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Hotel/Motel people I need some help.

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  • Hotel/Motel people I need some help.

    Hey there.
    Thinking of a get together in Chicago around late July, 2014. (for a diff group of people). BUT, how can we get the best bang for the buck? Group of 20, estimated.
    are there coupons/promotions? Better days of the month for it?

    Whats the best way to book for a group, ahead of time, get good prices, and not drive you guys nuts?
    In my heart, in my soul, I'm a woman for rock & roll.
    She's as fast as slugs on barbituates.

  • #2
    A few tips:

    Use a 3rd party booking site to shop around and get ideas for rates, but book direct with the hotel once you've made your selection. They'll match or even beat whatever you find there.

    Since you're a large group, ask to speak to a group sales manager when you call them. They may even have a group rate for you.

    I would book earlier rather than later, since you're looking at peak-season summer times. You'll find better rates during the week (Sun-Thu) than on weekends (Fri and Sat).
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

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    • #3
      I'll add that rates depend a lot on what type of hotel you go for...for instance, we're a hotel that survives mostly on corporate business, so our Fri/Sat rates are actually lower in most cases than the weekdays. Checking online for several date ranges should give you an idea of who has lower weekend rates, and who has lower weekday rates. However, I do know from experience that Chi-Town tends to get a lot of corporate business and conventions, so expect some higher weekday rates from a lot of the larger hotels.
      "That's too bad. Hospitals aren't fun to fight through."
      "What IS fun to fight through?"
      "Gardens. Electronics shops. Antique stores, but only if they're classy."

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      • #4
        Make yourself aware of the events in the area you are shopping for a hotel. For example, if there is a Cubs/White Sox game, it might limit hotel availability, and raise the rate.

        Also, you might want to look into hotels that are a few miles outside of the city limits (especially if all of you are driving/renting vehicles). Rates have a tendency to be a bit lower outside the city.

        For a group that large, you usually want to try to book at least 2 weeks in advance (a month or more before is preferable, 3 months or more is best). Many hotels booking for a group as large as you indicated prefer to have a contract in place. There are various types of contracts, but the type you should look for would basically guarantee the special rate, as long as each member of the group booked their room by a certain date. Once that date has passed, the rate would no longer be available to anyone who booked from that point on. Unless you are willing to book all the rooms on your own, and guarantee them with your credit card.

        SC
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