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

[AD11]

Hi last night me and my girlfriend sat down and started bidding on Priceline.

 

Were looking for 4* either North Michigan or Millennium Park on Priceline for the dates 8/6(Wed)-8/10(Sun)

The weekend before it is the big festival, so I understand it's probably expensive that weekend before it, but it would be still expensive afterwards? 

 

Our first bid was 75

         Rebid        80

         Rebid        85

         Rebid        95

 

Saw a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for 138 at North Michigan, so is that what my Max is supposed to be?

 

So I should look into bidding 105-125ish range?

 

Also found a $122 one on Hotwire for a 4* Chicago Loop - Theater District, which is right by the other two from Priceline.

 

Hopefully I can find something closer/under $110.

 

I'd appreciate any help I can get, thank you :)

[AD11]

Hi I found a hotel 4* hotel in Chicago downtown Chicago Loop - Theater District area for 8/6-10 for $122

 

and these are the Amenities:

 

Pet friendly
Boutique Hotel
Fitness Center
Restaurant(s)
Business Center
Internet access
Spa Services
Accessibility
Accessible bathroom
Roll-in shower

 

Any guesses?

 

Also anyone know how much the taxes/fees would be on top of the $122? 

Anyone know if there is specific day/time of the week that the prices are at their lowest? Kinda like for flights which are supposed to be on Tuesdays, thanks in advance :)

[AaronJB]

The HOTWIRE listing is likely the Allegro. If you click on the listing, then click "book now", the next page shows totals with taxes/fees. Rates vary (you may see slight changes throughout a day, even) and don't always go lower closer to the stay. There is no best day of the week or time of day to book.

 

The West part of the Loop area where the Allegro is is a little inconvenient from a tourist perspective and is quiet later at night, but the one other note is that there's a lot of odds and ends that just aren't open on Saturday and/or Sunday (even things like Starbucks and McDonalds aren't open one or both days) in the West part of the Loop. One of my favorite stops, the French Market at the nearby Ogilvie Transit Center, isn't open on Sundays.) The West Loop is heavily offices and when the offices let out, the area often becomes quiet. This listing is cheaper than other 4*'s in the downtown area, but if you plan on staying out later, you have to figure in taxi costs to get back to the hotel. Unless you need to be in the Loop, I'd look to the North of the river.

 

You're likely looking at $110-125 for a 4* in the River North-NMA area in terms of bidding for all four nights together. The first couple of nights would be cheaper if bid for separately. The first couple of days are moderately less expensive than the last two - you may get a somewhat better per night average if you split your stay between two hotels. Keep in mind with bidding that you have the possibility of any of the 4*'s in the zone where you are bidding. HOTWIRE and PRICELINE express are moderately more expensive, but you have the ability to make an educated guess as to which hotels are showing and have a higher chance of getting something you may like.

 

I'm seeing a possible match for the Public on HOTWIRE for the first two nights. That's not a centrally located property and the building does have some limitations (it is a renovation of a legendary older property), but I had a great stay there a couple of weeks ago. It may not be the most centrally located in the city as a whole, but the area has a lot of restaurants and nightlife and is not that far a walk from the Lincoln Park Zoo and Old Town areas. A subway station is also right nearby.

 

There's definitely some options, it depends on what you are looking for/to do in the city. Let us know your thoughts on the above and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.

 

I'm very familiar with the area - keep us updated with what you decide and let us know if you have any hotel or city questions.

 

Please keep all posts for this stay within this thread, then we'll move to the correct subforum after you've made a purchase.

 

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

[AD11]

Thank you very much for the long reply.

 

We're really not doing any major sort of partying or anything that would be going into the late nights, so that's not a huge thing.

 

Were pretty much doing all touristy stuff, like

 

Magnificent Mile shopping,

Navy Pier,

Wrigley Field for a game(maybe),

John Hancock Signature Lounge for the view,

Architecture River Tour

Millennium Park,

Lincoln Park,

China Town

 

Just pretty much everything touristy and not crazy expensive :)

 

And of course Deeeeeeeeeeeeep Dish(I've done my research haha)

 

But the specific areas of downtown such as Loop vs. North Michigan aren't a HUGE concern cause we plan on getting a 3 day CTA pass for only $20 bucks so it'll be easy getting around the town without paying an arm and a leg for taxis. Does that seem like a good idea? Plus those areas are what, like 2 or 3 miles away? if that? from the maps it looks like they're like a 10min drive(traffic inluded).

