Billy Elliot the Forum

Here is a link to some hotels in the downtown Chicago area:

http://chicago.hotelguide.net/hl1dt.htm

also now that BETM is opening it would be nice if members would post their reviews of where they stay so that we can get a good resource going for people who will be visiting in the future.

Excellent idea Mike.

I'd be interested in knowing the parking options in the area - I'm close enough to drive in, and almost to drive home after the show (if I don't mind arriving home about sunup ).

There's some cheap places available if you're willing to drive 30-40 minutes out of the downtown area, although you get what you pay for.

There are 2 self-park garages within a 2 minute walk of the theatre. One is on N Dearborn north of Randolph and the other is on Randolph just east of State. If you come in for the evening show, expect to pay about $30 for 3 hrs. If you decide to catch a matinee and can get in before 8:00am and be out by 7:00 pm, you'd only pay about $15-20 for the whole day.

After spending 25 yrs traveling for work and spending the nite in every type hotel/motel possible i really dont have to stay in a 4 star hotel/motel. All that matters to me is that it is clean and quite. I dont care to travel a lil ways on the train or bus to save money cause i can use the savings to pay for more Billy tickets...

In NYC i have found a few cheap places to stay thru this web site: http://www.airbnb.com/ and presently looking at what they have for Chicago. I have also stayed near the Newark airport and rode the train into NYC ( $15 and about 30 mins) and still saved quite a bit over the midtown hotel rates. I havent found any yet near either Chicago airport that is as cheap as the ones in Newark. Also from what i can gather it takes about an hour to get from O'hara to downtown on the Blue line train. I actually worked in the Chicago suburbs a couple of times and the train service into downtown is great.

I hope we can get a list of hotels for Chicago like there was on the old forum for London.

Doubletree Magnificent Mile Locate on Ohio two blocks from the mile and 9 blocks from Oriental.
64$ plus tax and fees from hotwire a week before. Nice hotel WIFI only free in lobby

For proximity to the theater, you can't do much better than the Allegro Hotel (http://www.allegrochicago.com/). It's 2 blocks west of the theater on Randolph Street. The price varies depending on when you want to stay there. I checked a few dates and the price for a queen or king bed room with a Triple A membership is as low as $112 during this month. It seems to go up quite a bit if you're making reservations now for the summer.

A good idea might be to check the hotels about a week before you plan to be there. They sometimes have sales the closer it gets to the date, probably when they have quite a few un-sold rooms that they want to fill up.

here is where i am staying april 13th-15th:

http://www.centralloophotel.com/

$67 plus tax thru priceline name ur own price.

Staying at the Club Quarters on East Wacker Drive this week. Only a couple of blocks from the Oriental Theatre and appears to be a very good hotel from what I've seen so far (only checked in this afternoon after transfer from NYC). Secure access via card entry to lift and a superb lounge on the second floor with easy chairs, free hot drinks and free computer/printer access. Breakfast not included, which is a pain, but given how much I've eaten this evening I doubt I'll need any!

http://www.clubquarters.com/loc_chicagoWacker.aspx

I was well satisfied with the place I stayed for the opening week of previews in Chicago. It's The Hampton Inn Majestic, on W. Monroe, between Dearborn and State Streets. Three blocks south from the Oriental Theatre, and close to restaurants (fast food and otherwise), and also near convenience stores such as Walgreen and CVS. The hotel is built over the The Bank of America Theatre, and a pass key is needed to use the elevators to the guest rooms. Rooms are a decent size and nice, except the walls are painted red. I didn't mind, but some might. All rooms have free wi-fi. For a little more, a room can be had with sleeper sofa, microwave and a small fridge. There's a computer and printer in the lobby. Both are free for guest use. No restaurant, but a very good free buffet breakfast is served in the lobby area each morning. Rates vary widely, but for the first weekend in July this year, a three day stay is as low as $152 per night. Some weekends I checked in June were in the $200 - $250 range. A Blue Line subway entrance is just around the corner. And by the way, the staff is very friendly and accommodating.

http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hote ... cn=CHITDHX