No vacancy: Chicago hotels fully booked with cultural significance, architectural distinction, aesthetic quirks

Nov 29, 2003

Given the hectic pace set by the RSNA, your hotel may seem like nothing but a rest stop between breakfast meetings, scientific sessions, refresher courses, and nightly social gatherings.

There is actually more to your temporary Chicago home than miniature shampoo bottles and pillow mints. Many of the city’s hotels have been a part of the local landscape for decades, if not centuries. Others are paragons of modern hospitality.

Below you’ll find some fun facts about Windy City lodging. Whether your hotel is of historical significance or features hysterical decor (R&B/country & western/rock n’ roll, anyone?), it would be worth your while to stop and soak in the atmosphere. At the very least, you’ll have a piece of trivia with which you can razzle-dazzle your fellow shuttle bus riders while stuck in rush hour traffic.

Allerton Hotel - Crowne Plaza
701 N. Michigan Ave.
Tip. Tap. Top. Spot the neon sign with those words and you know the Allerton is close at hand. The Taps on Two restaurant serves up authentic Midwestern cuisine, so bring your appetite and your personalized steak knife. You do have a personalized steak knife, right?

Chicago Athletic Association
12 S. Michigan Ave.

You spend all day in McCormick Place -- only to go back to your room at another McCormick building. The CAA was founded by a group of prominent local tycoons, including spice king Cyrus McCormick. Notice a striking similarity between the CAA logo and the logo of the Chicago Cubs baseball team? According to the CAA, their logo came first -- Cubs owner William Wrigley was a member, although he didn’t buy the team until 1915. The CAA was established, logo and all, in 1890.

Chicago Hilton
Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Homewood Suites Chicago
www.hilton.com

You can’t accuse the Hilton clan of lacking in color. Founder Conrad Hilton once called actress Zsa Zsa Gabor his Mrs. His son Nicky Hilton went on to marry Elizabeth Taylor. The latest Hilton spawns making a splash are Conrad’s great-granddaughters (right), Paris and Nicky Hilton. While the sisters don’t generally crash at their namesake hotels, if they show up in your particular Hilton, deploy the earplugs. The hard-partying celebutantes are not known for paying heed to "Do Not Disturb" signs.

Chicago Marriott Downtown
540 N. Michigan Ave.
This high-rise hotel has a mind boggling 1,192 rooms, so you are bound to find at least one that meets your needs. Also, you can ride the elevators up and down the 46 floors, thus keeping yourself entertained for hours. We’re sure the hotel staff won’t mind one bit.

The Claridge Hotel
1244 N. Dearborn Parkway
Guests at this pleasantly out-of-the-way (i.e. off the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Ave.) spot will find freshly baked cookies waiting for them in the hotel lobby in the afternoons. And no matter what nationality you are, if you have the urge to go Brazilian, the Swan Day Spa offers over a dozen types of body waxing treatments.

Congress Plaza Hotel
520 S. Michigan Ave.

Should you jump in the shower only to find yourself blasted with cold water, don’t blame the plumbing. Rumor has it that the Congress is haunted by specters that are partial to a long soak in a warm tub (although precisely what body parts they are washing remains a mystery). Keep an eye and ear out for pediatric ghosts who allegedly frolic in the 12th floor hallways of the 110-year-old hotel.

Drake Hotel
140 E. Walton Place
Meg Ryan! Jack Nicholson! Diane Keaton! All of these stars have shacked up at the Drake at one time or another. Who knows, you may wind up bunking in the same room that Camelot’s Robert Goulet caught some "zzzzs." In case you need some late night legal advice, try knocking on a few doors: U.S. attorneys voted the Drake the number one hotel in Chicago.

Fairmont Hotel Chicago
200 N. Columbus Dr.
You can’t go wrong with accommodations that met the scrupulous standards of both Ivana Trump and U.S. Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton (D-NY). These ladies would no doubt agree with Travel + Leisure magazine, which named the Fairmont one of the best hotels in the world. Would you expect less from an establishment that allows pets weighing 20 lbs. or less to stay free?

Fitzpatrick Chicago Hotel
166 E. Superior St.
There’s no blarney here: The Fitzpatrick recently completed a major renovation, which includes an Irish pub and three penthouse suites (No word yet on whether they are named after famous Irish folk, such as the Liam Neeson Penthouse in the New York City Fitzpatrick). You can also get yourself a full Irish breakfast on the 7th floor -- because it’s not a good morning without black pudding on the menu.

Four Seasons Hotel
120 E. Delaware Place

Perhaps you have a very delicate constitution. At the Four Seasons, you can request non-allergenic pillows or decompress in the Tranquility room. Then again, maybe you are a go-get’em type, in which case you can consult with the on-site fitness trainer or join the water aerobics class. You’ll be living large if the rest of the place is as half as swank as the pool.

Hotel 71
71 E. Wacker Dr.
If the sight of Hotel 71 leaves you puzzled, don’t be alarmed. This new Windy City hotel used to be called the Executive Plaza. But out went the name and the interior. The revamped hotel is, according to the management, "dressed in clean and soothing shades of tan and cream...occupying an unusual niche between urban boutique, standard chain, and luxury lodging."