 

But I'm very much on a budget, so I'd like to win a bid for under $110 hopefully, so I might have to go down to a 3* if I have to. But as long as I'm downtown I'm happy.

Having never been to Chicago by myself(have been with family before) i'm finding out that it's a HUGE nickle and diming type of place, No free WiFi, No free continental breakfast, No free parking. Is too much oxygen an extra charge too? lol But it's the city, I guess that's the norm.

 

But I'd appreciate all the help I can get, thank you very much again :)

[AD11]

Hi last night me and my girlfriend sat down and started bidding on Priceline.

Were looking for 4* either North Michigan or Millennium Park on Priceline for the dates 8/6(Wed)-8/10(Sun)
The weekend before it is the big festival, so I understand it's probably expensive that weekend before it, but it would be still expensive afterwards?

Our first bid was 75
         Rebid        80
         Rebid        85
         Rebid        95

Saw a PRICELINE EXPRESS Deal for 138 at North Michigan, so is that what my Max is supposed to be?

So I should look into bidding 105-125ish range?

Also found a $122 one on Hotwire for a 4* Chicago Loop - Theater District, which is right by the other two from Priceline.

Hopefully I can find something closer/under $110.

I'd appreciate any help I can get, thank you :)

[AaronJB]

Few thoughts/notes:

I'd recommend against Navy Pier - there's just not that much that's memorable about it, aside from the views (which can be had elsewhere.) You can walk out to Navy Pier and there's...a really expensive McDonalds. In all seriousness, it's not the worst thing, but until they renovate it (which I guess may be within the next year or two), I still think it's a tourist trap (and it may still be a tourist trap after they renovate it, just a redone tourist trap.)

 

"Lincoln Park,"

 

I really do suggest riding up to Lincoln Park (and wish there were more hotels in that area - as is, the few hotels in the area rarely offer competitive prices vs downtown due to lack of competition.) There's a lot of nice restaurants and cool shops/boutiques, both of which are usually cheaper than downtown options. The Zoo is great (and free) and the Old Town area (which has one of my favorite places in Chicago, the Spice House http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-spice-house-chicago, is nearby, as well.

 

"Magnificent Mile shopping,"

 

Go to Eataly. There's a lot on Michigan Ave that are the big chains that you can find elsewhere, plus you have the bonus of paying high sales tax. Michigan Ave is great for window shopping - Eataly is kind of like a Nordstroms for Italian food. It's slick, it's chaotic (and yet not a thing seems to be out of place), it's fun (and the food is good - I wouldn't eat a meal there, but it's a great place to pick a bite here-and-there and buy some things to take.) There's a lot of little odds and ends places up and down Michigan Ave that are fun to stop for a drink or snack, like the tiny Hendrickx Belgian Bread Crafter, which is on 100 E Walton. I also really like the Capital One 360 Cafe, which is like a cheaper Starbucks (operated by the financial chain, http://www.yelp.com/biz/capital-one-360-caf%C3%A9-chicago-2) and there's an absolutely gorgeous Argo Tea stop in a park across the street from the Capital One cafe.

 

"Wrigley Field for a game(maybe),"

 

If you do, take the train up there early. I'd also not go overboard in terms of buying the best tickets, it's more about the experience. The only thing is just wouldn't really recommend the bleachers unless you don't mind potentially being in direct sun for hours on a hot day.

 

" 3 day CTA pass for only $20 bucks so it'll be easy getting around the town without paying an arm and a leg for taxis. Does that seem like a good idea? Plus those areas are what, like 2 or 3 miles away? if that? from the maps it looks like they're like a 10min drive(traffic inluded)."

 

I think Chicago is highly walkable and really, the only time that I ever take public transit is if I want to get across town really quickly. If you are visiting and want to really try to fit as much in as possible, taking the L is fine, but I walk from the top end of the NMA area to the Loop without really thinking twice. Lot to see, straightforward walk and really doesn't take that long. There's great walks that take a good portion of a day from the Lincoln Park area that wind all the way through the neighborhood, to the Zoo and back to Michigan Ave.

