Chicago June 21-24
 

We are planning a trip to Chicago 6/21-6/24 and are having a difficult time finding a hotel. We got a suite at Embassy suites but it is 469/night. Does anyone know what is happening on those dates? Is it something I should make reservations for?

That is discouraging. We plan to be there from the June 29 - July 1. Over the weekends we have always be able to get room for around a !00 for the Loop/Michigan Ave hotels. Must be a convention in town.

It's always something.

Priceline Chicago and second after that, www.hotwire.com - it's the way to go. Non-cancellable and honestly, there are no bad choices that I can see.

www.betterbidding.com

There is something big going on literally every weekend in the summer. I'd bet that is the weekend of Taste of Chicago.

Taste of Chicago starts June 29 and always ends within the 4th of July holiday sphere.

Actually, that weekend has no big fest that's listed on www.metromix.com

But all summers are high season. There's an event called Looptopia that will have everything open all night long on May 11-12 with street celebrations etc.

Anytime of year I always use Priceline for Chicago- it simply is a great market regardless, as some 4 star choices constantly deal there. Bid 4 star and you are not going to go wrong. Swissotel, Hyatt on the River are often the results.

Did you try Quikbook? I've never had luck with them before but found a terrific rate for Chicago for dates in May when rates elsewhere (and for the same places) were much higher.

You are right. Quikbook is good when the others fail. Priceline is best this early, but use Quikbook if you have Pricelinephobia.

I just used Quikbook for D.C. and it is much the same there.

You never know when there is a huge trade show or professional convention -- may not show up on municipal calendars. There are a few medical conventions and a few trade shows that can fill every hotel in the city. If you're really curious, ask the "group" desk at any hotel what's going on that week.

To get around the problem, consider staying slightly outside the Loop area or even up in Evanston, from which you can take train/el downtown.

There are several large conventions in town between June 21 and July 4 including an AMA meeting, Diabetes Association, and the Lions Club with a combined expected attendance in the neighborhood of 70,000 people.

In addition to Evanston, there are a few small hotels in the Lakeview/ Lincoln Park neighborhoods that are very nice. They're about 4 miles north of the loop and easily accessible to the L and many bus routes. Several include a continental breakfast with your room. Try www.cityinns.com, Best Western Hawthorne Terrace or the Days Inn on Diversey.

Just for a little clarification -- the reason we suggest you go north of the Loop is that the convention center is to the south, so people going there will fill up hotels more or less from south to north.

If the AMA is in town, book right away or risk staying in the suburbs. We were there at the same time last summer and we couldn't get a place downtown for anything near reasonable. The size of our family requires the Embassy Suites or two rooms so we were really out of luck.

If you can change your dates, I would do it. Hotels will not be dumping rooms on the discount sites when there's a major convention or two in town.

If you end up in the suburbs, I would go with Evanston. It's an easy Metro or El ride downtown and Evanston is a pleasant place to spend your evenings if you don't feel like going far from your hotel for dinner. We stayed out near the airport last summer (Rosemont) and taking the El was easy, but there were not many dining options for those evenings when we just wanted to grab a bite before bed.

This far out, is simply isn't quite that dire, it isn't. I just went to hotwire, and you still have choices in the $200 a day range, nowhere near $469. You will be charged today and it isn't cancellable.

I would do it now. And the logic for "out" sourced rooms seems hard to argue with, but it simply isn't true in the Chicago market. I have no reason why. But I have gotten rooms six months in advance on Priceline for $79 when the person in the next room is paying $512. No exaggeration. It can happen for a 3 day stay - paying this far ahead. They deal.