September 25, 2012 When the Ryder Cup gets underway this upcoming weekend in Medinah, Ill., out-of-town attendees will be showing up with a little less money in their wallets. That's because the event has prompted hotel owners in the Chicago suburbs around the cup's venue to send their rates sky high. Near the Medinah Country Club, which will host the 2012 golf competition between the USA and Europe, last-minute affordable hotel rooms will be few and far between according to a new survey by ChicagoHotels.org.
Getting a room at all will be the first obstacle standing in the way of Ryder Cup fans. For example, Bloomingdale, the nearest city to the Medinah Country Club, is presently showing no vacancies. According to the survey, all hotel rooms there are entirely sold out. In nearby Schaumburg, vacancies can still be found at approximately a dozen hotels, but guests will pay a substantial premium for the privilege of staying there. Seeing gold in the event being held in their region, hotel owners are taking advantage of the rare opportunity and jacking up their rates exorbitantly.
As a reality check, the Holiday Inn Express in Schaumburg regularly charges $83 for an overnight stay. During the Ryder Cup weekend, however, it will be charging $315 per night for the same double room. That equates to a 279% increase. And that's not even the biggest price gouger. That award goes to the Wingate by Wyndham in Schaumburg, which still has a studio suite on offer. To stay there, Ryder Cup fans will have to pay $449 per night. That's a 344% increase in comparison to the usual price for the same suite of a mere $101 nightly.
Downtown Chicago is another viable option for out-of-town visitors wanting to see the golfing event live. There, they can connect to and from Medinah via a direct train and be at the Ryder Cup venue in less than one hour. If they're willing to make that minor sacrifice, they'll be able to find several hotels that are charging only moderately higher rates than normal according to the survey. They should be aware, however, that budget hotels are completely sold out. Indeed, the cheapest double rooms still available currently start at $225 per night.
Those individuals hoping to score an eleventh-hour bargain will find the most affordable hotel rates around the O'Hare Airport. Located about 10 miles from the Ryder Cup venue, the cities of Elmhurst, Franklin Park and Des Plaines are still offering budget-friendly rooms for less than $100 per night.
The following table shows the 10 hotels around Medinah, Ill. with the highest percentage rate increases for the Ryder Cup weekend of September 28 to 30.
| Name of Hotel |
Stars |
Room Type |
Regular Rate |
Ryder Cup Rate |
| Wingate by Wyndham Schaumburg |
3.0 |
Studio Suite |
$101 |
$449 |
| Holiday Inn Express Chicago - Schaumburg |
3.0 |
Standard Room |
$83 |
$315 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Wood Dale-Elk |
3.0 |
Standard King |
$73 |
$275 |
| Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Roselle |
3.0 |
Two Queen Beds |
$85 |
$319 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago - Schaumburg |
3.0 |
Standard King |
$67 |
$249 |
| Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites - Carol Stream / |
3.0 |
Standard Double |
$91 |
$270 |
| Hyatt Place Itasca |
3.0 |
Standard Room |
$76 |
$199 |
| Courtyard by Marriott Chicago Schaumburg |
3.0 |
Standard King |
$72 |
$180 |
| Quality Inn Schaumburg |
2.5 |
Standard King |
$74 |
$189 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Schaumburg |
3.0 |
Standard Room |
$80 |
$199 |
|
About the survey:
The survey was conducted on September 24, 2012. Available hotels around Medinah, Ill. and their rates for the Ryder Cup weekend (September 28-30) were established based on a search of the leading hotel-booking sites: Expedia, Priceline and Orbitz. For comparison, the rates for the same rooms during the timeframe of October 12-14 were established and determined as "Regular Rates."
”
|
