Priceline Hotel: 3* Chicago (NMA - River North) Holiday Inn Mart

[enginerd2000]

(Alternate title: 'Yes, I know $107/nt is steep for 3*, but I have an EXCUSE.')

This is my first post, but I think I should post since this site has been such a help to me. Yes, this is very involved, but that's what happens when you get on the priceline band wagon.

Goal: Two night (Thurs-Sat) stay in Chicago, where a friend and I were going to catch some shows (NPR & Wicked) and do some general sightseeing. So any hotel in the NMA or Loop area would have been fine.

Start: We initially booked the Hilton Tower (across from Grant Park) for $179. (Interesting side note: I first checked Expedia which gave the $179 rate for that hotel. So then I called the hotel directly, since previous Vegas hotel experience has shown that booking through the hotel directly will usually give better rates. The Hilton reservations desk gave the rate of $209 a night! I told her about the Expedia rate, and she quickly went down to $179/nt. Sheesh. Thank goodness for internet research.)

I decided to check priceline, since $360 + taxes seems a bit steep for a non-football, non-festival weekend.

Priceline Bidding Wars (enter 'Ride of the Valkryies' music):

9/26

NMA/Loop 4* -- $55 Rejected (yeah, it's low, but what the heck, I've got rebids and time aplenty)

Add Skokie --$70 Rejected

Add MDW -- $80 Rejected

9/29

NMA/Loop 4* -- $90 Rejected

Add Skokie -- $105 Rejected

Add MDW -- $115 Rejected

10/2

NMA/Loop 4* -- $130 Rejected

Add Skokie -- $140 Rejected

Add MDW -- $150 Rejected

The $150 was pretty much my final bet, since with fees and all it would be a wash with my original reservation. So I think to myself, 'huh, maybe that Saturday night is skewing my offer. I'll split my nights, which would still be a savings and I don't mind hotel hopping, especially for a 4-star.'

I won't bother with the details, but my 4* for Thursday night got rejected from $55 up to $105 (it wasn't worth more to me than that). I couldn't figure out why the rates seemed so high. I got worried that there was some event or something that I had overlooked and was driving the rates up.

Okay. So now I'm think I might stick with my Hilton reservations. But I look at the board and notice that the 3* NMA hotels actually all look pretty good and in great locations relative to Michigan Ave. I was leery of the 3* Loop ones, though.

So, final bid for my last hurrah:

3* NMA -- $85

It was a high first bid, but (please don't correct me if I'm wrong--I don't want to know), I didn't have any rebid zones to work with, so I really had to give my highest number.

So then Priceline comes back with the dreaded COUNTEROFFER. Basically, I had to offer $107/nt to get the room. I did some agonizing; was I willing to risk it and re-bid just a couple days before the trip to save maybe additional $$$? Well, I'm not a gambler, so I paid up. Total plus fees: $255.58, which is still over a $100 savings from my original Hilton reservations and in a nice hotel in a more convenient location. Not as great a deal as I had hoped, but I'll take it! Oh, and of course I checked the standard room rates for those dates at the Holiday Inn, and they were $201/nt, so that helps ease any annoyance over the counteroffer.

But I've learned my lesson. Have a game plan and start early!

Dates: 10/6-10/8

Zone: 3* NMA

Bid: $107

Total: $255.58

Hotel: Holiday Inn Mart

[lindabobhat]

Actually, I think you did pretty well for Chicago Marathon weekend. Fall seems to be a busy time here and hotel rates are pretty high this month.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

But I've learned my lesson. Have a game plan and start early!

...or ask for help with your bidding! :)

Enjoy your stay.