hi,

i'll be making my first visit to chicago in late august, and i'm seeking advice/suggestions for budget accomodations.
i was initially looking at the cass hotel, but balked once i read some of the comments/posts about it on this forum.

hotel wacker on huron street was also considered, but i have the feeling it's probably about the same as the cass hotel.

another option i'm currently exploring is the seneca hotel.

any suggestions/recommendations?

thanks.

Have you considered using Priceline? If you choose the North Michigan Ave area you have a good chance of getting a very nice hotel in an excellent area for well under $100. We had rooms at the Downtown Marriott on a Sunday & Monday in late March for $70 night. Good luck.

You should also check-out some of the better hotels websites. I was able to get a beautiful room at the Chicago Hilton & Towers on South Michigan for $79.00. I don't know of any budget hotels in the downtown area that could do much better.
Here are some sites:
www.hilton.com
www.starwood.com
www.priorityclub.com
Good Luck and have a great trip!

Pricleline or Hotwire are probably your best bet. In addition to the above poster's experience, you can see what others have received (and paid) at www.BetterBidding.com

If you don't want to use Pricline or Hotwire, you can also try www.hotrooms.com which is a consolidator that only deals with hotels in Chicago and Washington DC.

There's a highly-rated youth hostel (open to all ages) in the South Loop. Look at the American Youth hostels webpage.

I stayed at the Seneca June 6-8, 2003 and was very happy with it. the location is terrific (right next to the Hancock tower/Michigan Ave). The room was very spacious with a full kitchen. I paid $99 from AAA.

thanks for all the responses.

i decided to follow edeevee's advice and try my luck on priceline.
i got the millennium knickerbocker hotel for $65 a night.

since i have a layover before my return train, coming back from toronto/montreal, i tried priceline again and got the hotel intercontinental for $70.

thanks for the tip!

woops. forgot to give props to bo also.
betterbidding.com was a definite help.

Gleemonex,
Wow! you got the Knickerbocker for $ 65.00? Great deal! it is a first class hotel off Michigan Ave and goes for at least $200..

Cant wait to hear about your trip..you will love chicago!