 

"Architecture River Tour"

 

I like the CAF tour or the Wendella tour, both of which are on the opposite side of the Michigan Ave bridge.

 

"Millennium Park,"

 

Combine it with a stop at the Art Institute, which is right there and a must-see. 

 

"China Town"

 

You can take the water taxi down to Chinatown for a slow and scenic trip down there.

 

"And of course Deeeeeeeeeeeeep Dish(I've done my research haha)"

I've always liked Lou Malnati's when it comes to Deep Dish, but I usually go to La Madia (http://www.dinelamadia.com/) for pizza in general when downtown.

 

"Having never been to Chicago by myself(have been with family before) i'm finding out that it's a HUGE nickle and diming type of place, No free WiFi, No free continental breakfast, No free parking. Is too much oxygen an extra charge too? lol But it's the city, I guess that's the norm."

 

Free wifi is pretty rare - the Public Hotel did have free wifi and once I realized that I kind of stared at my phone like, "Well, that can't be."

 

A handful of hotels at the lower level do offer free breakfast, but only one at the 4* level (The Kinzie, which I do potentially see on HOTWIRE for your dates, but for $150.)

 

If you do decide to go for 3-3.5*, I'd strongly recommend going for the River North-NMA area *only.*

 

________________________

 

I am seeing a 4* in the River North-NMA area for all four nights for $153 per night w/

• Free Breakfast
• Free Internet
• Pet friendly
• Fitness Center
• Business Center
• Internet access
• Spa Services
• Accessible path of travel
• In-room accessibility
• Accessible bathroom
• Roll-in shower

 

This would be a possible match for the Kinzie, which does offer free breakfast and is in a great location. However, it becomes a matter of if you can get something for $25-30 less per night, choosing one of a ton of other breakfast options in the city instead.

 

I'm seeing what appears to be the Public for $109 for the first two nights only - a 4* in the Mag Mile N-Water Tower area w/:

• Free Internet
• Pet friendly
• Boutique Hotel
• Smoke Free Rooms
• Fitness Center
• Restaurant(s)
• Business Center
• Internet access
• Golf Nearby
• Tennis Nearby
• Accessible for the blind
• Accessible for the deaf
• Accessible path of travel
• In-room accessibility
• Wheelchair accessible
• Accessible bathroom
• Handicapped parking
• Roll-in shower

 

 

 

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

[Alex in MI]

The Allegro is a Kimpton hotel, a very well-run chain with good amenities. I've stayed at Kimptons in Chicao (but not the Allegro) and DC and have never been disappointed. If you join Kimpton InTouch (free), the hotel is likely to allow free in-room wi-fi even though you booked through Hotwire.

 

No offense to Aaron, but the Allegro is in the far west (northwest, actually) part of the Loop--not in the neighborhood called the West Loop. It's on Randolph between LaSalle and Wells. That places it about a half mile to Millenium Park or the lower end of Mag Mile shopping, and about 1½ miles to the Hancock Building or Navy Pier. Wrigley Field, Chinatown, or Lincoln Park are easy rides on the El (or bus, if you prefer).

 

Estimate the number of public transportation rides you'll be taking; that'll give you a good idea whether the three-day pass is worth it. Remember, it's $20 per person. Either way, it's good to get your Ventra card ahead of time. All the info you need is on, or linked to from, the CTA web site.

 

Re nickel and dime-ing, as you mentioned, Chicago is a big city, with lots of business travelers, so if you stay downtown (vs. the suburbs), yeah, it'll be harder, but not completely impossible, to locate those free services. For example, the Blackstone Renaissance on S. Michigan Ave, where I stayed last time (via BB/Hotwire), offers free wi-fi. And in many (most?) places that charge, there's free wi-fi in the lobby or other public area. Some places do offer a free breakfast; Embassy Suites, which can appear on Hotwire, is one.

