reasonable hotel close to public transportation

My college age son and his girlfriend are going to Chicago for a psychology convention. He would love to stay in the city but finances won%26#39;t allow him. So he is looking for a cheaper place in the suburbs with free parking and close to public transportation to get into the city. We thought of the Carlton Midway which is both reasonable, close to the Orange line and has good reviews. The question is, is the neighborhood safe, as they will probably be coming back to the hotel after dark? Any other suggestions of places to stay?

Thanks.

reasonable hotel close to public transportation

The area around the Carlton is OK. Is he flying into Midway? Did he try - www.midwayholtelcenter.com

Will he consider Hotwire or Priceline for downtown hotels?

reasonable hotel close to public transportation

thank you,Dave for the response. He is driving in from Cleveland so the Midway Airport hotels are farther away from Cleveland and downtown Chicago (but not by much) but the best deal there that I could find was $139 a night and $10 a day for parking. The Carlton would be cheaper and you said it was in an OK area. As long as it is safe, my son does not expect the Ritz (but his girlfriend might....lol) We have never done priceline. Maybe we will give that a shot.

With prices the way they have been, unless it%26#39;s a super busy weekend, I think you can get in under that for a downtown hotel even with $40-$50 in parking at the downtown hotel. Check out betterbidding.com for bidding strategies.

What are the exact dates of the stay?

He is checking in on Wednesday April 29 and checking out probably Saturday, May 2 or May 3. I will have to check out that site, betterbidding.com since I have never dealt with hotwire or priceline. Thanks for the response.

I forgot to mention that the convention he is attending is being held at the Palmer House.

You definitely have some options that (I think) are much better that the Midway hotels. In fact, on Hotwire the Palmer House is showing as $82/night for the dates of 4/29 - 5/02. Throw in parking and it still comes out less than the Carlton. Not sure if he wanted to stay at the conference hotel or not?

Would he prefer to be in walking distance of the conference hotel if staying downtown?

Other options on Hotwire include a 4* in the North Michigan Av zone for $88/night with the amenities restaurant, fitness, business, high speed internet. If you click further, you get a tripadvisor rating of 4.0/5 with 240+ reviews. This would be a match for the drake. If you don%26#39;t see the tripadvisor info when you click, no guarantees you are seeing the same property.

There is also a 4* in the Mag Mile Streeterville with amenities restaurant, fitness, business, high speed internet for $112/night which could be any number of properties.

With these prices, I%26#39;d imagine you would have good success using Priceline as well. With Priceline, you put a certain zone in, a certain star level, and a price you are willing to pay, and it will search inventory to see if your price is accepted. It is cheaper than Hotwire, but the downside is you have no ability to guess the property and must be willing to accept ANY hotel in the given zone and star level you input.

I suggest you read some on the betterbidding site to familiarize yourself with both hotwire and priceline, and then if you are comfortable go for it!

Using conventional search methods (I like to use kayak.com to search multiple websites at once), there are several options downtown in the low $100%26#39;s. If you see a property, come back to TA and read up on the hotel reviews before booking.

If you have any other questions, don%26#39;t hesitate to ask!

If he is staying and/or visiting the Palmer House, it%26#39;s a pretty easy walk to Millennium Parking Garage or Grant Park Underground, at less than $30 a day.

www.millenniumgarages.com/Source/Rates.aspx

Wow, the Palmer House for $82. I might just have to look into that. Thank you all so much for responding. Alot of good info.

No problem! Be sure and report back to let us know how you make out...

I just got off of Hotwire after booking 3 nights at the Palmer House for $82 a night. I am so excited that I want to go now! This is excellent. I have never done hotwire before but now I am hooked. What a bargain. Thanks again for the encouragement.

Should my son have any problems finding a parking spot at the Grant Park North Underground lots if he comes in the middle of the afternoon?