Hotel Allegro Chicago

171 W. Randolph St.
Hotel Monaco
225 N. Wabash St.
Both of these properties are part of the Kimpton Boutique Hotels, which can only mean one thing: hip, hip, hip. The Allegro building (right) has been around since 1894, but the amenities are fully modern, including flat screen TVs. The Monaco boasts "Tall Rooms" with 9-foot king-size beds. In both places, get ready for a design scheme that is Art Deco by way of Las Vegas.

Hotel Burnham
1 W. Washington

Bedding down at the Burnham? Then you are staying in Chicago style -- literally. The 105-year-old structure was designed by renowned architect Daniel Burnham, one of the pioneers in modern iron, steel, and glass skyscrapers, a.k.a. the Chicago style. The 14-story building is now considered a living landmark.

Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago
505 N. Michigan Ave.
Let’s say you stumble to your room at the Interconti after a night of excess and debauchery. While you flail in the bed, clutching your head in pain, remember that previous guests had it much worse. Back in 1934, the building was the home to the residential Medinah Athletic Club. The club closed when its members lost everything in the great stock market crash. At least you have the luxury of recuperating in the original junior Olympic-sized pool.

Hyatt at University Village
625 S. Ashland Ave.
Hyatt on Printers Row
500 S. Dearborn
Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E. Wacker Dr.
Hyatt Regency McCormick Place
2233 S. Martin Luther King Dr.
Park Hyatt
800 N. Michigan Ave.
www.hyatt.com
Did you know the Pritzker clan that owns the Hyatt Corp. is based in the Chicago Loop? So if you have thoughts on the facelift undergone by the flagship Hyatt Regency, or found the haute cuisine at the Park Hyatt’s NoMi to be top notch, and would like to let the big bosses know, you don’t have far to go. No appointment necessary, we’re sure.

Loews House of Blues Hotel
333 N. Dearborn

Aspiring to be a metrosexual? Then you’ll want to partake in this hotel’s Metro Man Package makeover, which promises to "help any man polish his look, improve his culinary skills, and refine his taste" in just one or two days. We presume your newfound good taste will allow you to truly appreciate the hotel’s R&B/country & western/rock n’ roll fusion theme.

Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel
163 E. Walton Place

The owners of the Knickerbocker just sunk $35 million into renovating this 76-year-old hotel. If you were lucky enough to land a room with one of the new walk-in marble showers, why would you ever leave? Unless you are dying to check out the Crystal Ballroom with its 28-foot high gilded, domed ceiling. But no dripping on the fancy carpeting!

Palmer House Hilton
17 E. Monroe St.
Your poor little credit card. Ever since you used it to book your plane ticket to Chicago, it hasn’t seen much action. Show it some love by indulging in retail therapy at the Palmer House’s enclosed shopping arcade. Or just window shop, taking in the ornate decor, described as Italian Renaissance crossed with the French opulence of Louis XVI.

Peninsula Chicago
108 E. Superior St.

Thursday through Saturday is "Jazz at the Pen" night, featuring live music from a trio as well as the vocal styling of a chanteuse. So if you suffer from sleeplessness, throw your feather boa over your pajamas (the dress code is smart-casual) and head down to the lobby.

Raphael Chicago
201 E. Delaware Place
Tremont Hotel
100 E. Chestnut St.
These genteel sister hotels reside on the Gold Coast, away from the hustle and bustle of Michigan Avenue. The Raphael bills itself as a quiet, unobtrustive hotel with European charm. The Tremont was voted the most romantic hotel in 2002 by Citysearch.com.

Ritz-Carlton Chicago
160 E. Pearson St.
Let’s face it, if you are staying here, you must be a bigwig. This hotel is the cherry on top of Water Tower Place, looking down on Michigan Avenue. Fancy yourself a bit of a wine connoisseur? Then you’ll enjoy The Dining Room with its massive selection of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and California boutique wines.

Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
20 E. Chestnut St.

Francophiles, you have found your home away from maison. French architect Jean-Paul Viguier designed the off-kilter building (he also did the Coeur Défense in Courbevoie, France). Martinis are the house specialty at Le Bar, while head chef Frederic Castan practices his culinary arts at the Cafe de Architectes.

Sutton Place Hotel
21 E. Bellevue Place
What do supermodel Cindy Crawford and the Whiskey Bar & Grill at this hotel have in common? The answer is Rande Gerber, the husband of the former and the owner of the latter. Other noteworthy amenities: beds at the Sutton sport duvets (not merely bedspreads) and the whole place is soundproofed.

Talbott Hotel
20 E. Delaware Place
Break out your smelling salts and your polite reserve because the Talbott offers a little piece of Victoriana. Belly up to the antique bar at Basil’s for a drop of sherry post-meeting or a pre-bed hot toddy. You can also grab a gratis cup of coffee and cozy up in front of two roaring fireplaces.

W Chicago City Center
172 W. Adams St.
W Lakeshore
644 N. Lakeshore Drive

A DJ spins on the balcony of the W City Center every night, luring you out of the W Living Room (left) and onto the dance floor -- which also doubles as the hotel’s lobby. But you don’t mind shaking it like a Polaroid picture in front of the other guests! Meanwhile, the W Lakeshore is the only hotel in town directly overlooking Lake Michigan.

By Shalmali Pal
AuntMinnie.com staff writer
November 30, 2003
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