I have a reservation at the westin River North. Do you think that h otel is off the beaten path. It seems to be a little closer than the Swissotel. Do you think it is? I got a rate of 139.00 a night which I think is a lot, so I am working on that propblem right now. I am going to use those websites yall gave me. Thank you so much.

Liz

I assume you mean in Chicago? If so, $139 is probably a decent rate. It depends on what is happening in the city, but you will be hard pressed to find a rate under $120 at a decent hotel. I have stayed at the River North. It is a very nice hotel and gets pretty high ratings. I didn't find it off the beaten path at all. But, it depends on what you are planning to do in the city. The River North is near many restaurants and is walking distance to the Magnificent Mile shopping district. If your primary goal is the Mag mile, then it is not the most convenient hotel, however. There are many other hotels that are right on Michigan Ave that will probably provide a similar rate.

I was in Chicago two weekends ago and stayed at the Hilton Towers on South Michigan, which I got for $60 per night on Priceline. $60-75 per night seems to be the typical winning bid on PL for 4* hotels in Chicago recently. If you do choose to stay on Michigan Ave by all means make sure it's North Michigan. Other than the Art Institute and adjacency to the South Loop area (which seems to be really dead at night and on weekends with an excessive number of panhandlers roaming about)... South Michigan is too far from most activities. I walked through River North and thought it wouold be a good place to stay because there were lots of people on the street and many restaurants. I'm not a shopper, thus I look at it from a dining and activity perspective. Regardless, compared to NYC prices, cabs are cheap in Chicago and easy to get.

I forgot to mention... if you want to try Priceline bidding I have a document I created that explains the bidding procedures outlined in the FAQ of the biddingfortravel website. Many friends were interested but found the FAQ a bit daunting (it really isn't but does require careful reading). If you have Powerpoint and can accept an attachment of 908k (one meg) email me privately and I'll send you a copy - it's a simple step-by-step instructional with screen shots that shows how to bid and rebid for best possible price.

I got the Westin River North on Priceline for $65 5/25-5/27.