Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
74
74
will help ensure that you get the best rate
available. I' ve pr ovided toll-fr ee phone
numbers for all the hotels r eviewed in
this chapter , but y ou might find better
rates b y calling the hotel 's r eservations
office directly. Most hotels have check-in
times somewhere between 3 and 6pm; if
you ar e going to be delay ed, call ahead
and r econfirm y our r eservation to pr e-
vent cancellation.
RESERVATION SER VICES
F or dis-
counted r ooms at mor e than 30 do wn-
town hotels, tr y
Hot R ooms
(
&
800/
468-3500
or 773/468-7666; www .hot
rooms.com). I've used this service and was
very pleased to get a night in a top-rated
downtown hotel for about half the r egular
price—and that was during the height of
$150 to $350 for apar tments, and as lo w
as $100 for guest rooms in private homes.
A gr oup of local B&B o wners has
formed the
Chicago Bed and B reakfast
Association,
with a w ebsite that links to
various pr operties thr oughout the city:
www.chicago-bed-breakfast.com
.
Note:
Most B&Bs r equire a minimum
stay of 2 or 3 nights; also, many hav e
restrictions on children. Some accept chil-
dren only o ver age 10, for example, and
others will not accept kids of any age. I t's
always wise to ask if childr en are welcome
when making reservations.
LANDING THE BEST ROOM
S ome-
body has to get the best room in the house;
it might as w ell be y ou. You can star t b y
joining the hotel 's frequent-guest program,
which may make you eligible for upgrades.
A hotel-branded credit card usually gives its
owner “silver” or “gold” status in fr equent-
guest pr ograms for fr ee. Always ask about
corner r ooms. They're often larger and
the busy summer season. The service is free,
but if y ou cancel a r eservation (and y ou
must adhere to each individual hotel 's can-
cellation policy), y ou're assessed a fee.
Another source of information on r eserva-
tions is the annual
Illinois H otel-Motel
Directory,
which also pr ovides information
about weekend packages. Call the
Illinois
Bureau of Tourism
at
&
800/2CON-
NECT
(226-6632) for a copy.
Chicago's Conv ention and Tourism
Bureau's w ebsite,
www.choosechicago.
com
, allows you to book hotels as w ell as
complete weekend packages.
BED & BREAKF AST RESER VATIONS
A centralized reservations service called
At
Home I nn Chicago,
P .O. Bo x 14088,
Chicago, IL 60614 (
&
800/375-7084
or
312/640-1050; www .athomeinnchicago.
com), lists more than 70 accommodations
in Chicago . I f y ou're of an adv enturous
bent, y ou'll find options ranging fr om
high-rise and loft apar tments to guest
rooms car ved fr om a former priv ate club
on the 40th floor of a Loop office build-
ing. Most lie within 3 miles of do wntown
(many are located in the G old Coast, Old
Town, and Lincoln Park) and will run you
quieter, with more windows and light, and
they often cost the same as standard rooms.
When you make your reservation, ask if the
hotel is r enovating; if it is, r equest a r oom
away fr om the constr uction. Ask about
nonsmoking r ooms, r ooms with vie ws,
rooms with twin, queen-, or king-size beds.
If you're a light sleeper, request a quiet room
away fr om v ending machines, elev ators,
restaurants, bars, and discos. Ask for a room
that has been most r ecently r enovated or
redecorated.
If y ou ar en't happy with y our r oom
when y ou arriv e, ask for another one.
Most lodgings will be willing to accom-
modate you.
A NOTE ABOUT PRICES
In this chap-
ter I've divided hotels into four price cat-
egories:
4
Very E
xpensive
means
double-occupancy r ooms typically cost
upwards of $400 per night;
Expensive
rooms, $200 and up to ar ound $350 or
$400;
Moderate,
less than $200 a night;
and
Inexpensive,
less than $150.
