Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (Millenium-Loop-Grant Park) Hyatt Regency

[mzaiman]

Hello,

There are 4 maybe 5 of us going to Chicago in August. There are 2 of us that willl be getting there on August 19th and the other 2 or 3 will be getting there August 20th. We will all be leaving on the 23rd. The 2 of us coming in don't need to stay in the same hotel on the 19th as the rest of the trip although that would be nice. We do all want to stay at the same hotel the 20th through the 23rd though. I have done a little research and we would like to stay down by the magnificent mile. I am not sure if the best bet would be to book through hotwire or through pricline. We are looking to spend around $100 per night maybe a little bit more or a little less. We would like a 4* or 4.5*. If anyone could give some insight that would be great.

Thanks for your help.

Matt

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

You'd have to split your bidding:

1 room 8/19-8/20

2 rooms 8/20-8/23

This would put everyone in the same hotel for 8/20-8/23 and the two arriving for the nite of 8/19 may have end up at a different hotel for that nite.

However, first thing i would do is figure out how many people you'll be for the 8/20-8/23 stay... PRICELINE only guaranteed double occupancy, whereas HOTWIRE allows you to search for up to quad occupancy. If you need triple occupancy in one of the rooms and you use PRICELINE, it's possible tha tyou receive a room with only one bed and the hotel may not be able, or willing, to change it to a room with two beds. If you'll be triple occupancy you'll have to decide if this is a risk worth taking or going the 'safer' route and using HOTWIRE and searching for triple occupancy for one of the rooms.

If you'll only be four in total and are booking two rooms, you'll only need double occupancy in each, so using PRICELINE becomes a non-issue.

When will your plans (in regards to the number of guests) be firm?

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

[mzaiman]

Thanks for the reply. I just found out that it is going to be 4 of us. So we would be fine with just 2 double occupancy rooms. From what I have researched, it looks like if we go through priceline we should be able to get a 4* downtown for about $65. I am hoping that we could get the Hyatt Regency as I have stayed there before and it is a good hotel with a really good location. Not quite as great as the Intercontinental, but it doesn't come with the same price tag either. Is there a good strategy for us to go about getting the Hyatt Regency? I looked that the areas and it looks like the Hyatt Regency is in the North part of its area which I really don't want to get too far south since we want to go walk the magnificent mile. Any help/insight would be greatly appreciated. Maybe there is a better hotel that I don't know about.

Thanks,

Matt

[AaronJB]

Keep in mind that the recent Hyatt wins at $65 are on different dates than yours and that rates are date-specific.

However, rather than trying to bid $65-70 for 2 rooms (so $130-140) 4* in the Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park area in an attempt to get the Hyatt, I'd rather suggest looking up 4 adults on HOTWIRE for 8/20-23 - there's a 3.5* NMA-WT-Gold Coast area with Boutique, Restaurant, Fitness, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Golf, Tennis, Spa for $104 (the price may vary slightly) and that is likely the Indigo, which is a fun little boutique hotel in the Gold Coast neighborhood, which has a lot of nightlife and is a few minutes walk from Michigan Ave.

Please use the site's HOTWIRE link if this idea is of interest.

[mzaiman]

Thanks for the advice. I don't think that I could convince everyone else in the group to share one room or to pay more for a 3.5* as opposed to a 4*. I'm not quite sure what to do since this is my first time using either priceline or hotwire. From the prices though it does look like doing your research does pay off.

[AaronJB]

While the Indigo is a 3.5*, I'd consider it nicer than some 4*'s in the city. Star ratings do not always necessarily live up to expectations...

There's a 4.5* in the Mag Mile/Streeterville area with fitness, business, restaurant, 'net for $139 (which would likely be the Intercontinental.) At that point, however, I'd almost rather recommend trying to bid $70 per room for 2 rooms (if you want to bid for 2 rooms) in the River North/NMA area.

Please use the site's PRICELINE or HOTWIRE links.

[mzaiman]

Thanks for all of the help. I just took the plunge and bid $65 for a 4* and got the Hyatt Regency through Priceline. I am going to go and post it over in the Priceline area. This website really helped me out because I never thought that I could stay in downtown Chicago for under $100.

Thanks again for all your help.

[mzaiman]

This was my first time using Priceline and while I was bidding didn't think that they would actually take my bid of $65 for a 4* in downtown Chicago. This was a really good deal for us and I don't think I would have gotten as good of a deal without first doing my research on this website. Thank you everyone for making this website what it is. It definitely saved me some money for this trip and hopefully for more trips to come.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Thank you for sharing your win with the board.

Glad to see that you're happy with the results and that the board was helpful in saving you money on this trip.

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

Enjoy your stay.

[mzaiman]

I forgot to add that I used the PRICELINE links provided to book my stay.

Thanks,

Matt