Going to Chicago this weekend (Nov 30 - Dec 2). Have booked three hotels; W Lakeshore (most expensive @ $220/nt), Marriott ($129/179/nt) and the Sheraton Towers ($129/nt). We're going to a Blackhawks game and the United Center, the Art Institute and Christmas shopping on Magnificent Mile. Which would you recommend as the best of the three? We don't expect to spend a lot of time in the hotel, so aren't looking for anything too fancy, just a comfortable, well located place we can come back to after a day/night on the town. We plan to walk alot. We would go with the cheapest option (Sheraton) but are worried it might be out of the way (haven't been to Chicago before so don't know the area well). Thanks for any ideas.

daniel - we visited chicago as first-timers last april and stayed at the marriott; it's right on the MM; we walked everywhere including the must-see museums; very convenient, very well run; lots of good restaurants within a block or two (an authentic joe's stone crab from miami beach is right across the street). enjoy.

Of the three, the Marriott is by far the most convenient. The Sheraton is a couple blocks south and a couple blocks east of the Marriott; the W is about 4 short blocks east, right on the lakefront. However, we are expecting at least one day of rain/snow this weekend, so a few blocks makes all the difference.
Chcek the weather at chicago.tribune.com
maps and info at www.ci.chi.il.us/Tourism
and last minute hotel deals at hotrooms.com

Before you pay those kind of prices for a hotel in Chicago, please visit http://pub4.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding and consider booking through Priceline.

Daniel, I also had good luck with Chicago hotels using Priceline. Have stayed at the Westin on Michigan Ave and the Lenox Suites. Both were great deals for the price.

I just got back from staying at the W Lakeshore and would not recommend it. We had several problems with charges that appeared on our bill that we had not authorized. Ultimately they did fix the problems but it took quite a bit of doing. Also, the staff seems very inexperienced. We did like having a VCR and CD player in our room, and liked the location and the view, but overall I would not recommend this hotel unless you get a great deal like we did (we got it through Priceline for $41 per night) -- otherwise I would stay somewhere else.

Hope you have as great a time in Chicago as we did. We loved the Van Gogh exhibit, Michigan Ave. shopping, and eating that great deep-dish pizza at Gino's East.

I agree that the Marriott is the best bet. It is convenient to shopping and restaurants. It is also very comfortable.

Daniel-check quikbook.com for hotels. Iv'e been very successful with them and if you cancel with 24 hours, there is no charge. Unlike priceline and similar sites, you are not charged until the arrival day. We stayed at the Embassy Suites on State Street (not the new one at the Navy Pier) for 129/night, including breakfast and cocktails at night. Location was great-about 1-2 blocks from Michigan Avenue and closer to Loop than the Watertower end of Michigan. We alked to to Art Institute and the Watertower area, and in between (Mag. Mile). Before you book anything, check the parking prices-we found they range from 25-35/day. this can turn a good deal into a bad deal. Have also stayed at the Marriott (great location, but we found our room to be not too soundproof and the hotel noisy in general) and the Intercontinental (also a great location on Michigan) and the best indoor hotel pool we have ever seen, expensive restaurants, supposedly was just renovated). If you can get a good price at the Embassy its a great deal-location, breakfast, & cocktails in between daytime and evening activities.

I saw a website in the paper this morning that appears to be sponsored by the Chicago tourism bureau that advertised rates from $79 per night. Try www.877chicago.com, it looked like there was some other interesting items on the site in addition to the hotel discounts.

If you REALLY don't care much at all about the room, the Marriott's the clear choice.
Its rooms are a bit more generic than Sheraton, but Sheraton's going to add a good deal of walking to your itinerary if you do much coming and going. We just stayed there for the first time last month. It's definitely nicer than the Marriott if rooms and atmosphere did matter to you.
Avoid the W if only for location.

Looking for comments about the W Lakeshore.I can't seem to find any reviews because it's very new and just opened.Looking at a map of Chicago the hotel location seems somewhat out of the way from restaurants,shops etc..Thank You

I agree that the Marriott is the best choice especially the location. I also would check out quikbook.com. We stayed at Le Meridien (which is across the street from the Marriott and the one of the newest hotels in the city) for $149 just a few weeks ago.

Paul -- the W's location is great. It is a few blocks walk to Michigan Ave. We walked everywhere -- Water Tower, etc. The hotel is brand new and unfortunately the staff is green as well. I posted a more detailed review if you do a search -- the title is "Would not recommend W Hotel Lakeshore Chicago."

Daniel -

The next time you're trying to book a hotel room for a trip and they tell you "we're full," blame it on selfish people like yourself who book 3 rooms at once and hold them until the very last minute.