Hotwire Hotel: Mag Mile Chicago Proposal

[NeedsAdvice]

Hi All,

I am very new to the site and am likely missing a lot of information (there is so much and it is very hard to digest quickly).

I could really use the help of some other people. I am currently planning on proposing during a trip to Chicago in a few weeks and am thinking about booking through Hotwire. I was originally going to book at either the Hotel Morocco or the InterContinental historic tower. However, as I get ready to book, I keep thinking about how much I could save by booking with Hotwire. Don't get me wrong, I am ready and willing to go all out on my budget for this, but the only thing is that I am also a graduate student and could use the money on other aspects of our upcoming future together too.

So, I would ideally like a more romantic hotel or something that is more personal, hopefully with good concierge service as well. I would prefer a larger room that is elegant and not sheik-modern. I see that some of these hotels come up with Hotwire quite a bit, but so do ones like the Hyatt Regency and similar ones that are not at all personal. How do I ensure I get a hotel I like through Hotwire. I hear people mentioning that they have fairly good confidence on their hotel before booking, but how? What should I be doing or looking into? Is there no way to ensure I get a specific type of hotel unless I book with them directly or through one of the other booking websites? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, is it possible to request room types with them? Can I try to get a good view? I am definitely thinking either 4 or 4.5*.

I am super excited for the proposal and have most of it planned, except for the hotel and this has me panicking!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Congratulations on your upcoming proposal.

PRICELINE and HOTWIRE reservations are for standard rooms... you may be able to upgrade once you win the hotel and calling them or at the time of check-in (sometimes just for the asking, sometimes for an additional fee, sometimes not at all).

You can start by doing a HOTWIRE search for your dates and then comparing the star ratings and amenities that HOTWIRE associates with the property offered to what has already been reported to the board (and is in our Hotwire Hotel List). Feel free to ask for help on any properties you can't identify and/or to comfirm a property that you believe you're currently seeing.

Let us know what you find and how you'd like to proceed and we'll advise accordingly.

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

[AaronJB]

Spending less on the hotel to have that money to spend on other things is completely understandable. I suppose it's like a smaller version of not spending a fortune on a wedding so you can save for a house.

What are your dates of travel?

The Intercontinental would be a great choice. If you get them to let you in the Grand Ballroom, you could propose in the middle of the Grand Ballroom, which is quite the epic room.

[NeedsAdvice]

Thanks for helping with some information!

It looks to me like I am coming up with the InterContinental. The Amenities for the 4.5* are Fitness Center, Restaurants, Business Center, and Internet.

And the user ratings is a 4 of 5 with 380 reviews, which looks like Trip Advisors current level for this hotel.

However, I am slightly confused. It looks like another user just posted the InterContinental as a 4 star request on this site. Can it fall into both? Is it possible that I am missing something?

Also, when I book the room, will I be able to get a king bed room or are they going to try to get me a 2 bed room, or does the hotel pretty much just give whatever is available?

[AaronJB]

Without knowing dates of travel, it's not possible to look to confirm what you're seeing.

Hotels in Chicago - with a couple of exceptions - have less supply of rooms w/2 beds than 1 bed. Hence, the short supply of rooms with 2 beds means those often go for a premium. If the hotel doesn't have anything else left, then you will get a room w/2 beds, but I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Where are you seeing the Intercontinental posted as a 4*?

[NeedsAdvice]

sorry, july 7-10.

The 4* InterContinental is kind of confusing too, maybe just a typo. In the Topic Title, it says 4.5*, but then in the text it says 4*

Chicago Inter-Continental

Thanks again!

[AaronJB]

That was for a trip in May, the most recent reports of the Intercontinental are 4.5* - it was briefly 4* for about a week a couple of months ago, I believe, but I'm guessing the post in question is more likely a typo. I've asked the original poster to clarify, though.

The 4.5* Mag Mile/Streeterville with fitness, business, internet and restaurant for 7/7-10 would still be, in my opinion, the Intercontinental (which is showing as a 4.5* on the vacation package side of the service, too.)

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link to start your purchase.