Hotwire Hotel: 4* Chicago (Loop - Theater District) Hotel Allegro

[s_tran]

Hello,

 

I am planning a trip to Chicago for 8/28-9/3, however I only need a hotel for part of my stay: 8/28-9/1. On Hot.wire I've been offered this hotel for $85:

 

Pet friendly

Boutique Hotel

Fitness Center

Restaurant(s)

Business Center

Internet access

Spa Services

Accessible bathroom

Roll-in shower

 

I have been looking for a few weeks now and this seems to be a pretty good rate for these dates. Does anyone have a guess as to what hotel this may be? And, do you think I would be able to get a lower price through bidding on Price.line? Oh, and I will use the links through this site if I do proceed with anything. Thanks!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

The Hotel Allegro would be my best guess for this one.

PRICELINE is usually a little cheaper than HOTWIRE, but the trade-off is that there is no way to take a guess as to the hotel you may receive before your purchase, you need to be willing to accept any hotel in the zone at the star rating (or better) that you choose.

Do you want to go with the HOTWIRE offer above or try bidding for any hotel in the zones that you are willing to accept? If you'd like to move forward bidding, let us know which zones are acceptable, your desired star rating, and your maximum bid, and we will suggest a strategy for you to follow.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.

[s_tran]

Hi! Thanks for the quick response. When I went back on Hot.wire just now it was no longer available for $85 and it looks like it's $89. Darn!

 

This is my first time in Chicago and I'm not terribly picky about the quality of the hotel, but I'd like to be somewhere central to the city or at least close to public transportation than can get me around everywhere. (I'm also planning on going to a Cubs game and a White Sox game.) I am open to using Price.line since I just want the cheapest price I can get and looking at the areas they have listed I would say Millenium Park/Loop/Grant Park and also North Michigan/River North seem the most convenient for someone without a car.

 

Since it looks like I could get $89 per night through Hot.wire I would say that would be my max budget, and frankly, since I/you have a pretty good idea that it is the Allegro, it would only make sense to me to use Price.line if I could get something for less than $89 and around the same quality level of hotel...

 

I should also mention that I tried bidding $78 and then bumped my bid up to $82 last week and that didn't work.

 

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

The one note that I have with the Allegro is that this area gets pretty quiet at night. There is not much at all going on in the West Loop, as it's largely offices and once offices let out for the day, it gets definitely gets quiet later into the evening. If you are going to be out at night and are looking to be convenient to a wider variety of restaurants, I'd suggest looking North of the river (although those hotels unfortunately appear moderately more expensive for these dates).

 

The Allegro would be okay from a transit standpoint - it's not that far to the Red Line on State, which would take you right to Wrigley. The Brown Line is also right next to the hotel, if you don't mind going around the Loop first (not that long and a nice visual tour) and then North (and switching to the Red Line at Belmont.)

 

You definitely don't need a car at all in downtown Chicago.

 

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

[s_tran]

Ack!... I am still showing the $89 rate. 

 

AaronJB: I'm fine with it being a quiet area, but if I did want to explore other areas at night would the only realistic option be cabbing back or would I be able to bus back or take the el?

[AaronJB]

I'd cab back. Definitely wouldn't be a terrible cab ride from the River North area.

 

Overall, the Allegro is a nice hotel (and a Kimpton, so free wine social hour and other bonuses), it's just not the most convenient from a tourist perspective - it's more convenient from a business perspective. It is noticeably cheaper than other 4*'s for these date/s, but you just have to factor in a quick cab ride if you are going to be out later at night.

 

Options North of the river are unfortunately around $110 and up, including what appears to be the 3.5* Indigo (while not a 4*, that's a nice property  in the Gold Coast, which is at the very top end of the NMA zone. A red line station is around the corner and there's a lot of nightlife/restaurant options nearby. Please let me know if this listing is of interest.

 

You could also bid for a 4* north of the river and see if you're successful around the $85-95 level, although you just have to be okay with any of the 4*'s in the River North-NMA area - there are a couple of lesser ones (the Allerton and the Whitehall and, to some degree, the Felix)

 

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

[thereuare]

Assuming this is the Allegro, it is selling for $182/nite for your dates... focus on the $90-$100/nite savings and not the fact that you previously saw it for $4 less. ;)

It could head back down to $85... but it could also jump up to $100+ at any time then you'd wish that you had just bought it as $89.

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

[s_tran]

thereuare, you got me. I went ahead and booked.

 

Thank you everyone for your help.

[thereuare]

Glad we were able to help and you received the hotel you were hoping for.

It would be appreciated if you used the requested PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board for your future travel purchases.

Enjoy your stay.

[AaronJB]

One little unique note regarding this property is that the Chicago French Market (http://www.frenchmarketchicago.com/) is a very short walk to the West, in the Ogilvie Transit Center. That's a fun spot to browse around and grab a few treats from a lot of different vendors, including one of my favorites, Wisma (http://www.frenchmarketchicago.com/vendor/wisma). Wisma also delivers, as well. (http://wisma.us/, $5 delivery charge.)

 

Enjoy your stay.