 

Parking, well, that's another matter. Occasionally you might spot a parking-included (or reduced-fee) deal on Travelzoo or the like, but generally it's just something you need to figure in to your total cost if you want to stay anywhere in or near downtown. The only free parking I know of in that area is the HoJo in River North.

 

Are you driving there? If so, I can post a couple of links to Chicago parking information, plus clue you in to a couple of places I tend to use--depending on where you'll be staying, of course. Also, as you know, where to go for deep dish pizza is a matter of furious debate. Do you have a place or two picked out? Regarding other food, if you'd like some input, post what kind of food you'd prefer and I'd be glad to offer some suggestions, as would others, I'm sure.

[AaronJB]

 

 

No offense to Aaron, but the Allegro is in the far west (northwest, actually) part of the Loop--not in the neighborhood called the West Loop. It's on Randolph between LaSalle and Wells. That places it about a half mile to Millenium Park or the lower end of Mag Mile shopping, and about 1½ miles to the Hancock Building or Navy Pier. Wrigley Field, Chinatown, or Lincoln Park are easy rides on the El (or bus, if you prefer).

 

 

 

Added "part of" above to clarify the original intent that the hotel was in the West part of the Loop area vs the "West Loop" neighborhood.

 

The original poster can also find a list of downtown hotel parking costs here: Chicago Hotel Parking Fees

 

I often suggest the suburbs as a cheaper (sometimes much cheaper) option, but it comes down to one's desire to be right in the middle of things versus taking the 40 or so minute train ride in.

 

As someone who has lived in the area my entire life, I really don't mind the Metra ride in (if anything, they're a comfortable place to sit back and discuss the day's plans and the Metra trains are awfully nice - plus weekend passes for less), but when coming to visit the area for x amount of days, people are understandably going to either be all for it (and there's some very nice hotels that can commonly be had in the burbs for $45-55 a night) or would rather be able to wake up and be right in the middle of things. That said, I really wouldn't recommend the burbs for anyone who isn't driving - many hotels just aren't walkable to public transit and there's a lot the suburbs do offer on their own that you can't walk to or public transit is inconvenient or just not available, depending on where.

 

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

[AD11]

Thanks everyone, you guys are too helpful.

 

The free breakfast thing isn't too big of a deal, but the NO free WiFi is practically immoral, in my opinion anyways. Then again I don't have too much experience with travelling to the city, so it's just my opinion. I mean if McDonalds has free wifi.... come on.

 

Luckily I've found this amazing App/Website which actually started with two Chicago guys called Spot Hero, which has fantastic parking prices. For our 4 and half day stay it's only $100ish, depending on if you want "In & Out" services or not. It's an amazing price considering hotels charge $50  and above for over night parking.

 

Yea were driving there, but going to park our car there for 4 days, get our CTA for $40(for both of us) and walk as much as possible if it's under 30min walk, but if it's like 2mile and above it'll be too long(imo) to walk it. I've looked into Taxi's prices and just hopping on one of them for only 1 time for two people is $12-15 after tip, even for a ride less than 3 miles. and I'm sure we'll want to hop on transportation for more than 5x, so $40 for unlimited CTA for 3 days it's a good investment I think.

 

Does the "L" fall into the CTA Ventra card? And apparently there are plenty of all-day(over night as well) buses/transportation, so staying out late shouldn't be a problem. 

 

So The North Michigan, Millennium Park, and Loop are all connected on the Hotwire's website, so I take it they are all walking distance from each other? it looks that way from the map anyways. We'll walk anything under 1mile radius, but anything above 30min we'll just start to get cranky lol Yea I know, were not quite city folks just yet lol 

 

Ok more complicated questions: Let's say I buy my first two days(weekdays) separately and get something between 90-110 4*, you guys think it's worth it to separate it, and risk having to go down to 3* for the second 2 days(the weekend)? It'll be a pain in the butt to move our stuff in middle of our vacation? But then again maybe not? Cause everything is so close to each other.

 

But all depends on how much savings there is to be made, if it's only 20 bucks different per night, then no, but if It's between 105 to 150, then it might be worth the couple of hours of moving to a new hotel. 

