Hotwire Hotel: please help ID 3* Loop

[jess]

Do you know which hotel this is? I'm looking at 6/23-6/29. Thanks.

Chicago Loop (Downtown Areas) - See map

Selected amenities include: Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, High-Speed Internet Access, Tennis Nearby, Business Center. View complete amenity list and description

Best Value!

$76 per room

per night

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

This hotel has not yet been identified and although there are a lot of amenities, they're not very specific. Based upon star rating i suspected the Congress, Club Quarters, or Holiday Inn. Upon further inspection the first two don't offer a pool, and all of the amenities are available at the Holiday Inn.

I'm far from certain, but my best guess would be the Holiday Inn (which appears to be just inside the zone, but if you know the area please double check the HOTWIRE map for the zone.

Is this the specific area you want to stay for some reason (most prefer the NMA area) or were you drawn to it based upon price? Rates do seem a bit higher than usual, but i'm not sure if it's just early or if there is a special event or convetion going on during this period... do you know of anything (such as a convention or a blues/music festival ocurring during this time period?)

[Senoreit]

I have no further insight as to the identity of the mystery hotel, as I'm sure thereuare has researched it as thoroughly as I could, but I just want to expand on his comments about location and make sure that you would be okay with potentially ending up in a hotel in the far southwest corner of the Loop as defined by Hotwire's map. The only thing that I would consider to be in convenient walking distance of the Holiday Inn would be the Sears Tower, and while I wouldn't consider it to be an unsafe walk during the day, I also wouldn't consider it to be a pleasant one. The only thing the Holiday Inn has going for it location-wise is its proximity to a blue line subway stop so you can get away from that area, in which there's nothing to do.

However, I will say that other than the southwest portion of the Loop, I don't think it's a bad area to stay in. In fact, the hotels that would be most convenient to such things as Millennium Park, Grant Park, the Art Institute, the Theater District, Buckingham Fountain, and several large stores on State Street (Marshall Field, Sears, Old Navy, etc.), are located in the Loop zone. North Michigan Avenue or Mag. Mile-Wacker Drive would be better choices to be close to Navy Pier, even more shopping (and more upscale stores than can be found in the Loop), and more and better restaurants, to name a few things. Also, it could probably be said that the hotels there are generally nicer than thier equally-rated counterparts in the Loop.

Regarding special events, the Taste of Chicago (which is quite well-attended) will take place in Grant Park from June 24th to July 4th. I've never tried to book a hotel in the area during the Taste, so I don't know if rates tend to be significantly higher than usual.

Well, if you have any more questions, post back and I'm sure we'll do our best to help. Good luck!

[jess]

thereuare and Senoreit,

THANK YOU both for being so helpful. Based on your advice, I think I'll avoid this 3*. I do need to be in close proximity to the McCormick Center (which I believe is in the Loop zone) because there is a convention there, which I'm attending, that draws about 30,000 people; so, I've been trying Loop, NMA, and Mag Mile. Do either of you think the rates will ever drop for that convention time frame? Thanks again.

[Senoreit]

Well, there are a few ways you could go about this. First of all, if proximity to McCormick Place is your number one priority, then you shouldn't be targeting the Loop zone. The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is actually connected to McCormick Place via enclosed walkways, and that hotel is located in Hotwire's "South and West of Loop" zone and is rated 4* according to their vacation package listings. I'm not aware of any other hotels in that zone that could conceivably be considered 4*, so as long as you stick to that star level, you don't have much of a risk of ending up somewhere in the western part of the zone, away from McCormick Place. Of course there are never any guarantees with Hotwire or Priceline. :)

However, if you want to try to target the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, I would actually recommend that you try bidding on Priceline. Priceline has a Chicago zone called "Greater Chicago," and similarly to Hotwire, the Hyatt is the only 4* hotel known to be located in this zone. Usually hotels will go for a bit cheaper on Priceline than they will on Hotwire, that's why I say if you want to target this property I would try Priceline first. Conventional rates for the Hyatt are very high for your dates, but Hotwire shows the 4* that I would strongly assume is the Hyatt for $92/night, so you'd probably be able to get it on Priceline for a bit cheaper than that.

The downside to staying in that area/zone is that apart from McCormick Place itself, it doesn't have much to offer. Especially at night, the area would be dead and not pleasant to walk around in. To get to anywhere you might want to visit or eat, you'd probably have to take a fairly long cab ride.

If having to commute to McCormick Place every day wouldn't be an issue for you, then I would refer to my previous comments on the Loop, NMA, and Mag. Mile-Wacker Dr. zones and recommend that you stay in whichever one sounds best to you or whichever one you could get cheapest, depending on your priorities.

