Hotwire Hotel: Help Identify 3.5* Chicago Loop-Theater District

[vchan]

Hi, I used the better bidding links to search, and I would appreciate help to identify the following hotel:

 

3.5* Chicago Loop-Theater District

Free Internet, Pet friendly, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Business Center, Internet access, Spa Services, Accessible for the blind, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Wheelchair accessible, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking, Roll-in shower

 

I would also appreciate general advice about prices for Chicago around that time.  It is my first time in the city, and it seems the dates I am searching for has hotels a lot more expensive than April or June dates…should I wait it out a bit or should I go ahead and book now?

 

Thank you for your help.

[yellowdog]

AaronJB is local to Chicago so I'm sure he will help you later today, just check back.

Please use the PRICELINE and hot.wire links on the board to begin your purchases and searches.

Yellowdog.

[thereuare]

To get you started, i'll add that my best guess for the property above would be the Hotel Blake Chicago.

I'm sure AaronJB will confirm or give other possibilities later today once he sees this thread.

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

[AaronJB]

Unfortunately the considerable problem with these date/s is the NRA (National Restaurant Association) show, which is one of the largest conventions of the year in Chicago. The show is 5/17-20, but people are going to be coming in on the night before, so the 16th night is also expensive. I'll also guess the Blake (which was a Wyndham recently for what seems like a very short period of time) would be a definite possibility - that property is not very conveniently located in the Southwest corner of the Loop. It's okay enough during the day, but it's going to be quiet at night.

 

Are your date/s confirmed or do you have some flexibility? Are you flying in or driving in? 

 

Also, please let me know if you have any general city questions.

 

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

[vchan]

Thanks for the quick replies!

Alas, my dates are fixed.  Any local insight as to areas I may want to prioritize in my hotel hunt?

[AaronJB]

Well, the Loop area isn't a bad choice, but I just really think that parts of it - the West and the South - are not really optimal from a tourist perspective. The East and North parts of the Loop are better, as - I think - are areas North of the River.

 

Unfortunately, the issue becomes this is the cheapest option for these date/s - pretty much everything else is more expensive on HOTWIRE and PRICELINE Express. If you were driving, I would suggest the suburbs, which are not particularly walkable but have easy access to transit if you are driving. That would mean a trek (about a 45 minute train ride each way on the nicer Metra trains and a drive from the hotel to the Metra station) into the city back and forth each day (although a nice trek), but the hotel would probably be about a third of the cost (or even possibly less than that) of staying downtown. 

 

What would be your desired max budget per night for this stay?

 

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

[vchan]

Thanks for the help.  I was originally hoping to find a hotel for under $200, but as I keep looking, I realize I might have to increase that bar.

 

I found one listing for Millenium Knickerbocker on Price.line for under $200.  Any thoughts about that hotel or area?

[AaronJB]

That is an older property that was given a sizable renovation a few years back. Rooms are not going to be big, but the location is very nice at the top end of the North Michigan Ave area and an easy walk to the nearby Gold Coast area, which has a good deal of restaurants and nightlife. The Knickerbocker has quite a history - it was the Playboy Club in the '70's and was apparently a hideout for Al Capone at one time.

 

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