Hotwire Hotel: 4.5* Chicago (Mag Mile-Streeterville) InterContinental

[TexasDiver]

We are traveling to Chicago 5/8/09-5/10/09 and want to stay in the Magnificent Mile area. Since there will be 5 of us ladies split among 2 rooms, I think Hotwire is the only way to go. I am trying to convince my group to use Hotwire, but they are slightly uncomfortable not knowing exactly where they will be staying. I am trying to alleviate their concerns by gathering as much info as possible.

Hotwire has a 4.5* in the Magnificent Mile - Streeterville area for $139 with the following amenities: Fitness Center, Restaurant, Business Center, Internet and 4.0 out of 5 on tripadvisor.com based on 320+ reviews. Is this more likely the Intercontinental or the Conrad? The Conrad has 255 reviews on tripadvisor and Intercontinental had 317. I didn't know how exact Hotwire's tripadvisor info was.

There is also a 4* in the same area for $96 with the following amenities: Fitness Center, Restaurant, Business Center, Internet and 4.0 out of 5 based on 140+ tripadvisor reviews. Could this possibly be the Westin River North, Sheraton, or Hard Rock? None of the info on tripadvisor matched exactly for any of these.

We would also consider using Priceline. Getting a king bed in each room is not a problem for us (mothers-daughters), but we would need an extra bed for one room. Has anyone had problems with Priceline hotels asking for two beds or a rollaway upon check in?

If we used Priceline, would we more likely get a nicer hotel at a better price, and is it worth the risk? Does the time in which we are going affect which hotels we are likely to get?

Thank you in advance for your input!

And, yes, I will be sure to use the BB links to begin my travel purchase (if I can convince everyone this is the way to go).

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site. :)

Chicago is a wonderful city, but it is not exactly "cheap" (more on that shortly), so while I can definitely understand the reluctance to use HOTWIRE or PRICELINE, the money saved versus a traditional reservation can go towards a lot of things food, museums, etc.

PRICELINE only guarantees 1 bed, and needing two becomes a risk. If you tried to get two beds via PRICELINE, there's a possibility you may have no trouble whatsoever. There is, however, the possibility that the hotel may say no or may try to charge you extra if the hotel charges a premium for rooms w/2 beds. It depends on the hotel, the day/s (how busy) and may even come down to the person you deal with. You may also be able to get a rollway, but whether or not a hotel will charge for one varies. So, unfortunately, there really is no specific answer besides it's a risk, and not guaranteed.

With PRICELINE, you are not guaranteed a nicer hotel at a better price, but the service often has lower prices than HOTWIRE for the same star rating. Given the inability to see what is in PRICELINE's inventory at any time, there is no way to gauge what hotels may show up; I would look to see what rates are like for your dates and then go from there in terms of suggesting a strategy/price.

In terms of the HOTWIRE listings, the first one would appear to be a match for the Intercontinental or the Conrad, and I feel you can't go wrong with either - they are essentially across from one another on Michigan Ave; one is grand and richly historic with modern touches (Intercontinental) and the other is sleek and modern (Conrad.)

The 4* Mag Mile for $99 could be a match for the Sheraton, Hard Rock or Westin. While not guaranteed, what is leading me to lean towards this being the Westin is that there is a 4/5 tripadvisor rating on the detail page, which would match the Westin and not the Sheraton or HR. While the tripadvisor ratings on HOTWIRE listings are not always up to date, the Westin has been a 4/5 for quite some time, as far as I can remember. I'm not a fan of the Sheraton (it's not that it's a poor hotel, I just found it to be a very average big city convention hotel) and the Hard Rock is fine, but the Westin is one of my favorite 4*'s in the city.

In terms of the above, the Intercontinental, Conrad and Westin are terrific, the Sheraton very average and the HR fine. I think the Intercontinental is fun because you can almost feel the history in some of the hotel's most remarkable areas (the pool, for example, was one of the first pools built on a higher floor.)

[AaronJB]

If you cannot convince the group to use HOTWIRE, here is the regular rate deal I'd recommend:

1. Westin River North - $149 on Orbitz.com. Use coupon code FABSAVE10 for 10% off - $134.10

Otherwise, 4*'s on these dates start to get a little pricey, given that this is getting into the Spring season.

Please use the site's Orbitz.com link if this is of interest.

Additionally, if PRICELINE is of interest, let us know and we would be happy to offer tips/suggestions on how to go about bidding.

Additionally, while the Mag Mile area is arguably the most popular shopping area in the city, I'd also consider looking on State St., as there are some options there (Nordstrom Rack) also worth exploring.

Also, just to clarify regarding PRICELINE, you are not guaranteed a better hotel, but are often able to get comparable hotels for less.

[TexasDiver]

AaronJB-

Thank you so much for the information. What do you think of the Millennium Knickerbocker? I've seen some decent rates on regular sites.

Do you have any Italian restaurant or pizza recommendations? We were stuck on a layover last year and took the train into town for Gino's East. It just wasn't as good as we remembered, so I was looking for something else (not Uno's).

My preference at this point is to steer the group towards the HOTWIRE 4.5*. Do you know why Hotwire doesn't appear to charge for an extra person in the room? The rate is the same whether I do 2 or 4 per room.

[thereuare]

My preference at this point is to steer the group towards the HOTWIRE 4.5*. Do you know why Hotwire doesn't appear to charge for an extra person in the room? The rate is the same whether I do 2 or 4 per room.

Some properties charge extra for more than double occupancy... some don't; (in simple terms) HOTWIRE is simply 'passing' on the hotel's rate based upon the number of guests you searched for.

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

[AaronJB]

The MK got some very mixed reviews up until very recently. It is a very old property (Al Capone reportedly had a secret hideout there) and rooms are small. I stayed there a couple of years ago before the recent renovation and thought it wasn't as bad as the reviews indicated, but probably wouldn't be my first choice. The renovations look quite good, though, and I'd like to try out the hotel again to see how much its changed. If the Westin's $134 price is at all similar to what you are seeing for the Knickerbocker, however, I'd choose the Westin any day of the week without hesitation.

Odd that HOTWIRE does not appear to be charging for the extra person, but it may have something to do with the hotel or if you are searching for 2 rooms/2 adults/1 child, the hotel won't charge EP fees for the child. I wouldn't worry though, as what you are charged by HOTWIRE is the final price.

I don't care for Uno's, either. I do enjoy Giordanos and I like Edwardo's, although Edwardo's is more of a carry-out place. Quartino's is also supposed to be good, as well.

[AaronJB]

In terms of the Intercontinental, the Wikipedia page for the hotel provides a detailed history (as well as a picture of the pool): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterContinental_Chicago

[TexasDiver]

Thanks again for the info! I will let you know how it turns out for us.

[TexasDiver]

We ended up booking the 4.5* thorough Hotwire (using the BB links!) for $139/night. It turned out to be the Intercontinental, which is what we wanted. We paid a total of $645.26 for two rooms and six people. Booking through the hotel would have cost $1046. We feel we got a great deal at minimum risk, and are very excited.

Should I create a new topic to post the details of my win?

[AaronJB]

Thank you for reporting your win (the thread title here can just be edited, you don't need to create a new one) and using the site's HOTWIRE link.

I think you and your party will really enjoy the Intercontinental; it's a gorgeous property and superbly located on Michigan Ave a couple blocks North of the river.

Enjoy your trip. :)

[TexasDiver]

Thanks again for all your help! I can't wait to plan my next trip...perhaps Vegas in the fall. :)