Hotwire Hotel: non-smoking hotel for family trip?

[new to bidding]

Hi,

I'm new to hotwire and to Chicago, and to this site. It's great!

I know that Hotwire doesn't guarantee a nonsmoking room unless it is a nonsmoking hotel.

We have a 5 yr old with asthma so a smoky room would not work for us.

Hoping to go to Chicago May 29-31.

Want to stay in millenium loop-grant park or museum place area.

2 adults, 2 children ages 8 and 5.

Saw a 4 star hotel in each area for $78 or $79 but can't come up with anything that has the nonsmoking icon. $100 would be our maximum price since we know we'll have to shell out approx $50 for parking each night.

Would love to stay in Embassy Suites lakefront--called them but they have one smoking floor. Is it likely that we would be put there?

Any hints on how to find a nonsmoking room? Or a cheaper option for parking the car? We checked on bus, train, plane from our home in STL but all are too expensive for this weekend.

Thanks!

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to the site. :)

I think the issue with HOTWIRE is that, while they do not 100% guarantee a non-smoking room, if there is a health concern and there is non-smoking availability, that non-smoking should not be a problem (and if for whatever reason it was at check-in, then call HOTWIRE and explain the situation and see if they can take care of it.) Many times for HOTWIRE or PRICELINE reservations in Chicago, non-smoking is how I've been booked.

This is an inexpensive lot (I've never parked there since I don't drive, but it's popular due to the lower rates.) The rates below have gone up since, and I'd advise calling them to see what current rates are. You'll also face a rather steep parking tax. While this garage is pretty well-located, it may not be near the hotel you wind up at, so you may face a bit of a hike.

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

Unfortunately, there are no non-smoking hotels showing for these dates on HOTWIRE under $100 (there is one I'm seeing for $127, but it would appear to be the Sheraton, which I wouldn't recommend), the only options under $100 are:

The 4* showing in the Loop area (fitness, business, restaurant, internet, pool) for $79 would likely be the Palmer House.

While not optimal, the other option would be to stay in the SW suburbs (Oak Brook, Lisle, Naperville, Downers Grove), which would be on the way in and on the way out (rather than having to drive all the way in downtown.) Those hotels would be cheaper and offer free parking. Additionally, the giant Brookfield Zoo is not far from that area, and may be a fun idea for a place to go.

For example, I see a 3* in the Lisle-Naperville area with the amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business for $41, which would likely be the Holiday Inn Select Naperville.

From the SW burbs, you could either drive into the city or drive to the nearest Metra Train station (Metrarail.com) and then take the train in (about 45-50 minutes). The Metra trains are very comfortable and quite nice, but they run less often on weekends. However, adults can buy a $5 weekend pass for unlimited rides on Saturday/Sunday, so round trip on Saturday and Sunday would be a total of $5 for each adult. Kids under 11 ride free on weekends when with an adult.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link, and let us know if you have any questions.

[new to bidding]

Thanks so much for this info. I will definitely check into the Sterling Self-park garage.

Do you know what the hotel would likely be for the museum place area? This one was 4* for $78 per night. The two things our kids really want to see are the Shedd Aquarium and Legoland which is in the NW burbs--so staying SW would be more of a hike. We were thinking of walking around Navy Pier Sat morning, driving up to Legoland Saturday mid afternoon, and then going to Shedd Aquarium Sunday a.m. before driving home.

thought perhaps I'd call the Palmer and the other hotel to check availability of non-smoking before booking.

Thanks again!

[AaronJB]

The 4* Museum Campus is either the Hilton or Hyatt McCormick. While it's more likely the Hilton, the Hyatt is still a possibility, and that hotel is essentially in the middle of not much - it's by McCormick Place, but there's little else around it. The Hilton would be the preferable result between the two possibilities. There's not much at all going on around the Hilton in the South Loop either, but it's still a preferable location over where the Hyatt is.

In terms of the NW/N burbs, there's also plenty of hotels in those areas in the $38-60 range, as well, including a 3.5* in the Arlington Heights-Elk Grove Village zone with the amenities: Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Hi-Speed Interent, Business, Golf, which would appear to be a match for the Sheraton Suites Elk Grove Village.

Please reconsider Navy Pier; it's a tourist trap, with fine views, but overpriced attractions and a lot of booths selling souvenirs. I'd much rather recommend Lincoln Park Zoo and the nearby Peggy Notabert Nature Center. The Zoo is a gorgeous, free zoo and in a really nice area. The Notabert does charge an admission, but has a gorgeous live butterfly area. The Notabert is one block North of the North entrance of the Zoo.

One other thought on how to play this trip:

Arrive 29th, stay downtown. See Michigan Ave, maybe head to the Sears Tower.

30th. Leave downtown, stay in NW suburbs. However, check out and load the luggage in the car in the morning, then go see the Shedd and the Zoo before heading out to the burbs.

30th. Stay that night in the NW burbs. See Legoland on Sunday/31st before heading back.

That way, you would only have to pay for hotel parking one night, and you would not have to drive out to the NW suburbs and then drive back - Legoland would be your last stop before heading back.

[new to bidding]

Hi,

Just wanted to update--first of all thanks for the great info and suggestions. In the end, we decided that we couldn't chance getting a smoky room, after reading some other reviews of hotwire users who did end up with smoky rooms and no recourse. So, we went to a YMCA family camp closer to home instead of doing a Chicago trip. However, we will be watching HOTWIRE for good deals on Chicago hotels that are completely smoke-free for other summer weekends. We'll click through this site to check deals and make our reservations.

[AaronJB]

Thanks for following-up. :)