Hotwire Hotel: 3* Chicago (Mag Mile-Streeterville) Hilton Garden Inn

[harry79]

Looking for a hotel for 2 nights on a trip mostly geared around kids activities. Already overwhelmed trying to decide what would be best for the kids (my niece and nephew), I seek your advice on getting a good deal on a hotel.

- I think we will take them to Navy Pier, Shedd Aquarium and maybe Planetarium/Hancock. BTW, any other suggestions will be most appreciated.

- We will be driving into the city so I have to keep parking cost in mind. Considering our situation I am not sure if I should get a hotel in downtown or one of the suburbs and then just drive into the city.

- I am aware of priceline's rules and a little worried whether I will get two beds in the room or not. If it is a good deal, I might just bid for two rooms. Please advise.

- Ideal dates would be 6/13 - 6/15 but we are flexible and could do 6/14 - 6/16 or 6/15 - 6/17 (priority in that order)

Keeping all these factors in mind, I would appreciate if you could advise on the area and the bidding strategy.

Thanks a lot for your help!

[AaronJB]

1. While the final decision is, of course, up to you, I'd strongly suggest Lincoln Park Zoo instead of Navy Pier. The Pier is a crowded, overpriced tourist trap. Lincoln Park Zoo is a beautiful free zoo that one could combine with visits to the nearby Peggy Notabert Nature Center and/or the Chicago Historical Society. Navy Pier is also out on the water and, at least in my experience, if it's a hot day it seems even hotter there.

2. I'd recommend the Field or Shedd instead of the Planetarium.

3. I'm of the opinion that the suburbs are a very nice place for visitors to stay. However, you do have to travel into the city and if you're only going to be here for two days, I would recommend looking in the city unless there is a substantial price difference.

4. I do see what appears to be the Embassy Suites Lakefront (in downtown Chicago) on Hotwire for $123 for 6/14-16. Since this shows up when searching for 2 adults/2 kids, you are guaranteed to get at least some sort of bedding for your entire party. The hotel listing shows up as a 3.5* in the Mag Mile/Streeterville area with the amenities: Suite, Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Complimenatary Breakfast, Business, Kitchenette. This would be a very good choice for the situation.

5. I do see a hotel in the very nice burb of Northbrook for $69 on HOTWIRE for 6/14-16, which appears to be the Hyatt Deerfield (3.5* Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis in the Northbrook area).

I would recommend staying downtown in this case with only two days, but did want to include the Hyatt as a cheaper suburban option in a very nice, upscale area. If you stayed at the Hyatt, you would have to drive a few miles to the nearest Metra station, then take that 35-45 minutes to downtown. The museums and other sights are either across town to the SE (museum campus) or to the North (Zoo). So, while much cheaper, it does involve a good deal of travel.

Please use the site's link to HOTWIRE (click the HOTWIRE) to start your purchase. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[thereuare]

Let us know your thoughts after reading AaronJB's comments above and we'll take it from there.

Before reading his reply i was going to suggest looking for a good deal downtown (2 rooms if the deal is 'good enough'... what constitutes 'good enough' from your perspective)... we have seen some great deals at the Hyatt recently.

If bidding for two rooms is unsuccessful, then i would take a long look at the HOTWIRE option believed to be the Embassy Suites (i didn't look myself, but will if you'd like and this is your likely option).

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[harry79]

Thanks a lot for your feedback , guys. It seems like staying in downtown would be preferable since commuting with kids might be a tad difficult. The HOTWIRE pick (3.5*) seems pretty decent, especially if it is Embassy Suites. That way we can ensure 2 beds in the room and being a suite would help too. I researched a little bit and seems like we could take the bus to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium. I was planning on buying visitor passes to commute for the two days.

Hate to pay an exorbitant amount for the car parking - so if there are any suggestions regarding that please let me know.

