Chicago has a lot of hotel choices with reasonable prices. We prefer boutique hotels and Chicago has a lot of them as well. We picked Affinia because of its location near the lakeshore where we wanted to go for morning runs and the price was unbeatable. About six weeks before our trip, the hotel website was offering a special rate. We booked and prepaid for a junior suite averaging $186 per night.
The hotel is located just off the Magnificent Mile so was a great location for shopping. A short walk south on Michigan Avenue will take you across the Chicago River to Millennium and Grant Park where we also wanted to go. And with the proximity to the lakeshore pathway, the location for us was ideal.
The hotel has a number of extra amenities including C Restaurant, a 29th floor roof top bar, in room spa services and a fitness center. We had a lunch and a breakfast at the restaurant and enjoyed a nice meal and pleasant service each time. The roof top bar on the 29th floor provided a good view all the way to Millennium Park and over the rooftops of nearby buildings on Michigan Avenue while sipping on a drink and soaking in a bit of sunshine. We did not try out the spa services or fitness center.
The room itself was very comfortable. Lots of room with a spacious sitting area and a flat screen tv which could be swung around to face either the bed or the sitting areas. The bathroom, like most boutique hotels, was stylish but small. A vanity area helped ease bathroom congestion. The hotel offers a pillow menu of six different types of pillows. I tried the Swedish memory pillow which offered extra neck support and supposedly eased tension. Hard to tell since I was on vacation and tension was not a concern. The hotel also offers experience kits. I took the stay fit one with a yoga mat, work out DVDs, etc. but did not use it much since we were running each morning. They also offer a walking tour kit and a picnic kit.
The room has a coffee maker and coffee free of charge. We did not sample from the mini bar nor use room service dining. We wanted ice and wine glasses had to request that each afternoon but delivery was very prompt. Housekeeping kept the room clean.
We found all the staff to be very friendly and helpful and could not fault the service at all. When we arrived, they gave us city maps and directions. They printed out our board passing at the front desk the day before we were to leave. The doormen were always very welcoming.
The one negative aspect was the noise from building construction next door. The single pane windows did not reduce the noise level by much, so it was noticeable each morning. If you want to sleep in late, which we did not, you may not want to stay at this hotel. Another minor annoyance was the elevator. One of the two elevators servicing floors 8 - 29 was being repaired leaving only one elevator and often some rather tedious waiting and then getting on a crowded elevator car. The other elevator is supposed to be repaired by the end of June 2009.
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