when is the cheapest time to travel to get the cheapest hotel rooms?
Hotel Rates
confused asked:
We want to travel by Amtrack to Chicago and spend a few days in Chicago before heading back home. We’d like to stay near the train station downtown. When checking hotel rates they were posted between $99 and $159 which sounded o.k until we put in the dates we wanted and they went up to $400-$500. I doesn’t matter when we go so I would rather go when hotel rates are the cheapest since we just need a place to sleep and shower.
Judy
We want to travel by Amtrack to Chicago and spend a few days in Chicago before heading back home. We’d like to stay near the train station downtown. When checking hotel rates they were posted between $99 and $159 which sounded o.k until we put in the dates we wanted and they went up to $400-$500. I doesn’t matter when we go so I would rather go when hotel rates are the cheapest since we just need a place to sleep and shower.
Judy
February 1st, 2009 at 2:34 am
depends on locations… beachy places cost more in summer
and cities cost more in the winter/fall/spring…
February 4th, 2009 at 1:43 am
Tuesday or Wednesday nights
February 7th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Chicago is high right now because there is a big show going on in the industry, my boss just came back the only rooms he could find where 400 dollars a night. Once it ends they will lower, the privet sector loves milking corperations.
February 10th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Well I live just outside of Chicago and I can tell you that almost every hotel in town will have inflated rates from now until the beginning of the new year. My advice is that if you do not want to pay $300-$500 per night, then avoid the upscale places such as Hiltons. I hope you enjoy your trip.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
If you’re trying to keep within a budget try this site
I’ve had good luck with them in the past
Hope it helps!
February 14th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
If you’re talking about Chicago, try during the winter months in the middle of the week. The further in advance you book the room, of course, the cheaper it will be. But generally speaking, other than holiday time, there’s not a lot of tourism in Chicago during the colder months so the hotels are looking to fill those rooms so they drop their rates a little. And most people slate vacations for the weekends, so look for something during the week if you can. But if you can book at least two or three weeks in advance. you can get a cheaper rate. Also, some hotels give a discount for booking on line, so you might want to look into that. Finally, check the websites like Hotels.com or Priceline.com, etc. YOu can find great discounts on hotel rooms there, rather than going directly to the hotel’s website.
One other option you might want to consider is a hostel (if all you want to do is sleep and shower). There is one in downtown Chicago that offers rooms for as little as $30 a night. It’s not a fleabag hotel ,but a lodging option popular with European travelers who want to save money. It’s pretty no frills, but it’s clean and close to transportation. The link is below.
February 17th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
In Chicago, the cheapest time will be the winter, but not on the holiday weekends. January in particular, is a dead time. But rates can also go up when there are big conventions in town, as the attendees will not just stay by the convention center. Generally January isn’t a big time for those either. The boat show is generally at McCormick place then, and that’s not one to draw scads of out of town businesspeople.
Of course the reason that people don’t travel to Chicago in January is because the weather is generally cold, and it’s often grey out. The parks aren’t as pretty without leaves on the trees, and snow is always possible. But everything else is still the same, and you don’t have as many tourists to compete with, so it’s not a bad time to come, if the weather is cooperative.
If you want cheaper hotel rates you’ll find that you might be able to do better away from the train station. The Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn out there can be relatively cheap, but when that happens, hotels in Lincoln Park are likely to be cheaper, and the neighborhood is nicer too. The area by the train station isn’t bad in an unsafe way, it’s just not that inviting. Try Days Inn and Inn of Lincoln Park. Both are nice and reasonable and right at Clark & Diversey, a vibrant and safe neighborhood: