The hotel has a Michigan Avenue address, but its main axis runs east-west along 11th St. This means only two rooms per floor, at the eastern end, face Grant Park and the lake, the rest face either north or south, looking out at tall buildings. All rooms are of the same size, or very close to it, and they are of modest size, especially by American standards. Ours had a standard (and comfortable) double bed, which left enough space for reasonable comfort, but nothing more.

We took a lake-facing room. We paid a substantial premium for this, but the outlook was very nice, indeed. However, we were on the 9th/top floor, and I would think at anything on the 6th or below, the more limited outlook would not justify the cost. Further, these rooms face Michigan Avenue, which is a very busy city street - on the 9th floor, traffic noise was quite intrusive; below that, it would be progressively worse.

There is a valet parking service, for which the daily charge is $24 (plus tax). I thought this was quite a hit, but it turned out to be reasonable in comparison with other nearby sites, of which there are many; in fact, I didn't find one cheaper. The parking used is adjacent to the hotel, just metres away, but there is no self-parking and the hotel will not allow you to access your car while it's parked there. If you want to do so, they have to bring the car to the door.

The hotel's location, directly opposite Grant Park and about a mile south of downtown, is really good, certainly at this price. The #3 bus runs past the door, and it will take you north to the Magnificent Mile in about 5 minutes. We were very pleased with the location.

But we had several irritating problems. When we arrived, the room had no lighting at all except for two low-powered bedside lamps - it soon got too dark! We asked for a floor lamp and that was duly delivered, with the comment that it should have already been there - did no-one notice this? Next, because of the number and location of electrical outlets, we found the microwave would not work unless the fridge was unplugged, and vice versa. We complained about this, and a man duly arrived with sundry electric cables and, eventually, got everything to work. Again, sloppy.

Finally, there was the wifi, or lack of it. Wifi is supposed to be available in all rooms, but would not work in our room (although, when I tried my laptop in the lobby, that worked fine). We stayed for 3 days and, still, when we left - no room wifi. Annoyingly, the reception staff always tried to deflect this issue to their service provider (their first proposal was that I, a guest, should contact this provider) without, I believe, making the slightest effort to fix the problem. On checkout, they conceded "there might be a problem on the 9th floor", still attributing it to their ISP. I doubt this situation will ever change so, if wifi room connection is important to you, I recommend you test the room offered before committing to it.

We enjoyed the location, the room was comfortable, and the rate for this location was not bad. But........irritating problems!

We stayed at this hotel for 5 days at the beginning of August. It's nothing spectacular but it served as a good, comfortable base whilst we were in Chicago. The hotel is very convenient for attractions in the Loop and those of the Museum Campus. Also easy access to the lakeside where there are spectacular views of the Chicago skyline. We ate breakfast in the restauarant one morning and there was nothing wrong with the build-your-own omelette but there are other options in Yolk next door. The Eleven City Diner round the corner on S Wabash is pretty much open all hours and is handy if you've had a hard days sightseeing. Another local option is The Exchequer pub and restaurant a little further North on S Wabash - really good food. There is also a Jewel-Osco for groceries further South on S Wabash although for some reason the area around it suddenly becomes a bit more edgy.
The Lollapalooza festival was on in Grant Park when we were there which was interesting although it obviously meant access to the Park was restricted. The Art Institute of Chicago is 10 minutes walk away as is the Crown fountain and the Cloud Gate (aka 'The Bean') and definitely make sure you take a ride on the actual 'Loop' itself.

The staff were always very helpful, knowledgeable, and responsive. Great location. Our room was comfortable, but very tight on space. We didn't have a full supply of towels, but the staff was quick to respond when I called about this. The help at the front desk was always very accommodating, informative, and polite. I was surprised that we didn't experience nighttime noise from other guests. We didn't try the restaurant. The location is excellent. Parking costs $24 a night, and we could not access our car without valet service, but this was acceptable, given the circumstances.

The review I would have written soon after our stay in this hotel would have sounded like this: nice hotel in a good position for the museum district, not as good as Best Western River North (bigger rooms, nicer staff, breakfast included) and a little pricey for its value.

My opinion changed about a month ago, when we found out we had a bedbug infestation in our house. We found the origin of the infestation was in one of the suitcases we had used during our stay in Chicago. We hadn't been anywhere else in the last few months, so there was little doubt about the origin of the infestation. To get rid of the bugs, we had to resort to professional pest control, wash every cloth in the house and get rid of several possessions. A horrible experience, the more so because we have two very small children. I wrote to the hotel not asking for any kind of refund, but merely suggesting they should check the room we had stayed in - unfortunately, I don't remember the number - for signs of bedbugs. They never bothered to answer. All I'm saying is: beware before sleeping in this hotel.