Chicago hotel recommendation
July 15, 2011 5:50 PM Subscribe
My SO is going to a conference in Chicago next week; unfortunately the convention-rate block at the conference hotel is full for the first night, and she's not terribly mobile right now (on crutches). She's looking for recommendations for a hotel from which it's easy to get to the Hyatt Regency.
The other hotels in the immediate area are fairly expensive. So she's looking for a cheaper hotel that involves no more than a block or so of walking on each end of a bus, train, etc. ride.
(This very similar question from just a couple of weeks ago has some good information, but without familiarity with local transport it's hard to guess how hard it will be to get to/from the Hyatt.)
Alternatively, if anyone else is going to the SDB meeting and would be willing to share a room at the hotel…
The other hotels in the immediate area are fairly expensive. So she's looking for a cheaper hotel that involves no more than a block or so of walking on each end of a bus, train, etc. ride.
(This very similar question from just a couple of weeks ago has some good information, but without familiarity with local transport it's hard to guess how hard it will be to get to/from the Hyatt.)
Alternatively, if anyone else is going to the SDB meeting and would be willing to share a room at the hotel…
Air B&B shows a few options in the neighborhood that might fit her needs. This place is one example.
posted by wowbobwow at 6:31 PM on July 15, 2011
posted by wowbobwow at 6:31 PM on July 15, 2011
And here are the transit options shown on Google maps between the Hyatt and that apartment, just for kicks.
posted by wowbobwow at 6:35 PM on July 15, 2011
posted by wowbobwow at 6:35 PM on July 15, 2011
Taxis are plentiful in the Loop and should be your path of least resistance. If you just plan on taking a taxi to and from the convention hotel, you will gain peace-of-mind that the public transit options will be accessible (or even available). And if you have flexibility, Priceline at the higher start levels has great options in Chicago.
The only skeevy Priceline experiences I have had are at the 2* and 2.5* levels. I have stayed in Chicago hotels (and elsewhere in the country) on numerous occasions via Priceline bids and highly, highly recommend it to anyone who has even a tiny bit of flexibilty in the location they want to stay. I always thought that Priceline works best in big metropolitan markets, just like Chicago
posted by QuantumMeruit at 6:41 PM on July 15, 2011
The only skeevy Priceline experiences I have had are at the 2* and 2.5* levels. I have stayed in Chicago hotels (and elsewhere in the country) on numerous occasions via Priceline bids and highly, highly recommend it to anyone who has even a tiny bit of flexibilty in the location they want to stay. I always thought that Priceline works best in big metropolitan markets, just like Chicago
posted by QuantumMeruit at 6:41 PM on July 15, 2011
Don't give up on the conference hotel just yet. They often have a spare room or two, sometimes because something small is broken or in case of other snafu. Call the manager and or the group sales staff who is the liaison for the meeting and, nicely, explain the situation. A room may materialize.
posted by carmicha at 7:06 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by carmicha at 7:06 PM on July 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions! Yes, she's still hoping a room or room-mate will materialize, but wants to have a plan in case they don't.
posted by hattifattener at 7:47 PM on July 15, 2011
posted by hattifattener at 7:47 PM on July 15, 2011
I think it's weirdly awesome to see someone suggest the Hyde Park Ramada, given how much my fellow U of C people rag on it. As phunniemee said on the other thread, it's "fine" in general, but be aware that the rooms range all the way from decent to terrifying. The trick is to go to the room they assign you, scope it out, and ask for a different one if it smells bad, has a broken a/c, etc. It's never full, so while the (generally unpleasant) staff might not appreciate your pickiness, you'll get something cheap and acceptable eventually. And then you can get a coffee at the Istria Cafe in the art museum, scope out the fantastic bookstores, get a sandwich at Z&H, see the Museum of Science & Industry and the Robie House, and brag to all your friends about your South Side cred. Either the 6 bus or the Metra Electric will get you very close to the Hyatt with little walking.
posted by hal incandenza at 12:21 PM on July 16, 2011
posted by hal incandenza at 12:21 PM on July 16, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
The only question is whether or not your girlfriend wants to stay THAT far away from downtown.
Friends of mine have also had a lot of success with Priceline's name-your-price hotel lottery thing with Chicago Loop hotels, but since her time (and walking ability) aren't really flexible, I don't know how much good that will do.
posted by phunniemee at 6:02 PM on July 15, 2011