preference

my preference is near the airport..downtown is a nightmare traffic and parking wise..the valet factor means nothing..they have been around long enough to know what's up..when half your clients stay for a little over an hour..it is not hard to figure out..

Posted By: theonlylayne

Are you comfortable going to see a traveling provider near the airport(s), or do you prefer downtown?  
   
 Also, are hotels that only offer valet unappealing due to the discretion factor?  
   
 

I think those that live or work in the burbs, as well as some city dwellers, prefer the burbs because traffic outside downtown is often time better.  Not always, but often.  Whereas, those in the downtown area can easily hop in cab to get to the hotel.

In my opinion, the real differences between the two locations you mentioned are congestion and the cost of parking.  Simply stated, driving in downtown Chicago is a much bigger headache than in the suburbs.  Also, it costs anywhere from $20.00 to $40.00 to park in down town Chicago for a couple hours.

Therefore, if you are wanting to appeal to the most number I suggest a suburban location.

For myself, I an equidistant from O'hare, Oak Brook, And ST.
I like all those areas, especially ST.
It also depends where I'm working, since my work is all over the region  
DT is great bc there is so much to do before and after.

Another note, a very small percentage of hobbyist chime in here, so would balance my travels.

Thank you everyone, I appreciate it. :-

According to stats that I've seen, 28% of Chicago households don't own cars.  (Many white collar professionals who work in the Loop fall into this category.)  Trying to quantify what percentage of those people see providers is hard to quantify but it is something that many providers in Chicago take into account.  (i.e. Incalls are near public trans or within an easy cab ride of the Loop.)

I've never rented a car just to see a provider in the burbs, and I've never taken a cab ride more than a couple of miles to see a provider.  (And the fact I don't have car expenses helps me see providers.)

How these demographics impact your potential clients if you were to visit Chicago.... I don't know.  WHat I do know is that some providers divide their time. Have part of the time be in or near downtown and have part of the time be near O'Hare.

I don't usually drive out to the airport to visit with people anymore. It's just too much of a PITA, especially since I have to set up time on the weekends to make it happen and then try to time it, taking into account that there may or may not be gridlock traffic all the way to ORD.

I much prefer to stay in the city.

But at the airport you'll get travelers and suburban customers.

...as you can see in the answers given so best to split a little time in downtown AND a part of the suburbs (or 2). O'Hare/Schaumburg, Downtown, Oak Brook/Lombard/Downer's Grove etc.

I Travel to see a Former Provider that's still an ATF of mine. This Lady lived in my state for over 15 years. She was the only one I was seeing. Then she decided to move out of state because things got slow here. I've travelled a number of times to see her. The drive is about 900 miles each way. She's out of the Business now and doesn't even work in her state. She's worth the drive. She's still Great after all these years. Yeah she's older now, but has the same Awesome Performance and Attitude since the first day I met her. In fact I'm going to drive and see her in a few weeks. Man, I can't wait to see her.

Since the city is to far of a drive and going to OHare traffic isn't always the best. I prefer Oakbrook/Lombard, as I'm about 75 miles Southwest if the City and getting to the burbs is not that bad drive wise.

ohare

My personal preference is O'Hare because no need to deal with crazy downtown traffic and ridiculous parkings and it takes a hell to get into DT and overall experience is pain in ass.

Any where other than DT is pleasure to deal with in Chicago. But at the same time people who work in DT, its easy for them to see a provider in DT.

So if the provider has time I would suggest to split their time between the two.