So, seems like we have a consensus on the area (i.e. downtown). Should I just stick with Hotwire or try bidding on priceline ? Is the 3.5* from 6/14 - 6/16 a decent deal based on your experience ? Thanks and I look forward to your suggestions.

[kayla]

Ditto on (1) (2) fr. Aaron JB. Embassy Suites is a great choice or most suites hotels since they normally have 2 beds/sofa bed to accommodate your party of 5. Make sure to call the hotel directly before booking/bidding. Last year, we stayed at an Embassy suites, paid at corporate rate for the whole week but did not get a 2-bed room despite we requested at time of booking & check-in. We booked it only 4 days in advance due to a short notice of the trip. It was simple; they had just a few rooms w/ 2 beds so my husband had to sleep on the sofa bed for the whole time while my 2 little ones shared the nice king bed w/ me. :)

I stayed at the Hyatt in Deerfield before; it is very nice; however, you may end up to have just king-bed room; it is kind of gearing toward the business travelers & a bit further to travel to downtown/city. For the suburb, I would stay in Glenview if you could get the Wyndham Suites. It is ~20' to the city or ORD airport & have many good eateries nearby. Also, driving in & out of downtown area during peak area is a pain during peak hours ( 4?-6ish). So plan ahead to get the best out of your short stay.

IMHO, there are at least 10 possible hotels beside the Embassy Stes. w/ Priceline for 3 * in Chicago downtown. Hotwire for Chicago seems to be a better choice since they do list "suites" icon. I have no idea about the price; that you need to do a bit more research.

My 2 cents & best of luck in bidding!

[AaronJB]

The Embassy Suites Lakefront, which is what I believe the Hotwire listing likely is, has a lowest refundable regular rate of $229 for 6/14-16, so $123 (although you may see a slightly different price by a couple bucks) is a very good deal for the non-refundable Hotwire rate.

The Hotwire listing does say "Suite", "Free Breakfast" and "Pool". If you bid on Priceline, you most likely will not get a suite property (as there are few of them in the city), won't likely get free breakfast (as very few hotels in the city offer it) and may not get a pool (as not that many hotels have it.)

If you bid on Priceline, there is no guarantee that you will get a room with two beds. You may have more luck than usual on 6/14-16 due to the fact that it does *seem* like a slower set of dates (as does 6/13-15) than normal in the Summer based upon the rates, but it's not a guarantee and, with 5 people, 2 beds is pretty necessary.

If you were to bid on Priceline for 2 rooms, my only suggestion would be to try and get the Hyatt downtown (4* Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park), which has shown up as a win for $60 on several occasions this Summer. However, $60 x 2 = $120, and at that point you may as well go for the $123 potential Embassy Suites on HOTWIRE and get the extras offered. The Embassy Suites is also a nicer hotel than the Hyatt, and has recently done a renovation.

Additionally, the Embassy Suites Lakefront is across of a giant grocery store and around the corner from a gorgeous Cafe/Market. The grocery store across the street will be helpful for snacks and the gourmet market (Fox and Obel Market and Cafe - see the cafe menu and details at fox-obel.com) is a great place for treats.

So, overall I do like the HOTWIRE potential Embassy for the situation. You can likely get a better (or much better if the Hyatt accepts a price around $60) rate on Priceline, but you may or may not get 2 beds if you only bid for 1 room. Try to bid for 2 rooms and you may as well take the HOTWIRE deal.

Please feel free to ask any questions. :)

[thereuare]

If you bid on Priceline, there is no guarantee that you will get a room with two beds.

Just to clarify the above, in addition to kayla's comments, with HOTWIRE you may get a room with only one <actual> bed and the pullout couch counting as the second bed, so it still may be a tight squeeze with five... but certainly better than receiving a non-suite type hotel with only one bed.

Just wanted to clarify that, even with HOTWIRE, you're not guaranteed two beds + a sofabed.

Let us know whatever you decide and how it goes.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[harry79]

I am seeing a 3* in Mag mile - streetville area on Hotwire for 6/14 - 6/16 (customer fav, lowest price guaranteed, best value) for $69/ night.

