Why oh why?

Why oh why do hotels in Chicago have to be expensive? I didn't even look at swanky hotels. I looked at the Best Westerns and Holiday Inns which, by the way, are even more expensive than hotels with impressive names like "Chicago South Loop Hotel" and the residency (that has a full kitchen) where U of Chicago students' parents can stay if they so choose (both of which are still out of my price range). The only reasonable place I can find is a Motel 6 about 30 minutes away (without traffic) from where I actually want to be. Maybe I'll just deal with it and pay over $1000 to be in downtown Chicago for a week. And here I thought it would be no big deal to find a cheap hotel in south Chicago.