Hotwire Hotel: 3.5 * and 4 * in Chicago

[mlclements]

I am new to using HOTWIRE and I would like some help. We are taking our daughter to the American Girl Place on March 13-March 16. I found a 4 star on Streeterville with fitness center, business center, restaurants, high speed internet and spa with 380 reviews for $204.00. I found a 3.5 star on Water Tower with fitness center, business center, restaurants and high speed internet with 140 reviews. Any recommendations or any other suggestions, I would really appreciate it.

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site!

I'd actually recommend something completely different. The Hilton Suites Chicago Mag Mile is $168 for a king bed/sofabed suite. (non-refundable) on Expedia.com Easy walk to American Girl, not to mention a pool. Cheaper than the Hotwire listings, better than those Hotwire listings, great location and, to top it off, more space and - unlike Hotwire - you'd be 100% sure of what you were getting.

I'd strongly, strongly recommend the Hilton Suites over either of those HOTWIRE listings. The Hilton Suites reservation on Expedia is non-refundable, but given that you were thinking about using Hotwire, I would think that would be okay.

Please use the site's link to Expedia (click any of the Expedia links in this post.)

Again, definitely would not hesitate to recommend the Hilton Suites; that would be an easy walk to American Girl. The Hilton Suites is on a very nice side street just off Michigan Ave. and behind the Hancock Tower. Probably a 3-4 minute walk to the AG store.

Room description at the Hilton Suites (taken from Expedia) One king bed in private bedroom and a sofa bed in a separate living area. May have a microwave. May have a compact refrigerator. Coffee/tea maker. Two cable/satellite TVs. Premium TV channels. Pay movies. Video games (surcharge). Desk. Two multi-line phones. Voice mail. Wireless Internet access (surcharge). Dial-up Internet access (surcharge). Complimentary weekday newspaper. Hair dryer. Iron/ironing board.

[AaronJB]

Also, I'd recommend as a fun little treat before/after the AG store to stop at the Ghirardelli chocolate store, which is on Pearson just a few doors West of the corner of Pearson and Michigan Ave. It is made to look like an old-fashioned chocolate shop. Definitely go there instead of the Hershey Store across the street.

[AaronJB]

Oh, and there is a giant convention (the Housewares Show) in town during part of your stay, so I would highly recommend booking the Hilton Suites as soon as possible, as I wouldn't be surprised if either they get booked up or the rate goes up.

[mlclements]

Thanks for the info. I will book the Hilton Suites using the betterbidding Expedia link. This will make a great 8th birthday for my daughter. Thanks

[AaronJB]

Glad I could help! :) Hope that she has a happy 8th in Chicago, and please enjoy your trip. :)

If you have any other hotel or Chicago questions, please feel free to ask.

[Angelnot]

Another thing to consider is going to the AG website and contacting the hotels in the area that offer an AG package price. From the 4* Park Hyatt and Marriott to the 2* 4Points Sheraton the 10 or so partner hotels offer specials at set prices. Many of these AG hotel specials are available year round. The packages may include take home beds, matching robes for the dolls and girls to special check in perks or bed time tea parties.

If price is a concern and you are willing to take the chance, there have been some Priceline wins in the Millenium Park/Loop area for the Hyatt on Wacker (no AG package) in the $65 range in mid March but I'm not sure of the exact dates. We did the same trip last year March 14-17 as part of a 9th birthday party celebration. Whatever hotel you stay at mention the big AG birthday party connection when you call to confirm your room arrangements. Our girls and their dolls were treated like princesses.

If you are not aware of it, Mattel plans to close the AG Theater when the Chicago store relocates in the fall so this is the swan song for the American Girl Revue. The play is well worth the extra cost or is included in the special day birthday party package price we purchased. If you call AGPC they can also put you in touch with a personal shopper at no extra charge to help plan your child's special day. Having a PS made our day extra special and helped navigate the many AG packages and pin down details like reserving a window table for lunch that I never would have thought of. If your have not already done so, don't wait to make your AGPC reservations. The Cafe is near impossible to get last minute reservations for on weekends and school breaks. Have fun.

[AaronJB]

Angelnot - excellent advice, as always. However, low priceline bids for these dates are unlikely due to the convention, which is taking place during part of this stay and will be bringing 60,000 delegates to the city. I'm surprised that the Hilton Suites I mentioned above was even available for the price it was.

[Angelnot]

Aaron you are right. The latest reported bid won for a MP/Loop or Michigan Ave. hotel for less than an $80 bid on Priceline seems to be for March 10. There are some good HotWire deals popping up for mid March is spite of the 2 conferences. The conference block of rooms must have recently been released. I wonder if this will translate to Priceline availablity too.