Priceline Hotel: 3.5* Chicago (Downtown - River North) Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Downtown River North

[soonermike81]

Hey guys, I'm new to this site and wanted a little help.  Wife and I are making our first trip back to Chicago since we got engaged there back in 2011.  Wanted a nice, reputable hotel but needing to save some money as well.  Hotwire has this hotel for $131/night from 9/29-10/2.  The amenties are:

 

Free Internet, Boutique hotel, Business center, Fitness center, Golf nearby, Pet friendly, Restaurant(s), Smoke-free rooms

 

What is the best way to narrow down the hotel?  Thanks guys!

[soonermike81]

Ok, by looking at the amenities and by number of Trip Advisor reviews, I'm guessing this hotel is the Public.  Can anyone shed some light on this for me?  Or give me another way to help narrow down the potential hotels.  Thanks again!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

 

I believe there are more amenities then what you have posted above as HOTWIRE has a new interface that does not show the complete set of amenities unless you search using the EASY VIEW TAB of our BiddingHelper.com tool.

If you repeat your search using our BiddingHelper.com tool... use the HOTWIRE EASY VIEW tab and then click the GREEN BUTTON next to this listing, do you see more amenities (including any accessible amenities) then what you have listed above? Using this method, below is the full list of amenities i'm seeing for the 4 star hotel in this zone when searching for your dates:

Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Wheelchair Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in Shower, Pet Friendly

==> as per the Hotwire Hotel List this amenity set matches previous reports for The Pubilc Chicago so i would agree with your guess for this one

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us know how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[AaronJB]

The Public used to be the Ambassador East, then that property was closed for a while and remodeled by famed hotel operator Ian Schrager. I've stayed when it was the Ambassador East and the Public and was pretty impressed at the facelift that the hotel got. They did a very nice job visually with the hotel, as the lobby and rooms look quite different. The only issue is that there was likely a limited amount they could do with the building itself, as it's an old property. Walls are still thin, for example - but I thought service was very nice and I thought they probably did as much as they could with what they had to work with in the building.  This is at the very top end of the zone on a residential street in the Gold Coast. Personally, I like the location: it's quieter and a pleasant walk up to the Lincoln Park area. It's also not that far from the top end of Michigan Ave. However, if you are looking for something very central to the city as a whole, this is not an optimal choice. It's also not a hotel with tons of amenities. However, I do like the Public's attempt to be a more reasonable and inclusive boutique chain, with cheaper (by comparison, at least) room service and free wifi, among other things.

 

I'm very familiar with the city and would be very happy to offer other suggestions if you let us know a bit more about what you are looking for.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[soonermike81]

Thanks so much for the input, guys!  Yeah, it looks like it may be just a tad further north than we want.  But I think I'm getting the hang of it.  I see a couple of other really cheap 4-star options in Chicago Loop - Theater District and Navy Pier - Millennium Park.  Both look to be Club Quarters; do you guys have any opinion on either of these.  The one on Wacker seems to be a great central location near plenty of things to eat and near the El.  Only downside is that most rooms don't seem to have a fridge, and my wife is requesting it b/c she's breastfeeding and needs somewhere to store her extra pumped milk.  I know, right?  Sorry for giving all the unnecessary details. Thanks again!

[thereuare]

9 hours ago, thereuare said:

If you repeat your search using our BiddingHelper.com tool... use the HOTWIRE EASY VIEW tab and then click the GREEN BUTTON next to this listing, do you see more amenities (including any accessible amenities) then what you have listed above?

???

 

For help with hotel identifications please include the complete amenity set associated with the property, using the GREEN 'See All Amenities' button in the EASY VIEW TAB of BiddingHelper.com.

 

Please also include the room rate per nite as it helps make it easier for us to locate the same hotel among the offers when we replicate your search.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[AaronJB]

I'm seeing:

 

4* Loop $114 Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Roll-in Shower

>>> Likely Club Quarters Loop. The issue with this is that the rooms are small, but that there's also little around this hotel; this area is going to be very quiet on nights/weekends.

 

4* $121 Navy Pier Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Roll-in Shower

>>> Likely Club Quarters Wacker/Michigan. Small rooms, but much better location.

 

4* $140 River North Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Pet Friendly

>>> Likely Sheraton Grand. Generic convention hotel, but great location.

 

4* $143 River North Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Spa

>>> This is likely the Godfrey, which is a property that I thought was quite nice. The only issue that I have with it is that I'd recommend trying to get a room on a higher floor, away from the bar with a retractable roof on the 4th floor.

 

Would any of these be of interest?

 

Also seeing on PRICELINE EXPRESS:

 

3.5* Priceline Express $112 River North (please confirm the correct date/s of travel when you click on the link and get to the detail page; amenities - Indoor or Outdoor Pool, Restaurant, Free Internet, Business Center, Fitness Center, No Smoking Rooms/Facilities)

>>> This listing has not yet been ID'd/reported, but would be a possible match for the Courtyard Marriott River North.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

 

[soonermike81]

Yeah I definitely like the location of Club Quarters on Wacker/Michigan, but may be missing just a couple of amenities that my wife would want.  With the 3.5* PRICELINE EXPRESS, I looked at the hotel list and they only list 4 hotels... AC Hotel, Courtyard River North, Embassy Suites, and Holiday Inn.  Will I be guaranteed one of these 4?  That price is amazing and I love the location being so close to the L.  I doubt it's the AC or Embassy Suites, but I'll be happy with the Courtyard or Holiday Inn. 

[AaronJB]

As noted at the top of the Priceline Hotel List ("This Priceline Hotel List is NOT a complete list of all hotels that Priceline offers in this area, it is ONLY a compilation of hotels that have already been reported on this forum. Hotels are added/removed by Priceline all the time, and star ratings can change at ANY time."), it only offers the hotels that have been reported to the board. Changes can occur at any time and new hotels (and changes to star rating or amenities) are reported to the board all the time.

 

The Courtyard River North would be my *guess* in this case. If it is the Courtyard, that is a good, solid Courtyard property in a great location.

 

Please remember to return to BetterBidding and use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPSandHOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[soonermike81]

Free High Speed Internet

Indoor Pool

Fitness Center

Business Center

Restaurant

Non-smoking Rooms

Valet Parking

Cable/Satellite TV

 

Thanks so much, guys, for the help with this!  Saving a good amount of money with this option, and it's going to be in a great location.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success.

 

Glad you went for this option as I think it was the best value showing for your dates on PRICELINE EXPRESS and HOTWIRE. Great location, very nice Courtyard property and nicely under desired max budget (and plenty of restaurants in the River North area nearby to try.)

 

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.