If you haven't discovered them already, there are lists of all the hotels that users have won in various Chicago zones on Hotwire and Priceline HERE. They may help you decide which zone would be best for you, and if you decide to use Hotwire the list may help you determine the identity of some of the mystery properties that are displayed for your dates.

If you decide to use Priceline, you can post back and someone should help you formulate a bidding strategy, but first you'll want to make sure you're familiar with Priceline by reading through their "Terms and Conditions" and by reading THIS POST.

As far as whether or not hotel rates will come down for that time frame, I really don't know. Perhaps someone else has an opinion on that.

[thereuare]

Unless you know if hotel bookings are running ahead or behind schedule, nobody can tell you if rates are likely to go down (or up!). However, based upon history, if they are going to go down, it's not likely to be until close to the date of the convention (so be prepared to book a back-up and not know your definitive plans until right before the convention dates begin... something many aren't comfortable with).

You may also want to consider SPLITTING THE BID, although i don't know if this is an option if you're going to be working a tight convention schedule.

If you decide to try Priceline let us know your parameters and we'll suggest a strategy to follow.

[jess]

Again, you two are really going out of your way to help me, and I appreciate it.

I have been bidding Priceline and watching Hotwire for about 2 weeks now. I've bid all the way up to $75 (my max, perhaps impossible to meet) in the Loop, NMA, and River North areas (I wasn't sure about what Greater Chicago/South and West of Loop entailed -- type of neighborhood, etc) for 3, boutique, and 4 star properties (I'd hate to go any lower than a 3* if I can help it, unless you know of some decent lower-star properties in good areas). I wouldn't necessarily have to be right by McCormick, as long as I have ready access to public transportation.

[Senoreit]

As best I can tell from the searching I've done, your current options for 3*+ hotels in the city for $75 are slim...but you already knew that. :) There's the 3* property in the Loop on Hotwire which thereuare thinks might be the Holiday Inn, and the 4* for $94 on Hotwire in the "South and West of Loop" that I strongly assume is the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. As I said, you might be able to get the HRMP on Priceline for cheaper than the $94, I'm not positive you could get it for $75 or less though.

I also searched the conventional sites but didn't find anything for $75 or less in the areas you're looking for. Again, I'm sure you already knew that.

If it's absolutely crucial that you attend this convention, I see your options being the following, in no particular order:

1) If the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place is acceptable to you, try bidding up to $75 for 4* in Greater Chicago on Priceline. I would first look up reviews for this hotel and also be mindful of public transportation options to take you to other parts of the city. There is a METRA ELECTRIC stop at McCormick Place which will take you up into the Loop, but to get any further north than that you'd have to get off and ride the subway. I haven't looked into train schedules on the Metra Electric, and I can't vouch for the clientele late at night (I really have no insight one way or the other), but it is an option. I would also assume that there are bus stops nearby, but I really don't know much of anything about the bus system in Chicago. If worse comes to worst, there are always cabs. Of coure I'm assuming you won't have a rental car.

2) Up your potential spending limit and/or downgrade your star rating requirements and book a cancellable backup reservation now. There is still hope that rates could come down in the future so that you might be able to snag something cheaper on Priceline or Hotwire closer to the time of your stay. If not, at least you'll have protection against rates going up and/or hotels selling out.

3) Up your spending limit right now and try to get something on Priceline in the Loop/NMA (most likely the Loop).

4) Go ahead and roll the dice on the 3* in the Loop on Hotwire. After all, a hotel in a non-ideal location is better than no hotel or something that dramatically exceeds your budget.

Again, I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know, and I know these aren't the greatest of options, but at this point I don't have any bright ideas. I know you have a maximum price limit in mind, but if you hold firm to it and aren't able to find anything in that range, your options might end up being even less attractive: staying in a roach motel in the city, staying in the suburbs or close to O'Hare airport and taking the train into the city, or not going to the convention at all.

Keep us posted and good luck...

[thereuare]

You didn't comment if splitting the bid was an option... does that mean it's not?

What will you do if you're not successful at $75 or less... cancel the trip, raise bidding limit, lower star quality, etc?

[jess]

Senoreit -- I'll keep those options in mind.

thereuare -- I don't know yet whether I'll try a split on Priceline, but I did check prices with different dates on Hotwire -- from the 23rd through the 26th was $66, then from the 26th through the 29th was $86. Essentially, bidding the entire time frame gave me the average ($76). If I don't get something, desirable, around that price range, I probably will not go -- limited travel funds.

I'll be sure to post, if I do go; so, you know what option I chose.

By the way, I'm recommending this site to everyone I know. Thank you.