[Fitness, restaurant, high speed, business center, pool]. Am I correct in assuming that it is the Wyndham (based on the pinned hotwire list). Please let me know.

- Regarding the situation for 3 adults and 2 kids : On Hotwire I can at least mention 2 adults and 2 kids , I am thinking they will provide us 2 beds in this case. Let me know if I am wrong in assuming this.

- What do you think about this option vs. the 3.5* suite that we discussed earlier ?

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

The Wyndham was last reported as a 3.5* property... 3* hotels reported with these amenities are the City Center Hotel and the Hilton Garden Inn. Best guess is that the Hilton Garden Inn is the property you're seeing above.

On Hotwire I can at least mention 2 adults and 2 kids , I am thinking they will provide us 2 beds in this case.

You will receive a room which can accomodate the number of people included in your search. The majority of the time this is two beds... but in some circumstances the 'second bed' can be a pullout couch or a rollaway.

Please use these PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links to begin your travel purchases.

[AaronJB]

Interesting that the 3* Mag Mile is now showing; it wasn't there when I looked before.

The 4/5 tripadvisor rating would indicate that it's likely the HGI, which would be a very good hotel. It wouldn't provide as much space as the suite property, but if you don't mind a tight squeeze for 5 people, it is a very good deal (especially considering the fact that it comes up when searching for 2 adults/2 kids.)

If it is the HGI, it would also be superbly located, too.

[harry79]

Thanks for your help, guys. I used the HOTWIRE link from this forum to make my reservation.

6/14 - 6/16 at the HGI for $71/night.

[AaronJB]

The nice thing about the HGI is that you are literally right next to the subway station, which will help for getting around. If you need any directions, I would be happy to provide detailed directions from the hotel to any sights you are interested in.

If you walk to Michigan Ave. you can get busses that go directly to the Museum Campus or North to Lincoln Park Zoo. The "L" will take you towards either of those places, but there would be some additional walking involved. However, if you feel like a walk, the walk from the nearest "L" station to the Museum Campus through Grant Park or the nearest "L" station through Lincoln Park to the zoo are both pretty walks.

Excellent price on the HGI - more than half off.

You are also nearby quite a few more "kid-friendly" restaurants, including Portillo's, Rainforest Cafe, the sleek former Rock N' Roll McDonalds (one of the most visited locations in the US), Ed Debevics and others. You could potentially mix things up and do an Ed Debevic's one day and something with a bit more of an appeal for everyone the day after. You are in the River North area at the HGI, and there are plenty of famed restaurants around, including chef Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill. There's also a grocery across the street of the hotel.

Any questions, please feel free to ask.

[AaronJB]

Additionally, this is not too far from the HGI:

The Sterling Self-Park Garage

(located between Clark and LaSalle on Kinzie)

312.341.3463

$24 per day

In by 7 a.m. out by 7 p.m. - $14

In by 9 a.m. out by 7 p.m. - $18 per day

After 3 p.m. and weekends - $6

I haven't parked there myself and their rates have probably changed (you'd have to call to get current rates.) However, this may be a cheap idea (even if it's a little more expensive than the above, it would still be good for Chicago) for parking that's not far from your hotel at all.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to hear you received the hotel you were expecting and are happy with the results.

Thank you for posting to the board and for using our HOTWIRE link to begin your purchase.

Enjoy your stay.

[harry79]

Thanks a lot guys.

Aaron : I will probably touch base with you before our trip to get some final tips. Thanks again for your very useful suggestions.

[DDSeeker]

I'm hoping for a little clarification on this thread. The title indicates that this is a $69 win for a 3* on Priceline.

My understanding of the thread says it is a $71 win for a 3* on Hotwire.

Can someone clear this up for me?

[thereuare]

I've edited the topic title and moved to the HOTWIRE section of the board.