Hotel Advice

My husband and I are attending a conference at the Hyatt Regency July 22-29. The convention rate we can get is $199 a night. Is it worth it? We are fairly savvy about public transportation, and prefer not to drive in the city in a rental car. I am a bargain hunter, but can%26#39;t find anythig better, I am looking for confirmation or denial, please.

Hotel Advice

IMO, you might be able to do better. Hotwire is showing availability for your dates. I ';think'; the James is showing for $153/night. Also I ';think'; the Westin and Ambassador East look like they%26#39;re at $179/night on Hotwire. You also might want to consider bidding on Priceline.

I%26#39;m not a Hotwire or Priceline expert. Take a look at betterbidding.com for Hotwire and Priceline tips.

You don%26#39;t need a car here. Public transit is abundant. Visit transitchicago.com for details. A CTA visitor pass might come in handy for your visit.

Hotel Advice

Howdy,

That seems like a fair rate for that hotel, especially during a conference. You won%26#39;t find too many hotels with lower rates for that time period, but I have found 2 on Hotwire that are a little bit lower.

If you%26#39;re not familiar with Hotwire, it%26#39;s basically a non-refundable site in which you select a property based on star level, amenities, and location. With sites like betterbidding.com, it%26#39;s fairly easy to figure out what you%26#39;re selecting. For those dates, I%26#39;m seeing on Hotwire what appears to be The James for $153 a night. It%26#39;s shown as a ';4-star hotel in Magnificent Mile Area - Streeterville'; with the following icons: fitness, restaurant, business center, laundry, Internet Access, and Spa. The James has been getting positive reviews on tripadvisor, it%26#39;s more like a modern hip hotel you%26#39;d find in South Beach, and it%26#39;s only about 8 blocks from the Hyatt (or a real short cab ride).

The other one listed on Hotwire, ';4-star hotel in North Michigan Avenue - Water Tower - Gold Coast'; with fitness, restaurant, business, %26amp; internet, for $159 appears to be either the Drake, Westin, or Ambassador East, which are also really nice properties.

Hope this helps.

That has helped me, we were just about ready to book the sofitel and 12 hours later all the avail rooms were %26gt; than 300 dollars, and this pretty much applied to all the chicago hotels. We will be traveling for conference on June 21-25 and have the conference rate for the first two nights but not so lucky the rest of the time. Are there any priceline/hotwire success that may care to give advice? Is sooner better than later with these sites? I will go to betterbidding also. thanks

Thank you very much for your suggestions. This morning when I booked it, the ';Streetersville'; property was in fact the James, at $149 a night. I can treat myself to a couple of nice dinners with the $ I saved over the conference rate. I appreciate your advice, and this looks like a lovely place to stay as a getaway from the intensity of the conference as well. Thank you!

And it is looking like a 5 minute bus ride after a short walk between the James and the Hyatt. I am thinking I don%26#39;t need to determine transportation, right? Just a pair of comfy shoes!

Hoofing it will be a snap! IMHO The James is much more hip and cool than the impersonal Hyatt - though I do like the Big Bar in the Hyatt and would suggest a cocktail there if you are of the mind.

BTW - I stayed at the James in April (read my review) and will be there again for Memorial Day weekend with Mrs. Davooda. I think you will be pleased, especially at $149/night. I thought I was doing well at $169!

The location is really great too. You%26#39;re a hop and a skip from Michigan Ave shopping, within walking distance of State Street shopping south of the River, the Red Line CTA station (underground) is a block or two away and there are two full-sized grocery stores within a block (Trader Joe%26#39;s and a Jewel) if you don%26#39;t want to spend extra on hotel breakfasts. Plus, you%26#39;re surrounded by all kinds of restaurants, bars, clubs and cafes, albeit some of the more touristy ones.

Have a great visit!

Yippee! Especially the shopping part. My husband won%26#39;t be joining me right away, so I may have some time to kill, and I am certain I won%26#39;t remember to pack EVERYTHING I need (wink wink nudge nudge)!

Advice on whether to take Swissotel for 139. or Allerton for $130. Location, public transportation, people watching, and shopping are the concerns. Another option was the Chicago City Centre Sports for $130. (apparently previous Holiday Inn)