Maybe there are nice rooms here, but certainly not on the backside, where the El goes by every 2 minutes, just beyond the 400-car parking lot outside the window. Stalinist architecture, Stalinist decor. If there is an amenity to skip, they do: including hot water and clean coffee makers. Styrofoam cups, one packet of bad coffee, pay for your own Internet, & if you want to watch tv in bed, bring binoculars - my iPhone almost has a bigger screen. The lounge is a dive; the restaurant is worse.

We went with a group of 4 women for a girls weekend. The location is great-within walking distance of Grant Park and Michigan Ave. The hotel is older--the front desk and lobby is beautiful. The rooms are a little run down. We actually found a condom wrapper hidden inside the phone book!! The beds are a little firm but pillow are nice. The room was clean and the bathroom was also. The bathroom was actually a nice size. We had a double full-size room. The view was ok-just a peak of Grant park. Apparently the other side of the hotel has beautiful views of the water. Bell service was a little slow when we went to leave, but overall a nice stay. If you want a hotel for all kinds of amenaties and have room service, spa and whatever, this probably isn't the place for you.

We were in town for the Chicago Marathon and selected the hotel because of its location right across the street from the start/finish line of the marathon, and because it was much cheaper than other nearby hotels. We were there for 3 nights.

Pros: location is great (close to the train system/public transportation, Field/Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute walking distance, right across the street from the race), the room was not dirty, the flat screen TV was nice with more cable channels that we've had at some other hotels, we had water pressure (painfully so much water pressure at times), they allowed us to check in super early (10 a.m.), after checking out, we were able to leave our luggage with the bell man and pick it up later in the afternoon.

Cons: the room and decor was extremely dated and not really pleasant to be in, the bed was like someone draped a sheet over asphalt, not just firm/hard - we could also feel individual springs, we were provided with only 2 cheap pillows total, so propping yourself up in bed to watch TV at night was uncomfortable, and the pillows were about 6 inches high with no give, so they were uncomfortable to sleep on, the radiator/heater in the room sounded like two squirrels were fighting all night (loud thunking noises) we were placed in the "Buckingham" wing on the second floor, so we heard EVERYTHING- including a fight that broke out between two cabbies, constantly honking horns, the train, and the best was at 12:30 a.m. the night before the marathon, the picketers mentioned in other reviews who came through banging buckets, tooting whistles, blowing air horns and shouting/chanting. This lasted for about an hour. Between the uncomfortable bed, heater/radiatior and picketers, I didn't sleep well any of the 3 nights we stayed there.

To be fair, friends who stayed there at the same time for the marathon in other rooms didn't have the same noise issues I did. However, after my uncomfortable stay, I would pay the extra money to stay somewhere nicer and not stay there again. Just not a comfortable experience.

If you're taking a chance with this hotel due to location/cost, just ask NOT to be placed in the Buckingham wing.

My fiancee and I went to Chicago for the marathon and were so excited to get such a great deal on a hotel across the street from Grant park and the marathon start/finish line. We were a little surprised when we checked into our room. Though the bathroom had been remodeled, the tile edges were unfinished, the base boards hadn't been painted, looked like a crazy patch up instead of a remodel. Our room faced the L and wasn't very sound proof so that kept us up the first night. The bedding was clean, though the bed was hard and not very comfortable. Nothing too horrible but not the nicest place to stay. The staff though, was amazing. It was a very busy weekend for them but they were all incredibly nice from the bartender, to housekeeping, the gift shop keeper and the doorman. I would recommend this hotel if you were looking for a great deal in a convenient location and didn't care so much about the luxuries!