Looking for reasonably priced Chicago hotel.

July 17, 2009 3:25 PM

Looking for a reasonably priced Chicago hotel within walking distance to the L. (At most $125 per night)

I'm coming to Chicago for Lollapalooza and do not want to spend a lot of money on a hotel at all. Willing to stay far away for a better price on a hotel. But ideally, would like to be as close as possible in that price range at a clean hotel.

So far, on my initial research, I've found a decent hotel in Evanston for $113 per night. Any other suggestions?

I will have a car.

posted by hazyspring to Travel & Transportation around Chicago, IL (17 answers total)

Try Hotwire. Looking at August 7-9, you can get a 3 star hotel in Evanston for $63 (plus tax) per night. There are lots of areas within walking distance to the El with cheap hotels on hotwire, and I often get amazing discounts on great hotels on that site.
posted by arnicae at 3:32 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

The hotels out by O'Hare are pretty close to the El and very cheap. They are about 25-30 minute ride to downtown, IIRC.
posted by smackfu at 3:33 PM on July 17, 2009

Response by poster: If you have specific hotel suggestions, that would also be really great. Thanks.
posted by hazyspring at 3:37 PM on July 17, 2009

I believe the best bang for the buck in the Loop is the Hilton, if it's still available. Practically across the street, and only $125 a night, last I looked (a month ago).

I'm not from Chicago, but I've been there quite a few times. The rail system is pretty damn efficient, and you can pick up a cheap 3-star somewhere out by O'Hare. However, good luck with that during Lollapalooza. Last year I hear the rails were backed up 4-5 deep after each nights show.

For cheapest price, I always recommend kayak.com to my friends. For reviews, I always recommend tripadvisor.com.

Good luck. It's going to be a great show this year!
posted by TheOtherSide at 3:48 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

Try the Priceline "name your own price" thing - we've gotten fabulous deals like $60/night for 4 star hotels in the Loop (specifically, the Hyatt Regency on Wacker and the Palmer House, both of which are very nice). If you're willing to take a gamble, it's best to do this 48-72 hours before your check-in date to get the best price (it won't work within 24 hours).
posted by desjardins at 3:49 PM on July 17, 2009

Oh, but if you have a car, you need to factor in the cost of parking, which will run $25-30/night in the Loop and that's if you only leave it in one place all night (not re-park at a restaurant, etc).
posted by desjardins at 3:51 PM on July 17, 2009

Seconding hotels by O'Hare. It'll be a bit of a walk from any of them to the Rosemont station, but the Blue Line will get you right to Grant Park. I'd reserve by phone, then try to Priceline a hotel room 72 hours out (either in Rosemont or in the Loop), and if you can get something in your price, you can cancel the original reservation.
posted by sachinag at 4:08 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

Don't stay in Evanston; the ones by O'Hare are close to the end of the blue line--so, it's like a half hour ride. There's also metra, which is pretty handy and is a lot faster.
posted by tiaka at 4:24 PM on July 17, 2009

n-thing priceline recommendation. Some friends of mine repeatedly used it, very successfully, on their trips to Chicago. I think they ended up at the Palmer House a lot, and never paid more than $100/night (and sometimes much less).

alternatively, I'd consider staying out in Oak Park. The Write Inn is nice enough (though the rooms are fairly small), shouldn't run you more than $100/night or so, and is a couple blocks from the Oak Park green line stop. straight shot to downtown, maybe 25 minutes to grant park? the Carlton hotel is also fairly close, though you'd probably walk to the Harlem stop (which always felt slightly sketchier to me). plus, when you're not at the festival, you can take in the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio, if you're into that sort of thing. or just grab a beer at Poor Phil's.
posted by chalkbored at 4:56 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

Another thought -- find a hotel near one of the owl buses. Clark bus is about a 10 minute walk from Lollapalooza but you have a chance of getting a seat. It runs all night so you won't miss the last one. There's a number of hotels in river north near clark. There's also two L lines in the same general area.

If you take the blue line, I've found the Cumberland blue line near O'Hare e easier to walk to than the Rosemont station mainly b\c there's a pedestrian bridge (Renaissance o'hare, Holiday Inn on Cumberland).
posted by ejaned8 at 5:52 PM on July 17, 2009

I stayed at the Essex on Michigan Ave. I got $89 a night, right near the Loop. Walking distance to numerous El stops. It's not a luxurious place, but it's clean and gets the job done.
posted by sjuhawk31 at 6:05 PM on July 17, 2009 [1 favorite]

If you can't find anything in the city, the suburbs near a Metra station is a decent alternative. Parking at the station is a couple of bucks a day and the trains will drop you at Union Station or Ogilvie, about a 25 minute walk from Grant Park.
posted by indyz at 10:47 PM on July 17, 2009

There is also a hostel.