 

Any of you have experience splitting your trip up between purchasing weekdays 4* then weekends 3*? It sounds like a lotta trouble, but $100 bucks it's still a $100 bucks if I'm saving money, that's 3 Deep Dishes lol :D

 

Thanks again to all your helps :)

[AD11]

 

Added "part of" above to clarify the original intent that the hotel was in the West part of the Loop area vs the "West Loop" neighborhood.

 

The original poster can also find a list of downtown hotel parking costs here: Chicago Hotel Parking Fees

 

I often suggest the suburbs as a cheaper (sometimes much cheaper) option, but it comes down to one's desire to be right in the middle of things versus taking the 40 or so minute train ride in.

 

As someone who has lived in the area my entire life, I really don't mind the Metra ride in (if anything, it's a nice place to sit back and discuss the day's plans and the Metra trains are awfully nice - plus weekend passes for less), but when coming to visit the area for x amount of days, people are understandably going to either be all for it (and there's some very nice hotels that can be had in the burbs for $45-55 a night) or would rather be able to wake up and be right in the middle of things. That said, I really wouldn't recommend the burbs for anyone who isn't driving - many hotels just aren't walkable to public transit and there's a lot the suburbs do offer on their own that you can't walk to or public transit is inconvenient or just not available, depending on where.

 

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

 

The problem to me as a tourist about being away from downtown is that there is two halfs to the day, there is the first half which we get out of the hotel by 11 to 4 and go walking/shopping/park/sight seeing and some small lunch. Then we get tired, and want to go back to the hotel to nap/shower and then go back out around 6/7ish til 12 for drinks/dinner/baseball/nightly attractions ect. So that going back to the hotel part in middle of the day is really inconvenient if we wouldn't have a downtown hotel. Specially in from my perspective since I have some learning curve for the public transportation/metro/L ect.  But the $50 price does sound super attractive, not going to lie.

Which of the burbs are the ones that you've had good experience with? Any of them close by to the metro? Also yes we do have a car that were driving to Chicago with, so we can drive to the metro, but then do we have to pay for another parking spot at the beginning of the metro ride? Or is that just a city thing, that you can't park anywhere for free.

 

 

 

[AaronJB]

"Ok more complicated questions: Let's say I buy my first two days(weekdays) separately and get something between 90-110 4*, you guys think it's worth it to separate it, and risk having to go down to 3* for the second 2 days(the weekend)? It'll be a pain in the butt to move our stuff in middle of our vacation? But then again maybe not? Cause everything is so close to each other."

Everyone is different, really. I had a great experience at the Public - I was getting tired of lugging bags around and we couldn't check in yet, but called the hotel they said come on by and drop your bags off, we'll put you on a list and call you when your room is ready. They called us before 3PM check-in and put us in an upgraded room. Hotels will almost certainly store your bags, but there is going to be a period of time if you move to go there, drop your bags off (or if you're lucky they may let you check in a few hours early, but I wouldn't count on it.) It becomes what level of discount is worth potentially moving.

 

You mentioned $110 - is that your desired max budget per night? 

 

 

"but the NO free WiFi is practically immoral, in my opinion anyways. Then again I don't have too much experience with travelling to the city, so it's just my opinion. I mean if McDonalds has free wifi.... come on."

 

There's a lot of great places for wifi in the city. Unfortunately, most hotels do charge, but some don't or don't charge for wifi for the lobby.

 

"We'll walk anything under 1mile radius, but anything above 30min we'll just start to get cranky lol Yea I know, were not quite city folks just yet lol "

 

I often don't suggest the portion of the city where the Allegro is because it is a little out of the way from a tourist perspective. Not that the Allegro isn't a nice property, but the hotels in the West portion of the Loop area - I think - are a little better for business than they are for tourists, who may find North of the River or more towards the Millennium Park area a better starting point. Personally, I love the River North area.

 

"I've looked into Taxi's prices and just hopping "

 

I actually think taxis aren't terrible. Took a taxi from one corner of the NMA area to the bottom corner of the River North area there and back the other day and it was $6.50-7.50 or so each way, which I didn't think was terrible.

