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Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel: Traveler Reviews

4.0 of 5
225 N Wabash, Chicago, IL 60601
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Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel
Ranked #9 of 164 hotels in Chicago
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1,110 reviews from our community

Traveler rating
    782
    252
    47
    24
    5
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Families
181
 
Couples
410
 
Solo
66
 
Business
229
 
Rating summary
  • Location
    5 of 5 stars
  • Sleep Quality
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Rooms
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Service
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Value
    4.5 of 5 stars
  • Cleanliness
    5 of 5 stars
Date Rating
Ann Arbor, MI
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
13 hotel reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
“Perfect Stay”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 17, 2013

Recently stayed here for a friends bachelorette party. The rooms were adorable. Loved the mini-fridge that we were able to put other beverages in. Also really liked the Aveda toiletries! We needed champagne flutes for a toast in our room and they were quickly brought up by room service. All around a great stay.

  • Stayed January 2013, traveled with friends
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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See 4 more reviews by Bellwmu for Chicago
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MarcoScherer, General Manager at Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review
January 25, 2013
Dear Bellwmu,
Great to hear that the bachelorette weekend was fabulous and that our team provided you excellent service. Thank you for the great five star review! We look forward to having you and your friends back another time.
Marco Scherer
General Manager
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Illinois
1 review
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Something Special”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 14, 2013

Spent a night here with the gf celebrating 5 years of dating. Never have been to this hotel before but WOW: I'm very happy we stayed here.
We stayed pretty high up in a corner Med. Suite and views were stunning. If you don't have a window seat room, I recommend getting one. We had 4 different window ledges to choose from. Since it was a corner room we got to look at the Trump tower or further down the river.
The room itself was very clean and well decorated (same with the hallways).
The staff was very helpful and very considerate.

The great thing about this location too is that everything is in walking distance. We walked through Michigan Avenue, Macy's, Millennium Park (where we ice skated), and the art institute is right there too. It was nice to not worry about taxis-if we wanted to go to a museum or something though, public transportation stops are only one or two blocks away.

I can't comment on their food since we went out to eat and their newly renovated restaurant wasn't ready when we stayed two days ago. However, become a Kimpton member!!! Why wouldn't you? Free internet and $10 worth of minifridge raiding is yours.

The only drawbacks really were parking costs. It's $48/night. Realistically there's no such thing as parking down there that isn't expensive but I figured something like $40 would have been a good rate for guests.

Also, for as good as our suite was, the jacuzzi tub was dirty. When it was filling up, a film of dirt was on the top of the water. Yuck. Otherwise the bathroom was spotless.
It's just very disappointing because the jacuzzi tub is a big reason I paid more money to get the suite.

Overall, if I needed to stay in Chicago again, I think Hotel Monaco would be my place.

Room Tip: Get a river view room with a window seat.
See more room tips
Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple
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MarcoScherer, General Manager at Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review
January 16, 2013
Great to hear you were exceedinly happy with your River View Mediterranean Suite. The views and window seats really make that large suite a great value. It's great to hear you and your girlfriend got to enjoy a suite awhile celebrating your relationship.
You are right- parking is always at a premium in a city. Lucky for us, the parking at the garage we work with is the least expensive hotel parking in the Chicago loop area, which can run as high as $60 a night whereas it's $48 for us.
Thanks for letting us know about the tub, thats really disapointing. I'm on top of that- next time you return I can assure you all we'll have beautiful, clean jacuzzi's. Our new South Water Kitchen restaurant refresh is complete, featuring some new additions to the menu as well.
Cheers,
Marco Scherer
General Manager
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Texas
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
3 hotel reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Fabulous!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 13, 2013

Absolutely the most professional, consistently fantastic service ever! From the moment we drove up until we left, there was amazing attention to service that I personally have not seen before. The room we had on the 5th floor (509 I believe) had a partial view of the river, a large window seat, and was very quiet! The hotel is dog-friendly but we never heard one bark (although we saw many in and out of the lobby). It was clean and just right. The bed was the most comfortable I have ever slept on! The safe was the perfect size to stow my laptop in.

The negatives (hate to even say anything was wrong) was that there was really no storage for unpacking my suitcase since there were no dressers/nightstand drawers. Since I stayed four nights it would have been very nice to have that. Also would love an indoor pool and gym...but no biggie.

Did I mention the location cannot be beat? I will definitely stay here again!

