Planning trip to Chicago..please help with Hotel

[mspencer]

We are planning a girls weekend to Chicago. It will be 2 adults and a 15 yr old and 9 yr old. We will be taking the amtrak in to Union Station. Not sure how we get from there to where we would like to stay near Millenium park/michigan ave. I was looking at the Embassy suites but not familiar with using priceline to bid..do you have to accept it if they have something. THis is all very new to us. We are from rural farming town but would love to see another way of life. Just planning some shopping and sight seeing so not sure if this is even the best area to stay. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[akcire]

First I know nothing about Priceline.

If you are planning on doing site-seeing/shopping either location near Millennium Park or near Michigan Ave. would be fine. The shopping is going to be centered around Michigan Ave, with some also located near State St. The museums are closer to Millennium Park. The Art Institute is essentially part of the Park, and the Planetarium, Field Museum, & Shedd Aquarium are a short cab ride. The Museum of Science and Industry is a bit farther down the road.

As for transportation, if you are arriving by train into Union Station you will just want to catch a cab--of course this depends upon your hotel. There are a few hotels that could place you within a few blocks of the train station. In that case you can walk. Union Station is also the home of a ton of commuter trains, as long as you are arriving when it is daylight it is very safe to walk in the Loop--evenings are a bit off putting because the streets are deserted.

I am not sure when you are coming, or your budget, however this weeks edition of Travelzoo had a rate at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower of $129.00. Sofitel is a very up market hotel. Water Tower is near all of the Michigan Ave shopping and would be a quick cab or bus ride to Millennium Park. Frankly--in this weather you will be walking VERY quickly in Millennium Park (the wind off the Lake can be brutal) and I don't know how much you will enjoy it.

You can send me a PM if you have specific questions about the city/lay out or hotels. Like I said previously I know nothing about Priceline--that question is going to be best left to another Diser.

Also keep in mind, when shopping in Chicago. Chicago and most of Cook County has a ridiculously high sales tax percentage. Often times it makes sense to buy an item and have it shipped out of state to save on sales tax or just buy it closer to your home. I know there was some talk on the boards not too long ago about the American Girl store (the poster thought she could save on shipping by purchasing at the store) however due to the high taxation rate she would have been better to pay shipping...just an FYI.

 

[LUV DA MOUSE]

I would recommend the Embassy Suites too, its in a great location and will probably give you the most "room" in a hotel room. I also believe they offer free breakfast in their resturant.

The sales tax rate is 10% and sometimes 10.25% so I also agree will shipping packages back home to save on the tax.

This site will help: http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en.html

Click on visitor discounts(bottom left on the site) for tons on coupons too!
http://www.chicagoofficeoftourism.org/chicagocoupons/

I found a 50% off coupon for Amtrack:
http://www.chicagoofficeoftourism.org/chicagocoupons/attractions/attractionCoupons1.html

 

[Tiggerish]

If you bid on priceline you do have to accept whatever hotel they give you and they only guarantee one bed and it sounds like you need two. If you would like to learn about priceline and hotwire bidding try going to a web site called betterbidding.com. which will be a great help.

Also, how adventurous are you? If you have a Michigan Avenue hotel, it is very easy to use the bus system to get from Union Station to Michigan Avenue. It is also easy to use the bus system to visit muesums, etc. but it does take more time. This is a link to information on getting a one day or three day bus pass, http://faremedia.chicago-card.com/store/main.aspx?DepartmentId=34

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I know nothing about the Chicago area but I have used tripadvisor.com for information and guidance on choosing hotels when in doubt.....I have always been very please with their recommendations.

 

[mom2my2gr8kids]

We stay at the Doubletree on Ohio. We like it there and its just a couple blocks off Michigan Ave. We usually go in the summer so we walk to AG, but we are going in March again .. not so sure about the walking! lol

We also take the train in to Union Station and catch a cab and tell them where to take us!

Have a great time!!!!

 

[tartemis]

The Swiss Hotel is great and located right where you want to be. I know they are offering a deal right now that if you stay at least 2 nights the rate is only $129.00. You can book this rate directly with their website (so you don't have to deal with bidding, etc.) We live in Chicago, but we are remodeling our kitchen and needed a place to stay a few days a couple of weeks ago so we stayed there.

 

[teacup princess]

We just stayed at the Hyatt on Wacker. I think it's right next to the Swiss Hotel. It was a quick easy walk to Mellinium park and Michigan ave.

 

[mjkacmom]

We've stayed at that ES, plus others as well. You do get a lot of room, free hot breakfast (including an omlet station), plus free cocktails and snacks at night. You'll probably want to go to Navy Pier (if it's not too cold, the aquarium, some museums - I love Science and Industry, but it's a longer cab ride (but well worth it). My sister used to live in Lincoln Park, and they have a nice (free) zoo there that you could cab to. We love taking boat tours, too.

 

[vsimeone]

My girlfriend and I are going next month. We are staying at the Crowne Plaza 1/2 block off Michigan Ave. on Huron. We got a room for $116 a night. That is AAA rates.

Have a great time! I'm praying for a record warm weekend next month so we don't freeze to death in Chicago!

 

[roadtripper]

Go to www.quikbook.com and punch in your dates to see what's available--I was getting really cheap rates for the end of Jan--not sure when you're going. MOST of their ressies are fully cancellable, so you can book something now, and then see if prices go down. Just be sure to read the fine print on the ressie. Good luck!

 

[jamounger]

Kimpton hotels are running a promotion right now that I am looking at.

http://www.kimptonhotels.com/promotions/winter-spark.aspx

It looks like a lot of fun- I priced out first weekend in Feb for 134/night at the one on Wabash. We have also stayed at the Embassy suites that is near AG place and liked it also.

 

[mspencer]

so now I see there are 2 Embassy suites..not sure if I want the lakefront one or the one that just says downtown. Which would be closer to american girl and shops. I am leaning toward the one that says lakefront because in the reviews someone wrote it is only 2 blocks from the bus to take you to the attractions and I think it was walking distance to many of the shops. HELP!! This one was for a little over 100 a night, I am thinking that is a decent rate. TIA

 

[elgerber]

so now I see there are 2 Embassy suites..not sure if I want the lakefront one or the one that just says downtown. Which would be closer to american girl and shops. I am leaning toward the one that says lakefront because in the reviews someone wrote it is only 2 blocks from the bus to take you to the attractions and I think it was walking distance to many of the shops. HELP!! This one was for a little over 100 a night, I am thinking that is a decent rate. TIA

I stayed at the one downtown, and it was a very very short walk to the Magnificent Mile. It was a great hotel!

 

[jamounger]

We stayed at the one downtown also. We walked to AG and to the Watertower and shopping on the Magnificent Mile. We cabbed everywhere else.