Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (NMA-River North) InterContinental

[tone363]

Wow I just stumbled upon this site and must say it is a wonderful thing you have here. I am in the process of trying to find a hotel for me and my wife for our first trip to Chicago on September 2nd through September 5th. We will not have a car there so we will rely on their transportation up there. We are really looking for something near Michigan Avenue and all of the touristy type stuff. I have never used priceline or hotwire before so any help you can give to point me in a right direction would be great. Preferably looking for a nice hotel from the 100-150 range or cheaper but doubtful from what I have seen. Thanks for your help and thanks for the great site of info.

[thereuare]

I think you'll be able to get a hotel for $150 or less in Downtown Chicago, but as there is no "downtown" named zone, please clarify the zone(s) you are willing to bid.

The "typical" tourist bids the North Michigan (NMA) zone and the Loop zone, but please confirm if each of these are suitable for your needs and we'll then suggest a strategy for you to follow.

[AaronJB]

I actually don't think you'll have any problems. There are a couple of possibilities if you search for 9/2-9/5 (2 people) on HOTWIRE.com:

4*, North Michigan Ave/Gold Coast/Water Tower, restaurant/fitness/business/hi-speed internet. $140 (the price you see may differ slightly). This could be either the Drake, Westin Michigan Ave. or Ambassador East, but the customer comments have me leaning towards (again, no guarantee) the Westin.

4* Loop, Boutique/Restaurant/Fitness. $134. This would likely be either the Burnham or Monaco, both highly rated hotels in the loop area. While not being right near Michigan Ave, it would be an easy walk from either of these very nice hotels. It would also be closer to museums here than if you stayed up on North Michgian Ave.

If you wanted to bid on Priceline (less control over where you stay), I'd think $85 would be a reasonable bid for a 4* in the River North/North Michigan Ave. area and $80 for the Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park area. I would NOT advise bidding for any other areas aside from these two.

[tone363]

Thanks yeah I am thinking the NMA area as I heard that Michigan Ave area was the place to stay. I just want something convenient for shopping for the wife and near all the other tourist type stuff like the navey pier I guess. I truly appreciate the help.

[thereuare]

So do you want to bid the Loop zone as well... or just the NMA zone?

You should look at the boundaries that Priceline assigns to each area as well as our own Priceline Maps.

Let us know regarding the zone(s) and we'll suggest a strategy.

[tone363]

I think the NMA zones will do just fine don't you think? I am just not 100% sure. I have just heard that the Michigan Ave area was very good for tourists with all the shopping etc

[AaronJB]

NMA is fine for shopping (and Navy Pier, although I'd highly recommend not scheduling too much time for NP), but you're further away from the museums. Depending where you are in the loop, it's anywhere from a 5-17 minute walk to North Michigan Ave, and it's a pleasant walk. Additionally, State St. in the Loop does offer State St. shopping (including the soon-to-be-Macys Marshall Fields flagship store) and puts you closer to the museums. In other words, the loop is more central, with NMA a brief walk North and the museum campus a reasonable walk South along the lake.

Many are surprised by how walkable Chicago is. If you're not interested in the museums, then you can definitely stick w/NMA, but otherwise, I think the Loop is definitely still an option to consider.

[thereuare]

AaronJB may be in a better position to answer the 'ins and outs' of Chicago and the pros/cons of each zone better than i can.

AaraonJB can correct me if i'm wrong, but if you intend on going to the Aquarium (and something else is down that way too) then the Loop is closer to that, same with the Art Musuem... but shopping, bars, etc, are more in the NMA zone. (i'd wait for him or another local to confirm my comments)

The advantage of choosing more zones though is the ability to use more zone combinations and re-bids in order to help get the best price. It also exposes you to more possible hotels, which also incrases your chances of success.

However, with some people price is everything, to others it's about value, and still others it's location, location, location... so it really depends upon your priorities and what is most important to you.

[tone363]

Ok I see your point very much so. I think for our trip up there the shopping is priority for the wife and me personally as long as I can go to the Cubs game I am happy. I also heard there is a boat tour as well that sounds very interesting, I think it is a structural tour or something or other. Honestly the museums and zoo are probably out i would think. I would think we are more focused on the nightlife and the shopping and entertainment. I think the NMA would work but honestly if I am going to get more bang for my buck I think I should try the loop as well. Thank you all for everything

[thereuare]

This is how read the above:

NMA, NMA, NMA... well maybe Loop too :)

Not really sure what you want to do... it's your stay so you know best.

This is probably how i woudl be bidding and i'll explain why, then you can decide for yourself.

At the 4* level you have two re-bid zones available. If you're not familiar with re-bidding please read Priceline Re-Bidding Explained and feel free to ask questions and/or confirm your re-bid zones with the board before proceeding.

Select 4* NMA...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* NMA and re-bid zone2...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Loop...

Bid $75, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $80, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* Loop and re-bid zone2...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* NMA and Loop...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $100, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* NMA and Loop and re-bid zone2...

