I'm going to Chicago in mid-June and am looking for a hotel to stay at that is near all the interesting things to do (Magnificent Mile, etc.). I've never been to Chicago and don't know much about it so any suggestions are appreciated.

Do a search for Chicago hotels on this website and you'll get a ton of reports back. That's probably the best way to start since there are hundreds in that area.

I stayed at the Omni this past weekend-it is a nice hotel with good location on N.Michigan for shopping, and a few blocks from the water tower and John Hancock bldg.

PollyB, you need to be a bit more specific. The Omni is great, but in mid June might be really expensive. If you are going mid-week, you can often use Priceline for a good deal. 2 other options that are a bit away from the mag mile but easy to use with public transport and hoofing it are the Crowne Plaza by greektown and the Club Quarters. We stayed at the CQ on Adams a couple weeks ago and it was a real bargain and a very nice place.

As a first timer to Chicago, spend the extra money and stay at the Omni. If you want to go high end, stay at the Four Seasons. I stayed there in March and the view from our room was fantastic. Prices were lower at that time but it is something I will never forget. We are going to Chicago late June and prices are crazy. Have fun.

Hi there...we stayed at the ESuites, downtown Lakefront and had a wonderful experience in April.

I would recommend one of the three Kimpton Hotels. The Burnham, Allegro or Monaco. They are housed in historic buildings that were once something else. The Burnham was a professional building for physicians, and the Monaco a hat factory. They rooms can be smaller then other hotels, but they offer a unique experience.

What's your budget?
Of all the Chicago hotels I've stayed in (over a dozen different hotels), my favorite was the Sofitel Water Tower. Loved everything about it--my room, the location, the buzzing bar, the staff, even the room service menu was great.
My least favorite was the Quality Inn Downtown. Don't stay there even if someone offers to pay you to do it. Next worst was the Days Inn.

In the middle were the Westin, Holiday Inn City Center, Allegro (I liked my room fine, but my colleague had a room the size of a postage stamp, luck of the draw), Silversmith (a pleasant surprise, but I haven't stayed there recently), Doubletree Guest Quarters (pleasant, all suite hotel with lots of room to spread out), Hyatt McCormick Place (ONLY for someone who's attending a big conference there), Hyatt Regency, Swissotel, Hilton Garden Inn (don't stay there if you're a vegetarian, the place really smells of grilled meat, they need better ventilation systems)and various others.

Hi, I am going to post my question here as well since it is related - Has anyone stayed at the Hotel 71 & how is it? I am looking for a modern hotel for 1 night (Aug 16th) in a close to everything location under $200. My other choices are the Wyndham & the Embassy Suites which is slightly more & only has a king bed with a sleeper sofa for that price v/s 2 queens. Which one would be preferable? Any other recommendations? Thanks.
mcmckissic1, I could not find the E Suites, could you provide some more information?

Mid-June is now. You will have very high pricing, PollyR.

There are 50 threads here on Chicago hotel. If you do the search you will get hotwire.com, priceline.com and quikbook.com advice.

This late, and especially right now for August- that is the only way I would go, myself. I pay less than 1/2 the rackrates you are quoted at these and do it all the time.

You can specify your exact LOOP or Water Tower/Mich. Ave. locations and do 4 star and you can not go wrong in any experience I've ever hear. I've heard 71 is very modern decore which wasn't to her taste, but nothing else remotely negative about it from people I know who have stayed there.

I stayed in Hotel 71 a week or so ago and it was very nice for a reasonable price ... (try lastminutetravel.com) ... Large, comfortable, modern rooms with a great view of the city and river if you're on the right side. The staff was most helpful and courteous. ... Only negative was occasional noise from slamming doors, which unfortunately seems to happen wherever we stay.

Another choice is the Millennium Knickerbocker. Hotwire shows a rate of $ 149 + tax for a 4 star hotel in the Magnificent Mile area but I have no idea which one it could be - any guesses?

OK, I guess I have it narrowed down to a Hotwire 4 star which, after research on the varius sites suggested here, sounds very much like the Hyatt at $149 per night plus tax. I have also made a reservation directly at Hotel 71 for a cityview room at $162 + tax. Please help me decide which one I should go with. Has anyone stayed at both? I was hoping the Embassy Suites would show up on Priceline but no such luck. Thanks.

The Hyatt is a the typical big box Hyatt style- it's at a perfect location on the River, IMHO.

Hotel 71 is more modern in decore and not quite as formalized re higher end chain sameness standards- but quite similar in logistics of service.

If you bid 4 star on Priceline, Hyatt is one of the most often won choices. I have gotten it that way twice, Swissotel once- for nearly the exact same bid of $69 to $79. But only won them more than 3 months ahead of the stay and never for longer than 2 nights.

I would pick the Hyatt right now because that $149 for mid-June is going to be gone in a blink. Don't forget that it is high season and don't assume that if it is there at 9 o'clock it will be there to pick the next morning. I have made that mistake twice now myself.

And don't forget that a $20 difference is price is really much more when all the taxes are added upon the lodging costs total. Chicago now has the highest room taxes in the entire country.

Thanks JJ5 for your response. My trip is actually mid-Aug so I thought I would wait & keep checking Hotwire since I am not comfortable with the idea of getting a totally different hotel w/Priceline. If both hotels are similar as far as decor & location are concerned, I would rather wait to get a better deal, if not I will be OK with Hotel 71. Does the Hyatt feel more grand?

For future reference, and certainly just "in my opinion", but based on my recent visit I suggest you DO NOT...I repeat...DO NOT stay at the Red Roof Inn on Ontario just east of Michigan Avenue unless there is absolutely NO OTHER OPTION. Even then you better ask yourself if you're sure.

If you like to pay over $100/night and have only one of two elevators work, no A/C, mold in the room, stained carpet, broken door locks, buckled tile in the bathrooms, noisy atmosphere, personnel that get pissed off when you ask for a simple oscilating fan for your room, a bed that's seriously less comfortable than a blow-up mattress, and coffee that looks like some of the room mold liquified and ran into the machine, then by all means knock yourself out.

It took an act of congress to get comp'd for just half-night AND get moved to a different room where the only difference was we had a tad bit of cool air. The good news is I predict they will lose their Red Roof "flag" in the not to distant future and someone else will improve it under a different name. The kind of money they're brining in with daily room rates, it's certainly not going back in the facility.

ddubya,

Wow, we stayed at the Red Roof last September, and we had exactly the opposite experience! We were there for 7 nights. Room was clean and reasonable spacious, had no ttouble with the staff, and loved the coffee from the machine in the lobby. I'm sorry your stay was so bad.

~Liz

Liz, certainly glad to hear you had a better experience. Either they have gone downhill significantly since September, or we had some seriously bad luck with two rooms in a row in virtually the same poor condition.

I've stayed at the Hyatt and the Swissotel next door. Prefer the Swissotel, especially if you can get ugraded to one of the executive floors.

My experience with Hyatts in general is: Big, flashy lobby; ordinary rooms.

The Swissotel had a more intimate feeling to it. Of course, price may dicate your choice.

We have stayed at the Sutton Place on N. Rush a few times. It is a business hotel with a quieter crowd, near well known restaurants