Need hotel recommendations in Chicago area!! (Oak Park, Homewood: extended stay, hotels, neighborhood)

[drk31195]

Can anyone recommend a family friendly hotel? This will be our first time visiting Chicago. We will be going for a couple of days and would really prefer NOT to pay a ton of $$$$$$$$. Are there any good areas we could stay at and then take public transportation to all the tourist areas? All recommendations are welcomed!!

[chet everett]

Frankly no. Traveling with kids to any big city, be it densely urban like NYC, San Fran, Chicago or even Toronto is very expensive and in areas that are a little less dense but have high percentage of resort type hotels (like San Diego, Hawaii, Miami or even Phoenix the costs are often outrageous.

Depending on WHEN you are coming to town , WHAT you can afford and WHERE you want to go some of the biggest hotels at least do have rooms / ammenities that can work well with kids (think indoor pools, non-opening windows, quiet-proofed rooms) like the Hyatt at Wacker & Michigan or the Swiss Hotel a little further east, BUT those are COSTLY place where even ONE room with appropriate bed space for a family is not going to dip below $125/night ... The advantage is that you are VERY convenient to shopping on North Michigan Ave OR State St., tourist draws from Lincoln Park through Navy Pier and the Museum Campus and have a HUGE range of options for meals, including world renowed dining as well as the kind of carry out that office workers grab for lunch.

If you need parking those hotels do have attached garage facilities, but they are priced for the "banquet and reception" crowd and a few days in 'em can easliy tack on charge that is essentialy another night's stay...

If you can take advantage of any sort of "loyalty" program for nicer business class hotels (be it Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Sheraton, etc...) you MAY be able to swing a "kids sleep free" deal EVEN if it not advertised as eligible by talking to one of the on-site managers directly AND NO just relying on a travel booking site or some tele-clerk at a reservation center. Now if the hotel is truly swamped with other conventions or similar "all beds are premium priced" type situation you can't expect them to make an exception BUT if you know it is a slower period with few special events you might have some success.

[linicx]

Before you worry about parking you should also look at the cost of the more popular events that range from $25 -$37.50 for each per venue. Even with City Pass discounts, the ticket cost for 2 adults and 2 chilldren to visit 5 of the most popular venues in Chicago is $153.00 plus tax. Parking at each venue is an additional $16-$19 per venue. Now you are looking at over $250 for "things to see" and you haven't had so much as a cup of coffee. I think you can conservatively plan on spending $1000 for hotel, food, top tourist sites and transportation. This of course depends upon where you eat. You'll find 6.000 restaurants to chose from.

Chicago offers all types of tours from water to archtecture to neighborhood. The Chocolate Tour and Eli Cheesecake Tour are free. The walking tour of Chinatown, and the walking tour of the Frank Lloyd Wrignt buildings in Oak Park, Millenium Park, and the Lincoln Park Zoo are free, too.

There are a lot of things to do in Chicago that are fun and not terribly expensive.

Originally Posted by drk31195

Can anyone recommend a family friendly hotel? This will be our first time visiting Chicago. We will be going for a couple of days and would really prefer NOT to pay a ton of $$$$$$$$. Are there any good areas we could stay at and then take public transportation to all the tourist areas? All recommendations are welcomed!!

[Jandur]

Originally Posted by drk31195

Can anyone recommend a family friendly hotel? This will be our first time visiting Chicago. We will be going for a couple of days and would really prefer NOT to pay a ton of $$$$$$$$. Are there any good areas we could stay at and then take public transportation to all the tourist areas? All recommendations are welcomed!!

I would try checking out hotels a bit further north in Lincoln Park or Lakeview. Somewhere near the Red or Brown line will give you fairly easy access to the tourist areas. Hotels here aren't cheap though.

[chet everett]

What benefit is there other than perhaps a little savings to getting a hotel in Lakeview? Are there are whole lot of family friendly tourist spots outside of the North Michigan Ave / Millenium Park / Museum Campus / Navy Pier area?

While I certainly have spent a fair bit of time at Lincoln Park Zoo it really is a bigger draw for Chicago residents than out of towners...

[MassVt]

Why are there 2 threads from the same OP on this topic??

[chet everett]

Illinois and City -- maybe they were thinking a suburban hotel made sense. I really do not think that would work. Even coming from Rosemont (next to O'Hare) is not going to save a ton of money and will eat up a ton of time that even good natured school aged will not appreciate...

[drk31195]

I guess I should state I am looking for something under $200 a night. I am refusing to pay $500 a night. We are not looking for a ton of stuff to do. I should also say when I say kid friendly I mean not a stuffy boring hotel I would prefer a Residence Inn/Embassy Suites type, that way my kids can have breakfast before heading out. Honestly would not mind if we had to stay in the burbs and take the metra/train into the city. Just wanted to know if there is a suburban location that would be recommended?

[jahk]

I stayed at Homewood Suites (Homewood Suites Chicago Downtown - Chicago Downtown Hotels,Chicago Relocation,Extended Stay Hotels Chicago) while in town for interviews. It might work for you.

Full breakfast every day.
Indoor pool-on a high floor with good views.
Mini kitchen with utensils, a fridge, microwave, and small stove so you have a place to store leftovers or cook simple meals.
Very convenient (about 2 blocks) to red line, less then 5 minute walk to Michigan Ave. shopping.

Depending on when you're planning your trip, the cost may be within your budget.

[linicx]

I stayed at Best Western branded units from IL to CA and back. I always thought the accomodations were very nice and not over-priced. Downtown Chicago Illinois Hotel near Navy Pier & Magnificent Mile