to get directions. I didn't walk around there much since I had luggage and just want to get to the hotel and rest. It's a bit of a walk to Allegro, but not terribly bad. It would've been much further if I had Burnham or Monaco. I wis I saw your post about the french market sooner! Maybe next time, I'll get out there!

I knew from reviews that Allegro is tight on space, so I didn't go in thinking I'm going to get this spacious room. The bathroom and sink, as stated in many reviews, is super small. I thought water is going to splash out just by turning on the faucet! The water pressure in the shower could be better. I stayed at a Holiday Inn express before going on to Allegro and the water pressure at HIE was excellent.

I joined the InTouch program so I got free wifi and $10 to raid the minibar. I thought those were nice perk. The wifi is not those slow wifi. I did manage to get a Sangria during one of the happy hours. It was pretty good. I made sure I tried out the leopard skin robe too :). I tried to take advantage of all the Kimpton perks, but I didn't request a gold fish. LOL. Didn't have a lot of interactions with staff, but they seem to be nice and helpful. Concierge lady was nice -- I've been to many hotels where the concierge come off with an attitude and snobbish.

Overall, I would stay at a Kimpton again if the price is not too expensive.

As for bidding, I don't really remember the starting bid. I think I started with $130 and then added different areas that didn't have 4 stars.

[thereuare]

Glad to see you enjoyed your stay... the hotels in the Kimpton chain generally get great reviews and nice to see your experience was positive.

Thanks for the follow-up.