Great location, friendly and helpful staff, and totally cute room with cushy window seats you can plop yourself down in and watch over the city below.

Amazing location just a few blocks from Michigan Ave and not far from Macy's. The decor is gorgeous, it's right by the river, the staff are friend. They have wine tastings in the evenings. We've stayed here a few times on trips to Chicago and it's always our go-to place.

We stayed at Hotel Monaco as a get away in our own city. What initially got us was the free wine in the evenings and coffee/tea in the mornings. It's a lovely hotel, very comfortable with ummm different bathrobes then most. The extra clothes in the closet that you could purchase seemed a bit weird but maybe some people love animal print. It was a little disappointing that while yes there was a place to sit near the window it was not a done up like a window seat (no pillows, cushions, blankets..nothing). I ended up using a spare blanket to sit on while I watched the person across the street make what looked like a paper mache eagle. But the spare blanket wasn't thick enough to make it comfortable or warm (a seat near a window in a hotel by a river in february needs a cushion). Also we had to wait for our goldfish. I was hoping he'd be there, since we requested him a head of time, right when we checked in. We had already named him and everything before he got to the room a long time later.

This hotel has that nice upscale boutique hotel feel to it. The staff greets you by name when you enter or exit, they have a wine hour in the living room like lobby (with wine served along with snacks, and even access to a wii game) and excellent morning coffee in the lobby. Since my traveling companions and I were only there for one night, we didn't seek out a goldfish, but it is a cute Kimpton touch. Our room had a lovely view overlooking the river, with two nice cushioned window seats to enjoy the view. Several bars and restaurants were within walking distance along with a 24 hour convenience store across the street. The reviewer who mentioned "beware of train noise" is correct, but it doesn't bother me--it's just a sound of the city that I kind of like, so not an issue here. The bed was very comfortable. I asked for a wakeup call in the morning and behold! A real live human called. It's been years since that's happened to me. Free wi-fi if you join the "In Touch" Klimpton loyalty program.

A couple of things that I didn't like so much: There weren't enough outlets to charge phones, computers etc. There was no IPod dock which I do expect in these more contemporily styled hotels. The coffee in the lobby was wonderful, but there are people like me who just don't feel ready for primetime unless I have had my morning dose. Even a small one cup coffee maker would do the trick. I know most hotels feel they must have bathtubs for their guests, and I guess for those guests who have kids, or consider a leisurely soak in a bathroom some sort of luxury, they would get complaints if a room had no tub. But I really like a walk in shower with a real door instead of the bath/shower/shower curtain set up. The decor was fine, but not really stylish to me.

I'd definitely consider returning to this hotel or the Klimpton's Hotel Allegro again when staying in Chicago.