Chicago - accomodation ideas

The Hampton Inn Chicago Loop is a great location in a beautiful, historic art deco building. Conveniently located, free breakfast, too. Close to Art museum, architecture foundation river cruises, magnificient mile, and more! http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/illinois/hampton-inn-chicago-downtown-n-loop-michigan-ave-CHILOHX/index.html

Thanks, Shawn.
Looks very nice indeed, but if I can be honest, it is over our budget.

What is your budget? September is coming in on convention season in Chicago. You might just be looking at a time of a major trade show which will more or less double lodging rates in Chicago. Try using Hotwire to find something in your budget with the right neighborhood and amenities. That will at least show the possibilities.

When I am doing one of my tight-budget trips, I sometimes have luck with lodging if I search Tripadvisor for my city, have the lodgings sorted from lowest price to highest price and then scan the low-price listings for any that rate high despite their low price. I usually have luck with this. Obviously, you need to take the reviews with a grain of salt but I can usually discern general patterns by groups of reviews, like bad neighborhood etc. I've done Charleston, Savannah, some cities in Florida and California using this method and it usually works out ok...not as nice as my higher budget trips but fine all the same.

I don't know if it's any better price wise than the Hampton but for the past two work trips I've stayed at Club Quarters. There's one on Wacker (I think) and one on Adams. Rooms are small but nice. They have a lounge with coffee, soft drinks, snacks etc. included in your rate.

Chicago is one of my favorite cities. I hope you have a great time!

I agree with Kaeleku - anywhere near Lincoln Park would be fine. I looked at Tripadvisor - choose "Lakeview" as the area. Also "Near North" which is between "Lakeview" and downtown.

When I was in Chicago last month, I stayed at the Urban Holiday Lofts: http://www.urbanholidaylofts.com/ It's a hostel, so it's not luxurious by any means, but they have plenty of options for private rooms (with or without private bathrooms). The location (in the Wicker Park area, just a block from the Damen stop on the Blue Line, and also convenient to the North Avenue bus that can take you straight to Lincoln Park) and price (a little more than $100 a night for a private room with shared bath) are both excellent.

"You might just be looking at a time of a major trade show which will more or less double lodging rates in Chicago. "

This is very important. Like Frankfurt or Milan, when there is a huge convention in Chicago, rooms can be very hard or impossible to get, and rates will skyrocket. Check your dates to see if they coincide with a major convention; if they do, accept that you will have to pay a lot and may not be able to be choosy (lots of places will already be sold out).

I recently stayed at the Hotel Allegro and really liked it. The rooms are on the small side, but have lovely décor. The location is great. It's only a couple of blocks away from stations for all of the subway lines and is about a 10 minute walk to Michigan Avenue.
http://www.allegrochicago.com/

Yes, Allegro is nice and they have a complimentary wine Happy Hour from 5 to 6. No late night dining in the area though.

Yes, Allegro is nice and they have a complimentary wine Happy Hour from 5 to 6. No late night dining in the area though.

Um, the West Loop and West Randolph Street are an easy walk or short cab or L ride away. And so is River North. Both areas are filled with great restaurants and nightlife.

I would definitely try one of the discount web vendors; I know people that have had good luck getting good deals at major Loop hotels. But the Loop and River North hotels will be very pricey no matter. If you need cheaper, head north in the city as the others have suggested. You could also stay at the Carlyle Hotel in Oak Park and take the Green Line L into the city (25 minutes).

Last summer we stayed at the Club Quarters Central Loop. Our room was rather small, but we were barely in it. It was otherwise comfortable, a nice bed, tv, AC, all of the standard accommodations at a 3 star hotel. It had a nice gym, it's in a great location, and the price was very reasonable for a long weekend in Chicago in July (I think we paid about $185/night).

Agree with the others: stay out of downtown and keep to the neighborhoods. City Suites is on Belmont, literally next to the Red Line that takes you downtown, while being close to many places to eat and be entertained. I live on the next street over. Can be a little noisy at night, but I'm pretty used to it.

Hawthorne Inn and Lincoln Park Days Inn are not as close to the Red Line, but are steps away from buses and a less-than-10-minute walk through the park for the express buses that take you downtown in minutes. The hotel employees can absolutely help you.

An AirBnb in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park/Bucktown, Logan Square, or Old Town with good reviews is also absolutely something to look it. PM me with any questions. I know this city backwards and forwards!

Thanks so very much to all of you for taking time and effort in answering and helping me to make a right choice.
Kindest regards.