Here are some actual true tips about the April 2008 built Springhill Suites in Chicago, River North, which is a nice but not super special hotel where the Baskets family spent four nights in August 2008. Our room had two double beds (no queens ever available--every room same, single king or two doubles plus pullout sofa) and a pull out sofa. It has a small fridge, a microwave, a desk and chair, and is very neuveaux in design—see many tripadvisor photos of the rooms. The rooms are very long and narrow, and although there is a nice floor-to-ceiling window view of the city (higher floors better—26 floors plus 27th fl pool), the rooms feel startlingly tight. If one is looking for spaciousness, then these rooms are not it. The dresser is inside the closet, you will stumble across the pull-out bed in open position, and the bathroom with sink outside it is tight and has a walk-in closet feel. These rooms are great for two people; four is tight.

The fridge, microwave, in-room free wifi and free local calls are welcome touches. The staff is extremely courteous and helpful, right from check-in. The mornings have a free breakfast of simple eggs, sausage, oatmeal and the like. If you’ve stayed at any Marriott Residence Inn or Fairfield Inn, it’s similar, Make your own waffles, that sort of thing. But nice, and free. I did not use hotel parking to comment on it, but driving in Chicago is horrendous in general, and I lived here for five years. Merchandise sales tax is—hold your breath—10.25% as of this writing. So, buy your camera, batteries, film, underwear and other non-grocery items at home before you get here. Wondering if the Mob still runs Chicago, because I need to find a loan shark just to afford the sales tax. Hotel tax similarly criminal. Chicago Restaurant tax nearly 11%! Includes Mickey Ds and any eatery.

The Springhill lobby is decorated with funky, modern minimalism and is pleasing—this hotel is in the same building and shares the same entrance as the Marriott Residence Inn Chicago—see reviews of that hotel and pick the one with the best deals/rates when you stay here. Same building. I would do plenty of rate shopping as, in this area, this hotel is not as nice (although newer) than the Marriott Renaissance on One Wacker Drive up the street—but in general that hotel is pricier. So, if you’re getting this one at full price and that one at a discount, that one is better.

The swimming pool at this Springhill Suites is, in a word, abysmal. A backyard pool is larger, and it plus the hot tub had more people than I’ve ever seen in a pool in my life. For the number of rooms in this building, the pool was a complete disaster, loaded with peeing children, stressed parents, and littered with towels and trash. Some people would go to a city hotel for an indoor oasis in the wintertime—this is not the place for that. Every night, same scene. I honestly wonder if the building fire code is broken with that many screaming people in a pool the size of two king sized beds. There is a workout area adjacent to the swimming pool with LifeFitness brand elliptical trainers and treadmills, TVs and weights which is serviceable. Better choice, run along the Chicago lakefront. There are 9 coin-op laundry machines ($1 wash, $1 dry) right next to the gym area.

The key feature of this hotel is its location: 2 blocks from Harry Carey’s Restaurant and House of Blues, within 4 blocks of Hard Rock, Rock N Roll McD’s, Sportsmart, Chop House, and Michigan Av. There’s a CVS two blocks away and Walgreens four blocks away and Navy Pier is about 8 blocks away. It is, in a word, the quintessential location for all of your Chicago activities if you plan to walk. Eateries are all around this place within a couple blocks—dozens and dozens—and the area is safe. Blues on Clark, other clubs and bars are two blocks away. Watertower Place 6 blocks away. The only area slightly further—about ten blocks-- is Millennium Park and Grant Park, so if your whole vacation is being there and seeing the museums and Soldier Field and theater district around those parks, then you should stay on the south side of the river (e.g. One Wacker Drive Marriott Renaissance is closer). Or take the bus or shed some shoe leather (go on, it’s good for you) from Springhill Suites. Frankly, as any Chicagoan knows, staying in the area right around Grant Park on lower Michigan Avenue is not desirable, particularly at night: desolate, more vagrants selling Streetwise, that sort of deal. But Marriott Renaissance is fine as it is on the river. So, you’d be better staying here on North Dearborn at Springhill for most of the tourist attractions in Chicago. For singles or those “on the prowl”, the Dearborn area is superb as you can walk to the best clubs in all of Chicago (e.g. Excalibur, The Redhead Piano Bar) and there are three adult bookstores within eyeshot of the Springhill Suites. There is a Starbucks and an Einstein Bagel one block away. Suggest www.maps.live.net and placing address 410 North Dearborn in and checking a birds eye view and you will learn plenty about where this hotel is located. Very sweet.

So, all in all, I like the newness, but can see that this hotel will someday become dated and worn by travelers who tend to slam bang around in the tiny rooms.. The rooms are claustrophobic, and I know, we all say “well, I’m just going to be sleeping there, that’s all”, but in the end, size does matter. I urge you to grab the book or the laptop and simply, as I am doing while I write this review, sit in the lobby and enjoy some light and space. All that said, the rates are good, the location is premiere, and the staff is very friendly. With the room amenities such as microwave, plus the wifi and continental (mostly) breakfast, the place is strong. It is the future for hotels, in small ways, such as no ice vending machines on the floors to save space and noise, to large ways such as middle priced rooms, with amenities (fridge, et cetera) but very tight rooms to fit as many lodgers as possible in the hotel. A “city” hotel by any standard, not a resort, not overly posh, but for now, hip and trendy (cues from The Standard in California). Just leave your swim trunks at home.

Plenty of others have added photos of the rooms, so I added some of the exterior and the lobby. Enjoy.