Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (Millenium-Loop-Grant Park) Hilton Chicago

[mecdatlanta]

Greetings!

I have been trying to find a hotel in Chicago for 05/23 to 05/30. About 50% of the time I see this 4* hotel show up for $119/night. When I go to reserve, I get a "this hotel is no longer available" message. I have been doing this for the past four days. I must have tried at least 2-3 times each day.

Well, today we get a call from Visa saying that there are a bunch of authorizations outstanding on our card. Although nothing was charged apparently these authorizations use up our credit limit and don't go away for several days.

The reason for this post is two-fold: 1) To warn anyone who might try the same thing, and 2) To ask if anyone else might have any suggestions. We are looking for a hotel under $125/night within the city (or at least within 15-20 minutes with public transportation).

Thanks in advance.

Don

[thereuare]

Which zone is this property in?

Is SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID an option?

[AaronJB]

Weird that they would authorize the card if it wasn't available.

In terms of a hotel under $125 near the city, the issue is that once you leave the downtown area, there are few hotel choices until you get about 30-40 minutes out, as areas like Evanston, O'Hare, Northbrook and others are nice suburban areas with a wider hotel selection.

I'm seeing a 4* on HOTWIRE in the North Michigan Ave/Water Tower/Gold Coast area for $123 w/fitness/restaurant/hi-speed/business as amenities and a $123 price tag. It looks like possibly the Westin, Drake or Ambassador East. Is this the hotel you were trying to get before from hw?

If you don't use HOTWIRE, I think Priceline may be able to get you a hotel in your price range, based on the rates I'm seeing.

[mecdatlanta]

That is definitely a thought. Is there something special you do to split the bid, or is it simply a matter of bidding twice for both segments of your stay?

Best,

Don

[mecdatlanta]

Hi Aaron,

Yes, that is exactly the hotel I was bidding on. They raised the price to $123. I tried it again, thinking that they maybe fixed the problem. Same thing happened... It came back as being no longer available.

Thanks for your advice on using Priceline. I will use the link on this web site and will provide feedback when I finally get something.

Best,

Don

[mecdatlanta]

Greetings!

4-star hotel in Soldier Field - McCormick Place

I came across this hotel for $109/nt. Seems like a great deal, but I don't know the area. Is it a good area? Any idea what hotel it might be?

Best,

Don

[thereuare]

See SPLITTING YOUR PRICELINE BID for a discussion on splitting your bid.

[thereuare]

Is this for the same stay as your other Hotwire Chicago thread? (if not, what are the dates of this stay?)

What are the amenities that HOTWIRE associates with the hotel you're seeing above?

[mecdatlanta]

Thanks. Yes, it is for the same period (05/23/2007 to 05/30/2007).

The amenities include:

- Fitness center

- Restaurant(s)

- High-speed internet access

- Pool(s)

- Business Center

Thanks for your insight.

Don

[thereuare]

Please keep all posts for the same stay in the same thread. <i've merged your two threads>

The above is a match for the Hilton Chicago so that would be our best guess.

Please remember to use this HOTWIRE link to begin any purchases you make.

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

[mecdatlanta]

Greetings,

First of all, I want to thank thereuare for helping me on the Hotwire side. I just tried (not at all expecting to win) placing a bid on priceline for my projected stay (05/23/2007 - 05/30/2007) and much to my amazement, I won! It turned out to be the Hilton Chicago. At $89/night, I feel it was a steel.

I hope this information is helpful to someone else.

Best,

Don :)