  • Stayed December 2012, traveled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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MarcoScherer, General Manager at Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review
January 16, 2013
What a fantastic five star review! We're very much thrilled that our team helped provide such a genuinely great stay for you, and a great bed to sleep on as well. Next time, ask about our recently renovated fitness center on the 2nd floor- in 2012 we actually doubled it in size and got all new fitness equipment for you to use.
Thanks again for a great review, we look forward to having you back.
Cheers,
Marco Scherer
General Manager
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St. Louis, MO
Top Contributor
141 reviews 141 reviews
135 hotel reviews
Reviews in 98 cities Reviews in 98 cities
87 helpful votes 87 helpful votes
“5 Star? Not quite.”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed January 13, 2013

I was comfortable here. Nice bed and nice front desk service. But the decor is bizarre. It is like 1970's shag meets Africa meets Asian fusion. Very over the top visually and colorful. Small hotel which made it nice. We had absolutely no view and paid way too much for our small (not spacious) room. As most 4 and 5 stars - no free nothing. Breakfast, WIFI and parking extra. I don't mind paying 5 star prices for 5 star hotels - this is not a 5 star hotel in my book. Would not stay here again.

  • Stayed December 2012, traveled on business
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 1
See 5 more reviews by td397 for Chicago
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MarcoScherer, General Manager at Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review
January 16, 2013
Like most hotels in any city, garage parking is limited and comes at a bit of a premium, although ours is actually the least expensive downtown/loop Chicago hotel parking. Wifi is complimentary at any Kimpton Hotel through our Kimpton InTouch program, which also earns points quickly towards free nights stays and allows two mini bar items of your choice free. I'm glad you found our staff friendly and our beds comfortable, perhaps another Kimpton would better suite your decor preference. For others in the TripAdvisor community, we have great views available by booking our River View rooms.
Cheers,
Marco Scherer
General Manager
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Chicago, Illinois
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
4 hotel reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“Windowseat with a view...”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 11, 2013

Last weekend, my husband and I left our suburban Chicago home for a one-night "staycation" in downtown Chicago for our anniversary. We selected the Hotel Monaco, and we couldn't have been more pleased! The rooms are very spacious, clean, modern and attractively decorated. The central location is ideal for touring the city: close to State St., the Mag Mile, the Art Institute, the theatre district, the Bean and loads of restaurants. We had stayed at Hotel Monaco once before with our kids, and everyone loved it then, as well. The unique feature which really sets Hotel Monaco apart from other Chicago hotels is that every room has at least one windowseat with amazing views of the city. And not just any windowseat -- these are big enough for two! This time, we reserved the Mediterranean Suite which was a huge corner unit with a sitting room, a large bedroom and a nice bathroom with a jacuzzi. The bedroom had three windowseats overlooking the Chicago River with amazing views of the Wrigley Building and Marina Towers. The service was helpful and friendly. We believe the price:value ratio is unequalled in downtown Chicago. We're going to book it again for our anniversary next year!

Room Tip: Corner suites have the best views. Request a higher floor for even better views.
See more room tips
  • Stayed January 2013, traveled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
Was this review helpful? Yes 2
See 5 more reviews by TravelHound_12 for Chicago
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
MarcoScherer, General Manager at Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel, responded to this review
January 14, 2013
I'm so happy to hear you loved your Mediterranean Suite and those awesome and plus window seats. What a fabulous five star review!
One word of note- those window seats are in upgraded room types, and yes, they are certainly worth the value. It's a great way to unwind and watch the city and skyline. We're happy you have a great staycation and we look forward to having you back again.
Cheers,
Marco Scherer
General Manager
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Additional Information about Hotel Monaco Chicago - a Kimpton Hotel

Also Known As:
Hotel Monaco Chicago Kimpton
Hotel Monaco Chicago
Address: 225 N Wabash, Chicago, IL 60601
Phone Number:
Region: United States > Illinois > Chicago
Amenities:
Bar/Lounge Business Center Fitness Center Pets Allowed Restaurant Room Service Suites Wheelchair access
Hotel Style:
#4 Family Hotels in Chicago
#4 Onsen Hotels in Chicago
#6 Romantic Hotels in Chicago
#6 Business Hotels in Chicago
#9 Luxury Hotels in Chicago
Price Range: $$$
Hotel Class:4 star (4*)
Official Description (provided by the hotel):
Enjoy pure sensory indulgence at the Hotel Monaco Chicago. Nestled in the heart of downtown Chicago, this luxury hotel was named one of The Travel Channel's top 40 hotels in the country. Located on the Magnificent Mile, the hotel overlooks the Chicago River and is within steps of the city's favorite destinations. This dynamic location is matched by exceptional service, exquisite amenities, stylish décor and the adjacent South Water Kitchen, creating a luxuriously rewarding experience. ... more   less 
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