visiting downtown chicago soon, where to stay that's reasonable priced & SAFE (Lincoln: sales, best hotels)

[momof2greatkids]

We are visiting the Navy Pier, American Girl doll store & Lincoln Park zoo as a family for one day. I can't afford the hotels downtown so I would like to know where I should stay within 30 miles of the downtown area that is SAFE & reasonably priced. Thanks for your info & feel free to email me at [email]hsmith6867@aol.com[/email].

[OrangeAndBlue]

You can stay near the airport. There isn't much out there, but the hotels are quite a bit cheaper than downtown and you can take the train into the city from there, which would save you a ton of money in parking costs, too.

[pianogal34]

you might want to check out the Days Inn-Chicago-Lincoln Park. their rates aren't bad,(for staying right in the city), its a safe area, and you'll be close to the zoo, plus many restaurants and shops.

[soulful]

What sort of price range are you looking for in terms of a hotel room?

With that info, I think we can point you in the right direction.

[myrc60]

You can name your own price at 2 websites. You won't know which hotel you are in till you pay online but I've heard they use the best hotels in the loop.

[soulful]

I hesitated to suggest the "name your own price" options such as priceline.com since we are dealing with a family. They only gtd a "room" and you cannot even be gtd. more than one bed. For a couple, I would highly suggest it, however.

In reality, if the hotel is not fully booked, they will upgrade you in many cases to a suitable accommodation. I use them all the time with great results for one person (and sketchy with two, when the second is a friend, as may not be able to secure two beds in sold out hotels).

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by dsimicata

I hesitated to suggest the "name your own price" options such as priceline.com since we are dealing with a family. They only gtd a "room" and you cannot even be gtd. more than one bed. For a couple, I would highly suggest it, however.

In reality, if the hotel is not fully booked, they will upgrade you in many cases to a suitable accommodation. I use them all the time with great results for one person (and sketchy with two, when the second is a friend, as may not be able to secure two beds in sold out hotels).

I don't travel so I don't use those sites. Doesn't it ask how many people in a room?

[Avengerfire]

What is reasonably priced to you? There are may sales on downtown hotels on many sites.

If it is for one day I cannot see how a 30-50 dollar difference in price is that big of a deal. You are going to spend about three hours just getting to and from the city...Time is worth more than money when dealing with a short amount of time.

Try Hotwire.com.

[Atlantis]

When I went to Chicago last year I stayed at Hostelling International downtown on 24 East Congress Parkway. A room with its own bathroom is $35-$37 per night. A room with just beds (the shared bathroom is down the hall - plenty of sinks, toilets, & showers, like a dorm) is $31-$33 per night. I took the free trolley to Navy Pier, I walked to the American Girl doll store & I took the bus to the Lincoln Park zoo.

Kids can stay at Hostelling International. I saw some kids there. It's safe and clean. The front desk is staffed 24/7. The outside door is locked after a certain time so that you can't even enter the building at night if you don't have a room key.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by pianogal34

you might want to check out the Days Inn-Chicago-Lincoln Park. their rates aren't bad,(for staying right in the city), its a safe area, and you'll be close to the zoo, plus many restaurants and shops.

If your talking about the Days Inn on Clark street near La Salle, it closed a couple of years ago and has now re-opened as something else. It's still a hotel, though.

There is another Days Inn on Diversey Avenue near Clark Street, however. It's not awesome, but it's in a cool neighborhood. Also, you might find a deal downtown through Expedia, Travelocity, or one of the like. I've stayed in four-star hotels for $80 a night using those sites. Hotels that are typically filled with business travelers really empty out on the weekends, and you can often find deals there as well.