Shooting thru Chicago for one night. Advice please.. (Ohio: prices, budget)

[aragx6]

If you aren't going to spend much time in your hotel I would definitely use Priceline. The deals are great as long as you don't care where exactly you are staying. I've never had the balls to do that myself, but my dad used to always use it and he had great experiences and saved a lot of money.

[Play]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

go to pricline and get a 3-4 star hotel for $125/night in downtown chicago

Good stuff - I will give that a shot! I guess anywhere downtown is gonna be fine... Safe, convenient and all that? Never been before so...

[Attrill]

Check the Kimpton hotels - Allegro, Burnham, and Monaco. They are usually around $200/night, but they frequently have deals for $130-175 in the off season (if there isn't a convention in town).

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Play

Good stuff - I will give that a shot! I guess anywhere downtown is gonna be fine... Safe, convenient and all that? Never been before so...

Yep. There aren't really any bad areas immediately bordering the downtown area.

[cw68]

Originally Posted by aragx6

If you aren't going to spend much time in your hotel I would definitely use Priceline. The deals are great as long as you don't care where exactly you are staying. I've never had the balls to do that myself, but my dad used to always use it and he had great experiences and saved a lot of money.

I use Priceline often now that I know how to use it. Go to biddingfortravel.com and read their FAQs. It's also a user board where people post what they bid, what hotel they got at what price, in what zone, and at what star level as well as bids that were not accepted.

For instance, the 4 start Intercontinental went for $105 Nov 2-5 and the Nov 30-Dec 2. It went for $87 Nov 21-24.


(Illinois - Chicago - Message Board - ezboard.com)

[Play]

Well, I did Priceline and I guess I screwed up. It was before i had seen these past few tips posted here. It was my first time using priceline too.

I tried the downtown areas first and tried 2 stars and up for $150 which will be about $190 after taxes. It kept coming back with nothing available. So I decided to add the airport area to the search. 3 star hotels near the airport were averaging like $90 so I thought since Priceline was supposed to possibly save you 50% I would start out bidding $50. I swore I had seen that they would give you a list of the hotels that approved your price and you could choose. So I was expecting to have a list of hotels that I could then view on a map and then choose one closest to downtown. I figured since there were so many 3 star hotels at under $100 a night in the airport area, with my bid I would have several to choose from. Instead, I got no options... It came back and said "your hotel is reserved" and it gave me a 2 star in Des Plaines, the north side of the airport. It is only $50 ($60 after taxes) and looks decent and all that but I was hoping to get to pick one on the South East side of the airport.

So now I am going to need to commute once, maybe twice, roundtrip to the Lincoln Park area. Plus once roundtrip to downtown where Vision Nightclub is. Do you guys have any idea, ballpark, what those commutes will cost by cab? Or will "the el" be an option on the Lincoln Park commutes?

The hotel on google maps is : Google Maps

Hotel address is: 1201 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018

If the commute is going to cost too much and it is going to be too much of an inconvenience now, I may say forget this reservation, eat the $60, and go for something else. I 'd rather waste a few bucks than be inconvenienced too much. I can handle a small inconvenience. I guess it depends on what the commuting is going to cost and how long they would take.

What do you guys think?

Also, thanks again... SO MUCH... For taking the time to help me out here!

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by Play

Well, I did Priceline and I guess I screwed up. It was before i had seen these past few tips posted here. It was my first time using priceline too.

I tried the downtown areas first and tried 2 stars and up for $150 which will be about $190 after taxes. It kept coming back with nothing available. So I decided to add the airport area to the search. 3 star hotels near the airport were averaging like $90 so I thought since Priceline was supposed to possibly save you 50% I would start out bidding $50. I swore I had seen that they would give you a list of the hotels that approved your price and you could choose. So I was expecting to have a list of hotels that I could then view on a map and then choose one closest to downtown. I figured since there were so many 3 star hotels at under $100 a night in the airport area, with my bid I would have several to choose from. Instead, I got no options... It came back and said "your hotel is reserved" and it gave me a 2 star in Des Plaines, the north side of the airport. It is only $50 ($60 after taxes) and looks decent and all that but I was hoping to get to pick one on the South East side of the airport.

So now I am going to need to commute once, maybe twice, roundtrip to the Lincoln Park area. Plus once roundtrip to downtown where Vision Nightclub is. Do you guys have any idea, ballpark, what those commutes will cost by cab? Or will "the el" be an option on the Lincoln Park commutes?

The hotel on google maps is : Google Maps

Hotel address is: 1201 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018

If the commute is going to cost too much and it is going to be too much of an inconvenience now, I may say forget this reservation, eat the $60, and go for something else. I 'd rather waste a few bucks than be inconvenienced too much. I can handle a small inconvenience. I guess it depends on what the commuting is going to cost and how long they would take.

What do you guys think?

Also, thanks again... SO MUCH... For taking the time to help me out here!

Dude...30 seconds on orbitz...
Orbitz: Hotel Details (broken link)

You should be able to cancel your reservation without paying anything, most hotels have a 24 hour cancellation. Staying out by O'Hare will be a real hastle, especially considering the areas you had wanted to see.

[Play]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

Dude...30 seconds on orbitz...
Orbitz: Hotel Details (broken link)

You should be able to cancel your reservation without paying anything, most hotels have a 24 hour cancellation. Staying out by O'Hare will be a real hastle, especially considering the areas you had wanted to see.

Thanks, but that link isn't showing anything for me. My own search on Orbitz shows everything near downtown as at least $200 a night but i guess that is still my best bet, will probably save a ton on cabs. I am searching for Nov 24th and leave Nov 25th so that being Thanksgiving weekend may be making prices a tad higher.

[cw68]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

Dude...30 seconds on orbitz...
Orbitz: Hotel Details (broken link)

You should be able to cancel your reservation without paying anything, most hotels have a 24 hour cancellation. Staying out by O'Hare will be a real hastle, especially considering the areas you had wanted to see.

You can't cancel a Priceline reservation.

I agree that O'Hare will be a hassle. Read the biddingfortravel board and see if you can get something closer for a cheap price. The 4 star Knickerbocker was the winning hotel for a $65 bid on 11/19.

[Play]

Originally Posted by cw68

You can't cancel a Priceline reservation.

I agree that O'Hare will be a hassle. Read the biddingfortravel board and see if you can get something closer for a cheap price. The 4 star Knickerbocker was the winning hotel for a $65 bid on 11/19.

Thanks. Do you mind sharing some insight on how that biddingfortravel works? Is it basicly a forum to post prices people were able to get for specific hotels/dates on priceline? I didn't see a way to bid on a particular hotel on priceline. Is that possible? All I saw selectable was areas.

Someone got the Knickerbocker for $65 somehow?! I searched their website and rooms were nearly $700! I have to be missing something...

Thanks