Bid $105, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $110.

The above tries for NMA first, up to $90, then if unsuccessful tries for a 'deal' in the Loop zone. If that too is unsuccessful, then tries for the best price in either zone. However, make sure you're wife is happy with this gameplan otherwise there might not be a game for you to see :)

If you only want to bid for the NMA zone you can start by trying the first (NMA only) section and then we'll take it from there; if both zones are fine then continue on with the bidding strategy as presented.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

[tone363]

Thanks I am going to talk it over with her tonight and see what we can do on this and I will let you all know the outcome, thanks

[tone363]

Well I talked it over with my wife and I think we are just going to go with the NMA area. So I get on Priceline and start at 70 bucks for a 4 start hotel and nothing. I do the rebid thing and increase by 5 and nothing again I do the rebid once again and bid 80 and nothing again. I am thinking this is too low or am I wrong? Just wanted to see what you all thought on this and advice on where to go now.

[thereuare]

...or am I wrong?

Why didn't you follow the first section (NMA only) of the strategy we suggested to you above?

[tone363]

Sorry about that but yes that is how I did it as outlined above and was not able to get anything. Only thing I messed up was starting at 70 and not 75 as outlined. Any other ideas?

[thereuare]

I'm not sure you're following exactly, as the above NMA strategy went from $75-$90, so you're starting bid of $70 should have went from $70-$85, but it seems as if you only went as high as $80?

Is that correct? If so, do you see how your approach and the one above differ?

When does your 24 hours lock-out expire?

[tone363]

Yes that is correct I only went to 80, and I do see how they differ. I closed out because I was not sure I had more bids left and thought I would share what I did on here to get another strategy.

[thereuare]

So when your 24 hour lock-out expires try:

Select 4* NMA...

Bid $85, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $90, if rejected close browser and re-access priceline however you did previously.

Select 4* NMA and re-bid zone2...

Bid $95, if rejected add re-bid zone1...

Bid $100

Let us know how it goes.

[tone363]

Well sorry I have not gotten back with you guys on here been a very crazy past couple of weeks and have not been able to do any of this. So I did this today since my trip is a week away. I followed just what you said thereuare and here is what I got, The Intercontinental Chicago for 110 a night. From the looks of it, it looks to be ok and the lowest rates on their website are 194 a night. So I think I did pretty good. Do not know anything about the hotel and when it came up honestly I was like what is this cause I had never heard of it before. But I looked at it on the maps and see it is in a great location and am pretty happy. I would like to thank everyone that has helped me out and guided me through this process. You guys are great!!

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your ultimate success.

The Inter-Continental is a high-end chain (equivalent to Hyatt, Hilton, etc) owned by the same people as Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, etc... so they're very knowledgable and well known in the hotel business.

Thank you for sharing your win with the board... do you recall the amount of your previously rejected bid?

Enjoy your stay.

[AaronJB]

The Intercontinental has gotten some mixed reviews over the last year or so, but I would still recommend it without hesitation to anyone interested. I would also consider it one of the better potential wins for the 4* River North/NMA area (certainly better than the commonly seen Sheraton or Millennium Knickerbocker.)

The Intercontinental in Chicago is a grand, older hotel that has undergone quite a bit of renovation since its birth as an athletic club in 1929. Its pool (which has been retained from the original structure; it's one of the first pools on a higher floor and was considered an engineering feat at the time) is incredibly beautiful and worth viewing even if you're not planning on taking a dip. The public areas are lovely (the grand ballroom has a 12,000-pound Baccarat crystal chandelier, which is the largest in North America) and the hotel's front entrance is directly onto Michigan Ave.

There are two different towers: the newer tower and the original, historic tower. The differences are summed up well by the Frommers review: "The guest rooms have two distinct identities, depending on location. Rooms in what's called the Main Building (the '60s addition) have an elegant, urban style, with lots of dark wood, deep yellow walls, and red velvet banquettes. The bathrooms feel brand-new but aren't particularly spacious, with smallish tubs. Rooms in the Historic Tower (the original building) have a more old-world feel: elaborately carved headboards, gold accents, and deep-red-and-cream drapes and bedding. The bathrooms, however, are completely modern; most come with both a tub and separate, large shower stall. (You'll pay about $50 more for rooms in the Historic Tower)."

I've stayed in the newer tower - expect to probably end up there - and liked it.

For snacks/toiletries, there's a Walgreens across the street and slightly South.

The two main boat tours (Wendella & Chicago Architecture Foundation) leave from the Michigan Ave. bridge that's about 3-4 blocks South.

[tone363]

I started at 85 bucks and then went to 90 and no luck. I talked it over with my wife and we went up to 100 and no luck so I just went up to 110 and bingo I got it. I had never heard of Intercontinental so we were both very skeptical at first but after looking at their homepage and reading on here I am very pleased with my purchase and the price. Thanks to everyone on this board this place is truly an asset!