For the Memorial Day weekend of 2007, I visited Chicago. As I planned my itinerary, I initially shot for an airport hotel to save money, then figured on renting a car. But when my Chicago area friend suggested that I ditch the car rental and book a downtown hotel to better experience the city, I decided to look both in the Loop and in the River North areas. Somehow, Sutton Place caught my fancy, and I booked there.

This is an edited version of a review that I had originally submitted to Epinions.com, which I have since deleted.

-Rates-

For Memorial Day weekend, the rates ran around $185 per night for a standard king room; without the Memorial Day discount, the room rates would've been closer to $225 per night.

I booked four nights through United Airlines' UnitedEscapes package, which included roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles, for the grand total of $1,090, including taxes and fees. (The same package would've cost $990 if I had booked a day earlier. Tough luck.)

-Location and Arrival-

Sutton Place is a small chain of boutique hotels, with only four locations. The Chicago location is the only location in the United States; the rest are in Canada.

The hotel's location was fantastic. Standing on the corner of Bellevue and Rush, it was literally steps away from the nightlife of Rush and State Streets, and only a few blocks from the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) shopping district and John Hancock Tower. Getting to the rest of the city was not too difficult, with Michigan Avenue buses heading for Lincoln Park, the Loop, Museum Campus, and Grant Park, and with two Red Line subway stations (Chicago/State and Clark/Division) a 10-minute walk away.

The exact address is 21 E. Bellevue Place, Chicago, IL 60611.

I took a cab from O'Hare Airport to the hotel. It was an easy ride on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90), getting off on Division, turning left, then heading a short distance to State Street.

-Arriving-

I arrived at 2 in the morning thanks to weather delays on my flight. Nevertheless, UnitedEscapesme, and a clerk checked me in without delay.

I was given two metal keys: one magnetic key for my room, and one key for the minibar.

Access to my 11th floor room was through two high-speed elevators.

-The Room-

Upon entry, I found a huge bathroom to the left. It was decorated in white and black tiles, with a bathrobe prominently hanging next to the full-length mirror. There were more towels and toiletries than I could count. The toiletries even included a clothing mending kit. I had to look into a drawer to find a hairdryer, however. The shower and bath were separate, and both had great water pressure and comfort.

Opposite the bathroom was a roomy closet, with an iron, an umbrella (for those Chicago thunderstorms), dry cleaning bags, and an extra pillow.

Next to the bathroom was the minibar and a counter. With minibar being quite expensive as usual ($2.50 for a can of soda), and with a breakable plastic tab keeping the minibar closed, I decided not to bother with it.

The room itself was very roomy. Although there were no pictures hanging on the walls, a few mirrors here and there made up for it. The drawer cabinet had a large flat-screen TV on top (with 40 or so local and cable channels, including WGN and the all-important Weather Channel), and a DVD player and a receiver in the middle. A few CDs were also provided, so that I could listen to music while relaxing in the room; in fact, sometimes the housekeeping left my room with the music on.

Toward one corner was a work desk, with the hotel's guide to services and a sign indicating the availability of wireless Internet. Since I didn't have a computer with me (my laptop was dead at the time of this trip), I didn't bother. I do believe that Internet connectivity cost extra - a minus in my books.

A modern, purple lounge chair was located next to the bed. The bed itself was very comfortable, covered with white and brown sheets. I had no problem sleeping here, despite all the excitement of being in Chicago. The bed was flanked by two lights and drawers, one housing the Gideons Bible, and the other displaying various Chicago travel guides and magazines.

My room was near the northwest corner of the building, affording me a good view of the Rush Street nightlife and a sliver of Lake Michigan. Despite the raucous atmosphere on the streets, my room was very quiet.

Housekeeping came by twice a day. The first came midday to clean up, then the second came late in the afternoon to deliver two bars of chocolate, the next day's weather forecast, and a breakfast room service order sheet. The bed sheets were also folded and rolled down to make it more inviting for me to get into bed. Nice touch.

My room key got demagnetized after three nights. For my final night, I had to show my ID at the front desk and get the key re-programmed. I didn't like this - reminded me of some seedy hotels in Washington D.C. and Seattle.

-Other Amenities-

I did not spend time exploring the rest of this skinny, tall 1988 building (remodeled in 2003), but I noticed a few amenities.

Room 509 was a fitness facility. I didn't bother, as I decided that all the heavy-duty walking through the Magnificent Mile and the Loop qualified as workout.

The fourth floor had a business center, but it opened only on workdays between 7AM and 5PM. I stayed over a long weekend, and the business center stayed closed for the duration of my visit. This forced me to visit the Apple Store on the Magnificent Mile to get on the Internet.

There was a restaurant/bar on the ground floor, which I did not visit. I decided to eat out with my friend at a bistro (Bistrot Zinc) just a block away, and eat my brunches in some of Chicago's fine museums.

There were a number of meeting rooms in the lower floors, which I did not check out.

There were plenty of attendants in the lobby on the ground floor, happy to open doors and assist guests and visitors at all times.

-Leaving-

I left at 4:30 in the morning. Although I had the ability to check out using my room TV, I decided to check out with a clerk the old-fashioned way. With no purchases from the minibar, returning the key was all that there was.

-Frequent Guest Program-

Sutton Place has its own frequent guest program, with enrollment available online at its website, suttonplace.com.

-As I look back-

The key glitch and the closed business center made my stay at Sutton Place less than perfect. But the luxury touches were definitely refreshing, including the two maid services per day, the free chocolate, the DVD player and music, and the comfortable bed. I absolutely loved the modern bathroom as well. All at a price that's above my usual budget, but still within reason. And to top it off, the location could not have been any better, with easy access to the rest of town.

I will definitely book here again for my next visit to Chicago - and given that Chicago has so much to offer, and I could barely scratch the surface during my weekend, I'm definitely returning.

I LOVED my stay here. Met a girlfriend for a four-day, three-night shopping and play trip. The room was large, with soft beds & down comforters. The decor was sleek, but cool and soothing.
The bathroom was extra large, with a vanity big enough for two sets of cosmetics. Separate walk-in shower & deep soaking tub. Full length mirror (and three other mirrors in the room). A dozen wooden hangers in the closet. And the staff was uniformly friendly and accommodating. The one negative - lack of a coffee maker in the room - turned out to be a positive. A call to room service in the morning brought a pot of delicious coffee ASAP, and the tray had, besides the coffee & china cups, wine glasses filled with ice water and a bud vase with a flower in it. By the time we left, we had fresh flowers everywhere in the room! The hotel location was the best. Three small caveats: Parking is expensive - about $42/day - but you have in & out privileges, and if you want to just leave your car the doormen will direct you to a garage a half a block away that's half the price. The restaurant in the hotel has wonderful Mexican food, but music (from the bar) that is awful and intrusive. I really don't like vintage Rolling Stones with my dinner. And there's not an "easy chair" in the room - just a desk with an ergonomic chair. But if you're not hosting friends in your room, that shouldn't be a problem. All in all, one of the best hotels I've ever stayed in.

This is probly one of the nicest hotels I have ever been to it is in the heart of downtown Chicago with great views the hotel room had bath robes and a mini fridge they had cable and great dining in the lobby.

I booked this hotel because the reviews raved about the service and location. My experience was ok, the hotel staff was courteous, the service I received was ordinary nothing to write home about. Our hotel room was nice and clean, but there was nothing spectacular about the rooms. For the amount I paid, I expected much better service and better rooms.