 

"So The North Michigan, Millennium Park, and Loop are all connected on the Hotwire's website, so I take it they are all walking distance from each other? it looks that way from the map anyways. We'll walk anything under 1mile radius, but anything above 30min we'll just start to get cranky lol Yea I know, were not quite city folks just yet lol "

 

I think Chicago is very walkable, but it's going to vary from person to person. I can probably walk from the top end of the NMA area to the South Loop in 30-40 minutes, but that's moving at a decent clip and not stopping. 

 

There are plenty of busses and there are actually some tremendously useful CTA apps for smartphones. CTA Tracker is hugely useful and if you type in a particular bus route, it will show you the entire route and where the physical buses are currently on that route. The Redeye app gives you both local news and ability to track transit arrival times.

 

"Also yes we do have a car that were driving to Chicago with, so we can drive to the metro, but then do we have to pay for another parking spot at the beginning of the metro ride? Or is that just a city thing, that you can't park anywhere for free."

 

Usually suburbs charge around $1.50 to park at Metra stations. I usually recommend Northbrook, Deerfield and Glenview in terms of burbs.

 

"Then we get tired, and want to go back to the hotel to nap/shower and then go back out around 6/7ish til 12 for drinks/dinner/baseball/nightly attractions ect. "

 

If you do think that you would like to be able to go back to the hotel mid day and are going to be out until 12, I would absolutely stay downtown and not the burbs. The trains stop running out to the burbs around midnight or so and there's no way you could be going back and forth mid-day out to the suburbs.

 

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

[Alex in MI]

 

Does the "L" fall into the CTA Ventra card?

 

Yes.

 

 

Luckily I've found this amazing App/Website which actually started with two Chicago guys called Spot Hero

 

Great find! Thanks. (Spot Hero - Chicago)

[AD11]

Yes.

 

 

Great find! Thanks. (Spot Hero - Chicago)

Spot Hero is SUPER DUPER AMAZING! It's a very well thought out app/website. I like the website more, but the app obviously is in the palm of your hands, so it's very useful. 

 

You find the parkinng you want right by the location your going to, then pay it on your phone, and there are instruction on how to present your purchased spot, it's really simple, and the two founders of the app have some youtube videos/interviews, it's really damn nifty! I'm super surprised their app on the app store doesn't have huge amount of downloads though, only 10k, so i wonder if they're still a "world of mouth" type of app still, it's been out since 2011 I think.

[AD11]

I think Imma do everything in my power to stay around North Michigan/Millennium/Loop for no more than $110, cause then you've got the 20 plus fees/tax on top of it, so I might have to go down to 3*, which I don't really mind, it'll just be less shmancy. 

[AD11]

I'm seeing a 3* in North Michigan Ave for $114 on Priceline Express, so that's supposed to be my "Max" indicator correct? So anyone think it's possible to get that for 95ish ballpark?

 

And any guesses what hotel it could be? It only has Fitness and Business Center and "Bed Choices Available", not a long list of amenities. 

[AaronJB]

These amenities are common to the majority of the hotels at this star rating in this zone, but I'd guess Inn of Chicago is most likely. That property is an older former Best Western that was remodeled. It gets mixed reviews, but can't really beat the location.

 

If you are looking for the lowest rate, a 3* would likely be attainable for the $85-100 neighborhood. However, I think if a 4* is of interest, you can possibly win one for not that much higher. ($110-125) Let us know which would be of more interest.

 

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

[AD11]

I know everyone is probably asleep, but I'm super pumped that I just got a GREAT deal and thank you all for helping :D

 

Got a 4* Allegro through Hotwire, not my original intended Priceline bidding which I was going for.

 

So I bid 100, 105, 110, 115 On North Michigan first, and was getting frustrated, and Added my second choice of Millinium Park(my second choice) 120, Still rejected soooooo

 

Right about that time I looked over at Hotwire and they had a $122 $4* in Loop Downtown, Theater district, which is attached to the other two, so I pulled the trigger. And did my search through the Hotel's lists, and was spot on and came out to be my guess of Allegro, so I felt proud for guessing it correctly hahaha But thanks to you guys for all the help and being so responsive.

