Priceline Hotel: Chicago Loop or North Michigan on Priceline

[reisejunky]

Hi. I think the rates are already low for this period, but the priceline list confuses me. Hotwire seems to be barely under advertised rates for these dates. Would it be worth the chance to try a lower bid on priceline, even though I could just book at the already low given rates? Any one have advice?

RJ

[thereuare]

What is your maximum bid? (i assume the same or slightly lower than the best HOTWIRE rate)

With HOTWIRE you can probably make a very good guess as to the hotel's identification, with priceline you're subject to any hotel in the zone at the star rating you choose... so whether to go with priceline or hotwire depends upon the trade-off of taking a guess as to the hotel or taking whatever hotel will accept your bid.

Let us know the above and we'll advise further.

[reisejunky]

Hi. I guess that if I use priceline, I would try to go much lower and hope to save money. The advertised rate for the Sofitel downtown (Near North) is now 175.00. I am just not sure if I could get anything better.

RJ

[thereuare]

What is your maximum bid? (i assume the same or slightly lower than the best HOTWIRE rate)

[reisejunky]

I guess I would start at 90.00. But I still don't know if it would be worth it to me to risk. There are a couple of hotels on Priceline that I would not wan't to stay at. I know it sounds redundant, but I just don't use them that much. Maybe safe-booking at 200.00 and waiting for something on Hotwire (ideally the Monaco, Burnham or Sofitel) is my best strategy.

[thereuare]

If there are hotels in the Priceline zone that you don't to stay at then HOTWIRE may be the bestter option.

I'd also look at EasyClickTravel (and use our easyclicktravel reverse look-up tool to identify their "off the record" deals. EasyClickTravel reservations are cancellable up until 72 hours before check-in date. If you opt to book direct while you monitor hotwire rates, please use the links in our support page whenever possible.

[reisejunky]

Thanks. I promise to remember to use the links. I may go with the Allegro on HOTWIRE for 92.00. A last question: what is your opinion of it and is there still a chance that the Sofitel or Monaco could come up on Hotwire before my travel dates (11/21-23)?

RJ

[thereuare]

I don't know if the Sofitel or Monaco will suddenly appear on HOTWIRE, but i would think it is just as possible that the Allegro could disappear :) ... if you choose to wait i think you have to consider what you will do if that occurs.

Perhaps the following will give you a little better understanding of how hotwire works and will help you make a decision as to what to do...

HOTWIRE will only show one hotel at each star level in each zone... and it will show the least expensive one (slightly more complicated than this but no need to get into that here). SO in order for a different hotel to be shown one of the following would need to occur:

1) the Allegro would need to raise their price, pull their inventory, or sell all inventory they have loaded in the system at this rate

2) another hotel would need to load a rate that is lower than the Allegro

[AaronJB]

The Allegro is a nice hotel that is, like the Burnham and Monaco, a Kimpton Hotel. You do get some perks, such as free wine reception (which is also at the Burnham/Monaco) and, even better..(drumroll).."All the Tootsie Rolls you can eat at the front desk." :)

The location in the West Loop (it's about 4 blocks West of the Burnham) isn't bad, but expect it to be fairly quiet/quiet at night. It is an older hotel (like several other hotels downtown, such as the Burnham, Palmer, Knickerbocker, W City Center, etc. etc.) and, as such, go in expecting a small/smaller room. There's a very nice "L" station right there if you need to take public transit anywhere. The Allegro's $189 on its website, so $92's a pretty good deal.

While Chicago is quite walkable and there's plenty of public transit, is there an area you need to be in? If you need to be in the North Michigan Ave. area, for example, the Allegro would not be your best choice.

I've rarely seen the Sofitel come up (usually, one of the other, cheaper 4*s in that area, such as the Knickerbocker, comes up.) The Monaco and Burnham have the same amenities listed on HOTWIRE, but the majority of the time it seems to be the Burnham that comes up.

In terms of listings changing on hotwire, I was looking at a listing yesterday that I thought was the Embassy Suites and was all set to get it. Went to get a snack and by the time I got back a few minutes later, it wasn't there. While it usually doesn't happen that quickly, I do recommend locking in a hotwire reservation if you see something that you're really interested in. Like the TV show, it's very "Deal...Or No Deal?" :)

[chicagosecretagent]

You asked about the Hotel Allegro. I used to live a few blocks from there and would arrange accomodations there frequently. If you like Kimpton hotels, you'll like the Allegro. It's not nearly as nice as the Burnham or Monaco but it's nice nonetheless. The rooms are a bit small, but the hotel and the furnishings are very, very clean. As far as location goes, there's not much around there (or anywhere in the Loop) at night but it is safe and a quick and easy cab/El/bus ride to Michigan Avenue or the other touristy areas of downtown. I think $92 is a great rate for that hotel.