Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Chicago (Downtown - Millennium Park - Grant Park) Swissotel Chicago

[Iguanamama]

Thank you to the people who run and contribute to this site!  I was able to book a great hotel (I think) for a great price.  After exploring this site, and reading through a few posts, I was able to determine that the hotel that was being offered to me on Hot Wire was the Swissotel.  Location is important to me (I don't drive), so although I was attracted to the prices offered for Hot.Wire's Secret Hot Rate Hotels, I was hesitant to go through with a booking due to the uncertainty of location within a zone.  

 

Here is the list of amenities: Boutique hotel, Indoor pool(s), Fitness center, Pool(s), Restaurant(s), Business center, Self-service laundry, Internet access, Tennis nearby, Spa services, Accessible for visually impaired, Accessible for hearing impaired, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Roll-in shower.

 

I got the room for $117 per night, for a four night stay on July 4 - 8.  

 

I am very excited about visiting Chicago for the first time.  I am a Mom traveling with my 18 year old son, so if anyone has any good sightseeing tips for that age, I would love to know about them.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding. :)

Congrats on your success!  Excellent choice of hotel - this property is right on the river and an easy walk from Michigan Ave. However, if you look on the other side of the street and a tiny bit West, you should see a staircase down. That will go down to Columbus and then you can walk North on Columbus over the river. A little bit North of the river on Columbus is a beautiful new Whole Foods for snacks/drinks.

 

I'm very familiar with the area - let me know likes/dislikes and I'd be happy to offer recommendations.

 

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.

[Iguanamama]

Thanks for the tip about Whole Foods, it seems as though they are popping up all over.

 

I'm really just looking for experiences that are unique to Chicago.  We have tickets to the Grateful Dead Concert Saturday night.  My son wants to visit the Field Museum and I want to see Frank Lloyd Wright homes.  I thought a Second City Show would be good.  Other than that, we will probably just walk around a lot to see what we can see. Oh and he wants to try deep dish pizza.  LOL

 

Actually, I never knew about Hotwire before visiting this site.  I came here looking for info on how to bid on Priceline.  I used the Hotwire link to search and book.  It seemed a little less risky to me than Priceline. 

 

[AaronJB]

Personally, in terms of sights I usually recommend:

 

1. Chinatown (can go there via the Water Taxi, which has a stop right by your hotel.)

 

2. Art Institute (couldn't be closer to your hotel.)

 

3. Millennium Park (again, right by your hotel - I couldn't care much about the bean, but the Lurie Garden, the fountains and other elements further back are worth a look.)

 

4. Lincoln Park Zoo (and then Old Town, the Chicago Historical Society, Peggy Notabert Nature Center, as well as the Lincoln Park neighborhood are all nearby.) The Zoo is free, as well.

 

5. The Field and Shedd (although with the latter, I recommend getting there when it opens, as I just don't find it as enjoyable when it's jammed.)

 

6. If you like Frank Lloyd Wright, one of his early works is in the Gold Coast (http://www.sah.org/about-sah/charnley-persky-house) and is easy to get to from Michigan Ave.

 

7. The Hancock Observatory or Sears Tower observatory, but with the former, the Signature Lounge offers excellent views with no admission cost. 

 

In terms of deep dish, I'd recommend Lou Malnati's or Giordanos.

 

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

 

Enjoy your stay.