I have friends visiting May 11 - 15 and asked for a few reasonably-priced 3 or 4 star hotels in the Downtown area.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Everyone's idea of 'reasonable' can differ. It would help if you put some price parameters around it - then you also may get more relevant responses. Good luck and I hope they enjoy their trip to our great city!

The West Loop Crown Plaza is brand new. It still might have some decent deals. Unless you're looking for a particular brand, you might try Priceline.

Hotwire has a 4-star, Mag Mile/Wacker on those dates for $121 a night.

Not sure what it is (maybe the Renaissance), but if I were you, I'd jump on it now; doubt you'll do better. For comparison, the youth hostel is $31 per person.