This was my second stay at The Sofitel, the first being a one-night stay in late 2007. This time, I was there for five nights.

I do love this hotel. But having become a connoisseur of hotels as of late, there are a couple of minor things that prevent me from giving the Sofitel Water Tower 5 stars. But let me start with the good stuff...

* Super comfortable beds.
* Great Bose alarm clock.
* Robes and slippers provided.
* Excellent gym for a hotel. People have noted that the gym is small...I've stayed in a lot of hotels and this was pretty good for a hotel gym. 6 of 7 treadmills. Three cross-trainers. At least one exercise bike. A lot of free weights and some weight machines. Also, the gym is free, unlike at the Sheraton where you have to pay.
* Lovely little bar. Even when I lived in Chicago, I would come here for martinis and cocktails. I just really like the vibe.
* Super clean. One thing I tend to notice is hotel wear and tear on walls and carpets. My room was pristine. The gym walls were pristine as well. Facilities is really doing their job here.
* Great Aveda bath products.
* Free coffee and croissants in the a.m. No one seems to mention this, but it's there in the cafe. (Unless I was supposed to pay and didn't realize it.) The first morning, I asked if they had any tea and they said yes, what kind. I asked for mint tea and a few minutes later they brought me my own pot of REAL FRESH mint tea. It was awesome. Good croissants too.
* And lastly--and this might sound silly--but the baguettes at breakfast were fantastic. Because I live in London and spend a lot of time in France, I eat a lot of baguettes. The Sofitel's baguette at breakfast was amazingly crunchy on the outside, yet just the right amount soft on the inside. I had to ask if they make it themselves on site, and they do.

So, the main thing that prevents this from being a slam-dunk for me is the lack of free wireless. Even if I had just gotten a free 10 hours or something, I would have given this five stars. But the fact that I had to buy the T-mobile package was really annoying.

The other minor quibble was the consistency of housekeeping. One night, during the turndown service, they didn't leave me any bottled water. And during the regular morning service, one day, they forgot to replace my bath products so I didn't have any conditioner left. Also, I'm a sucker for when they lay out all your beauty products on a towel on the sink--I see that a lot at higher end hotels--and they didn't do that here. In short, this wasn't five-star housekeeping. Although it was good and very clean.

So...you really can't go wrong here. My constructive comments are really aimed more at whoever is reading this at the hotel so they can kick things up a notch!

There are times in one’s life when we know an experience is extraordinary. My traveling companion and ventured to the Windy City for a weekend of entertainment, socializing and relaxation and I was impressed by the top shelf treatment we received at the Softiel Chicago Water Tower. The seamless transition beginning with curbside luggage service to prompt, courteous room service was executed by a staff well trained in hospitality.
Hotel employees took a special interest in where we were from and our weekend plans. We especially remember Vera and Paula for being pleasant and helpful. In addition,
Chef Martial Noguier prepared delectable off the menu vegetarian dishes to accommodate my dietary choices. When you’re in Chicago, experience this.

Here for five nights stay. The location is great on the upper end of Mag Mile but off the madness by two blocks, so nicely quiet. The building itself is impressive on outside, inside is interesting (but not as daring). Front desk staff pleasant, concierge staff helpful. We had a 16th floor room with great city view. Rooms still felt new to us and very clean. Bathroom was big and nice to have separate shower and tub (though not very deep). Housekeepers were always very friendly and tried very hard to please.

It is a lovely place, but I will agree with a previous reviewer that I was expecting a bit more 'wow' I guess, based on all the glowing reviews here. I know hotels are especially expensive in larger cities, but I feel as though for the price the room was small, and how much contact does anyone really have with the staff anyway on average? Also have to pay for wifi; no pool. When we travel we're usually out almost all day and part of the night seeing the city/location anyway, so time spent in our room is usually minimal. Lesson learned...again. (FYI, I know the Drake and the Palmer House have lesser ratings, but their lobbies alone would be worth trying a stay it seemed.)

We stayed at the Sofitel for a weekend getaway. The primary reason we chose the Sofitel was its location, and it did not disappoint. Short walks to the Hancock building and Rush Street were just what we expected. The bell staff were also extremely courteous and helpful. Though a tad small, our room did have a good view, and the wifi connected easily. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was huge. It was also very quiet, which made sleeping easy. We would definitely stay here again, as this location is just hard to beat.

The only negative we had was that we booked through Orbitz, and the staff did not have our reservation in the system when we checked in. They were able to quickly locate it, however, and to be fair, I had not confirmed the reservation prior to our arrival.