It is right downtown, and very cheap. I have taught a class in one of their conference rooms, and the facilities are fine. They have free coffee, anyway :)
posted by jrockway at 11:12 PM on July 17, 2009

Seconding the HI hostel. I was there this past weekend and paid $30 for a room with only one other girl. The place is impressively clean and there was a free (!) all you can eat breakfast every morning from 7:30 - 10:00. 24 hour access, no sketchy people, it was perfect. Three blocks from the downtown L loop. Couldn't have asked for better.
posted by amicamentis at 1:57 AM on July 18, 2009

Last time I was in Chicago I stayed at the Days Inn, Lakeview. It's not downtown but there are a couple busses that run directly downtown, quite frequently, and it's in reasonable walking distance to an L stop. The neighbourhood is nice, lots of dining options, and the hotel itself has a breakfast bar with a waffle station. Looks like prices are around $90/night. However, I would first try Priceline and see if for $90/night I could get a 4 or 5 star hotel in the downtown area.
posted by Gortuk at 10:25 AM on July 18, 2009

I just, just got back from Chicago and I, too, wanted a bargain, so I picked a place that was pretty cheap and split it with friends.

Quite a few people are suggesting out by O'Hare, on the blue line. That's actually what we did: we stayed at the Renaissance Suites O'Hare, which is literally a three minute walk to the blue line (as it's just on the edge of the property). Ejaned8 mentioned it. The Renaissance (which is a Marriott hotel, but very reasonably priced) also has a free shuttle to and from O'Hare, if you're flying in.

What I did want to mention, having made the trip to downtown virtually every day of the last week, is how long the trip can be to the Loop. It took closer to 45 minutes to get to the Loop (a bit faster in the rush hour periods) and sometimes longer than that (there were service interruptions while I was there). Taxis, should you be so inclined (though the Blue line does run 24 hours a day), charge meter-and-a half from downtown to that area (so, it was usually around $35 one-way).

So once you're downtown, it's really downtown for the whole day. Since you're there for Lollapalooza, that may work great for you. I can definitely recommend the Renaissance as being reasonably priced.
posted by librarylis at 3:21 PM on July 19, 2009

Longtime Lolla attendee and Chicago resident here.

I agree with the above:

1) Priceline or Hotwire anywhere downtown (Loop, Mag Mile, Gold Coast or Streeterville) is your best bet for convenience, since all are walkable from Grant Park and you won't have to worry about trying to get public transportation with the masses. You'll probably have to pay for parking - day rates can be rough, so you'll want to figure that in. I also don't think there are any sketchy or not-clean hotels left in these areas, so don't fear the fact that you won't see what it is until you buy it. I'd be wary of anything South Loop or River North in a very low price range.

2) Evanston is not the best choice. If you choose to stay in a 'burb, make it one with better L access (as suggested above - near O'Hare or Oak Park - O'Hare would be better). Another option would be to drive in somewhere on the Near West Side by an L stop and park on the street. It's a little bit of a challenge, as many areas have either gone to meters or permit parking, but not impossible. You could park for free then take the blue line or the green line into downtown.

3) Traffic sucks, even on weekends, so as librarylis says, leave plenty of time if you're coming in from the 'burbs. Oh, and the blue line has been under construction - not sure whether they'll be done by Lolla - so leave plenty of time if you stay out by O'Hare and plan to take the L.

One other thought: depending on what you like to do at music festivals, you may want to pay up just for convenience. I go in with a specific list of whom I want to see, and depending on their locations, that means a lot of schlepping across the park over the course of the day. This is very very tiring as the distance between the two stages is a hike. By the end of the day, I'm going on fumes. I don't live far from the park, but getting home feels like it takes for-EVER. Typically I hit all my targets on Friday and Saturday, and by Sunday I'm parked on a blanket on one end of the park trying to satisfice rather than maximize. If you're just going for the atmosphere and aren't dying to see certain acts (or if you're there for one headliner and plan to camp out), you'll be less exhausted.
posted by slo at 9:59 AM on July 20, 2009 [1 favorite]