Chicago tops Labor Day travel list

Still looking for a weekend getaway for Labor Day? According to hotel booking statistics on Hotwire, more people are heading to Chicago than any other U.S. city, even NYC. If you want to join the party in the Windy City, are there any good deals left?

Deal or No Deal? Hotwire.com still had a few hotel rooms for Labor Day weekend that weren’t located out in the boonies near the airport. Today, you can book a 3.5-star hotel room downtown for $200.69/night, including taxes (or a 3-star hotel room for $160.30/night). Although Hotwire doesn’t reveal the name of the hotel after booking, the 3.5-star choice should be similar to a Hilton property.

United Airlines was also advertising a Chicago hotel sale, with properties in the Loop and on the Magnificent Mile from $150.50/night. When I tried booking a vacation package including LAX–ORD flights and a hotel, the total price for a four-star property in the Loop, the historic Palmer House Hilton, was $675.73 per person (approximately $258 for each round-trip flight and $167.09/night for a double room). Too bad the hotel is undergoing renovations right now! A vacation package at the W Chicago City Center cost $193.09/person, approximately $45/night more than booking through the hotel’s own website. Oops!

Are you going away for the Labor Day weekend, or staying close to home? Let us know about any discount getaways you’ve got planned by posting in the Comments section below.

More…details: With Orbitz’ 72-hour sale, I found more attractive-looking, but generally more expensive, air and hotel packages priced at $899-$1299 per person, including airfare from LAX and a five-night stay in downtown Chicago. The hotels included some top-rated choices, like the Conrad Chicago, Talbott Hotel, the Whitehall Hotel, the Hard Rock Hotel and the W Chicago Lakeshore.

Caveat: When booking a hotel or vacation package to Chicago, don’t get stuck out in the ‘burbs or near the airport. Pay the extra premium to stay downtown, either on the Magnificent Mile or in the loop, or on the near north side near the lakeshore.

Why Go: The Chicago Jazz Festival takes place in Grant Park on Lake Michigan from August 31st through September 2nd, 2007. Showstoppers go on stage from 11 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. daily. Admission is free.

Why Not: You can find a cheaper Labor Day weekend getaway closer to home in California.

Critique: Neither Orbitz nor United Vacations gave website users a search option for quickly eliminating all hotel choices in the suburbs. Unless you know Chicago well, you could easily end up booking a hotel in an inconvenient location.

Connect: Almost all of the downtown Chicago hotels that are available for booking above have Internet access for guests, whether wired or Wi-Fi, although various surcharges may apply.

Contact: Hotwire, (866) 468-9473
United Vacations, (888) 854-3899
Orbitz, (888) 656-4546

Related Los Angeles Times links:
ALERT: Orbitz 72-hour flight hotel package sale
Chicago: Something for everyone at The James
Chicago: Early check-in, pack light at Sheraton

– Sara Benson, L.A. Times Travel Deal Detective

[Photo credit: Richard Derk / LAT]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16, 2007 at 7:37 am by Sara Benson and is filed under Weekend Getaways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.