Priceline Hotel: 4* NMA + Millenium Park $90 6/21-6/23 Denied

[slieb85]

Tried $80 with out Midway - denied

Tried $90 with Midway- denied

Looks like hotwire has a 4* for 230ish but everyone here is getting intercontinental for around $80 or less (even on weekends). Am I just too far away from the requested weekend to get a good rate? I've never done priceline or Hotwire before but would love the intercontinental and am willing to pay upwards of $125 for it. Thanks for the help! Great site!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site :)

Others are getting the Intercontinental for +/- $80 because they are going after hotels for Feb/Mar, which are traditionally slow times in Chicago. Once Spring in Chicago starts, hotel prices go through the roof. Supply and demand, and with not a huge supply, once there's a little more demand, it's not unusual at all for downtown hotels to hit $300+ during the busiest days of the Summer. The problem with Chicago hotels is that there isn't another area (like Brooklyn with NYC or Cambridge with Boston) - there's either the downtown hotels, or you're out in the burbs 40+ minutes away. There are no areas right nearby with choices like in other major cities.

Prices are certainly high for your dates, although not too unusually high for June in Chicago. They may come down somewhat between now-and-then, but there's a good chance they won't and, if they do, it won't be drastically.

You may find somewhat better Priceline/Hotwire rates as the months get closer, but I'm guessing that $90 may be not enough for a 4* in either downtown zone. $125 is more realistic, especially in late June.

[thereuare]

You may want to search Quikbook and GTA Hotels for any cancellable back-ups... you can then continue to try the opaque providers to see if any inventory opens up between now and your stay.

[slieb85]

Thanks for the reply. I hope to get it for $125 and will try again as soon as the 24 hour rule has passed. I also had a slightly different question. I have a good friend in the Lincoln Park area, are there any good hotels near there or Wrigleyville? Thanks again for such an awesome site.

[slieb85]

Just tried again for $115 and then added in Midway and changed it to $125 and both were denied. :)

[thereuare]

This is also a Saturday nite check-in which could potentially be an issue.

You may want to search Quikbook and GTA Hotels for any cancellable back-ups...

Did you have any look with either of the above?

Lincoln Park area, are there any good hotels near there or Wrigleyville?

I'll leave that question for AaronJB as he knows the area best.

[AaronJB]

There are only a small handful of hotels in the Lincoln Park area, none of them particularly good or reasonable. There's a Days Inn, a Best Western, the Belden Stratford (which is half apts/half hotel) and that's really about it. I do like the Lincoln Park area, but for whatever reason, no one has ever made a real effort to put a good hotel or two up there.

HOTWIRE has a few Lincoln Park area choices on occasion, but it has never been determined what they are - at least yet. I do have an idea of what the few Hotwire listings may be and when I do see them, they have not been a good deal. There is a new hotel across of Lincoln Park called the Park View (it is a boutique made out of an old Days Inn that got so run-down looking Days Inn took their name off the place - the new pictures look pretty nice, but I haven't seen the place yet.)

Priceline doesn't have anything in Lincoln Park.

My thought is that there is a far greater inventory of hotels downtown, and a far greater chance of getting a deal.