 

Oh and heres all the amenities, I made sure to write them down so I could contribute to the forum since you guys have been so helpful

 

Pet friendly
Boutique Hotel
Fitness Center
Restaurant
Business Center
Internet Access
Spa Services

Accessible Bathroom
Roll-in shower

 

And what was the deciding one that I found out it was Allegro was "Boutique", then it was easier ot narrow down from then on, rest of them had significantly shorter list of amenities, or one had "Free Wifi" which this did not!

 

P.s. how much is wifi per night? Anyone has any idea?

 

And I ended up calling up the hotel tonight cause I was excited lol Their standard bedroom for "3rd party websites" is a Queen and 3pm check in time, hopefully that all helps you guys :)

 

I was going to lower it to 3*, but if figured i don't go to trips too often, why not treat yourself a little better. The place looks pretty neat/funky/70's with all the bright furnitures lol Anyone has good experience with their services? 

[AD11]

Since you all have been so helpful I thought I'd ask even more newby questions lol

 

I'm a tiny bit nervous cause I've never used public transportation before. Are they pretty easy to pick up on your first day?

 

Plus Google Maps on your phone has a "transit"/"bus" option now, so it'll show you stuff right by you or which line you need to take to get to your location, that plus the CTA's website/app information should make it a relatively easy drive?

 

Also found a perfect parking spot from Spot Hero for only $64 for my Wed-Sun trip, beat that ;P lol

 

 

p.s. not going to lie, it kinda sucked getting rejected so many times off of priceline, I'm surprised I found such a great deal off of hotwire without the need of bidding. Hopefully I can land a Prieline deal in the future for plane tickets or something lol

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

 

Not a bad deal for this property at all, with $209 showing as the regular rate. Plus, free wine hour since it's a Kimpton.

 

I'll note that a favorite stop nearby is the Chicago French Market, which is actually under the train area at the Ogilvie Transit Center. This is actually a really cute area tucked away that offers dozens of various vendors, including Little Goat, which is related to the highly popular "Girl and the Goat" restaurant, run by former "Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard. There's also one of my favs, Wisma. Quite a few others, as well (complete list: http://www.frenchmarketchicago.com/vendors/) A really great high-end food court area and really only a few minutes walk West of your hotel. Click on pics for larger views.

 

 

Unfortunately, the French Market is not open on Sundays and there are a good deal of places in this West portion of the Loop that are not open on Saturday and/or Sunday. Again, if you are out late into the night, I'd consider taking a taxi back to your hotel. If you're in the River North area, it's not that big of a taxi trip at all.

 

Public transit is really not difficult to pick up and if you are ordering the passes in advance, that's half the battle. I know you mentioned that you don't want to walk too far, but I do think there is a thing where once you get walking in the city and there's a lot to see, before you know it, you've walked further than you intended/wanted.

 

Google Now offers transit information and there is the CTA website, but as noted above, I really do like CTA Tracker for taking a bus - you can actually see live updates of where the buses on the route are and specifically how far the next one is away from your location.

 

In terms of hotel wifi, I would suggest joining the hotel chain's reward program, InTouch, which can be done via the hotel website. Wifi is free for those who join. While usually hotels do not offer rewards benefits to HOTWIRE/PRICELINE reservations because of the discount, it's worth trying and while not 100% guaranteed, Kimpton properties are usually pretty good about it.

 

Let us know if you have any questions about the city.

 

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links to start your purchases and searches.

 

Enjoy your stay.

[Alex in MI]

You'll like the Allegro -- and it's truly not that far from much of what you'd like to do. I see that Aaron reiterated my mention of the Kimpton InTouch program; you definitely should do that.

 

Also highly recommended at the French Market: Vanille Patisserie.

 

Public transportation is easy, easy, easy. Check out the CTA's How-To Guides. You also might want to email or call them and see if they'll send you a couple of route maps. Don't forget to order your Ventra cards!

 

Do not--repeat, do not--miss the Chicago Cultural Center. Simply walk along Randolph toward the lake; it's just before Michigan Ave (and just after an Intelligentsia Coffee shop!). It's housed in an absolutely stunning building that used to be the main branch of the Chicago Public Library.

 

Toni Patisserie is a favorite of mine for lunch; it's very near the Cultural Center. Hannah's Bretzel, near the Allegro, is great for breakfast or lunch (closed on Sunday).