I stayed at the Crowne Plaza 3/13/09-3/15/09.

Would I recommend it to a friend? It depends.... If they are doing business in the neighborhood, yes. If they are sightseeing in Chicago - No. If a Gym is important to them - NO (a thousand times NO!) The rooms are nice but if you are in Chicago to sightsee, there are much better choices, much closer to the sights.

As I said, the room was fine, the best features were: the very large desk, free (though very slow) wired,or wireless internet, and the nice flat screen TV. The shower head was mounted to an extension arm to provide the 'rain' affect. The ceiling was too low though and the shower head felt like it was nearly touching my head. Nothing else about the room stood out for me.

Location, as has been mentioned, is good; especially if you are working in the neighborhood. The MTS station is within a 15 minute walk so there is easy direct access from O'Hare via the Blue Line. I love to walk and though this is a bit far from most of the sites, even the lakefront is only a brisk 30 minute walk. Unless it is raining or bitterly cold, Chicago is a great spot to meander and sightsee. The hotel is located in 'Greek Town', so there are a number of choices for good meals. There are also a number of other restaurant choices within a few blocks - including a nice variety to the west. I had a good meal and quick, friendly service at the bar, even though I had arrived at 9:50PM.

The worst part for me was the workout room which is definitely substandard compared to other hotels that I have stayed at in the Chicago area. The ceilings appear to be 7 feet, which in addition to giving a claustrophobic and closet type feeling to the room are so low that when I was on the treadmill I nearly bumped my head. (I'm only 6'2", but the machine adds 8-10 inches depending on the incline). The equipment was old and worn out and was of especially poor quality for a hotel of this rating. It would be like having a 1985 12" Emerson TV in the room instead of a flat screen. Speaking of TV's (in the workout room), they are small and have no provision for ear phones, so everyone is pretty much forced to watch the same channel unless you want conflicting audio or no audio. There are only a couple of weight machines and they are also substandard and nearly useless for getting a good workout. There is a good assortment of dumb bells. Obviously the gym is very important to me. I'd rather pay an additional $10/day for a gym that has new, quality, equipment with higher ceilings than have a free gym that is so terrible. Much lesser hotels in Chicago have much nicer gyms; I think that this was an afterthought - stuck in a converted conference room and not really important to the hotel management.

Last year I was in hotels nearly 3 nights out of every week. This one did nothing to impress me or standout. The room was probably a B to B+, but for me, it is the whole experience that sets the hotel apart, not just the comfort of the room. I guess I'm weighing the gym's D- grade too heavily, but that matters a lot to me. I paid $180/night and honestly could have stayed in a comparable (or nicer) room with a better gym for $75-$100/night using the 'bidding feature' of a popular website. If this Crowne Plaza wasn't close to my customer, I doubt that I would come back.

Updated contemporay style. rooms with balconies and interesting location in Greek Town are great atributes. Located in near west side, it's bit of walk to the loop. Cabs and buses nearby.

Hotel resturant is also stylish and friendly but very slow service. Greek resturant row and Starbucks one block south. Big grocery store (Dominick's) across the street to the north has everything...including another Starbucks. Across the expressway bridge is "Old St. Pat's--very friendly Catholic church with great music. Norh 2 blocks is Randolf street upscale trendy resturants.

Rooms and bathrooms are not big but well appointed. Bathroom door is sliding glass and doesn't feel as priviate as some would wish--good enough I guess.
Wish room had a small refrigerator.
DON'T USE THE HOTEL PARKING UNLESS YOU NEED IN AND OUT SERVICE. Directly across the street to the west is a much cheaper lot.
By the way if you are meeting guests in the resturant the hotel parking is free for them with validation.

Following a five day break in NYC, we followed this up with a four night break in Chicago. This is our second trip, the first being for a wedding when we stayed in the Drake hotel. Much preferred the Crowne Plaza, despite it was further out from the main tourist attractions. Rooms were excellent. Bed so comfortable that I could have taken it home with me. Service at hotel was second to none.

All I can say is try this hotel you will not be disappointed.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Metro for a conference in Chicago and stayed two nights. The hotel rate for the conference was lower than the state rate and very reasonable (for Chicago). I had a king bed/no smoking room on the eighth floor that looked out over the parking lot and the Dominicks food store. While it was a little noisy, it wasn't anything that kept me awake. The bed and linens were very nice - I love cotton blankets instead of acrylic - and there were lots of pillows. The desk space is nice and has plenty of outlets, but I only wished that it was possible to sit at the desk and see the television (which was a very nice flat screen). The room safe was big enough for my laptop and is free. The amenities are nice, plenty of soft towels, and a spacious counter are in the bathroom. I wore my white socks during my time in the room and based on that the carpet is very clean. I loved that there was a food store, drug store, and a variety of restaurants in Greek town just down the street (within 3 blocks). It is a hike to the Loop, but a short and cheap cab ride will get you there. The housekeeping was nice and, as a priority club member, I had turndown service without asking. The exercise room was clean and offered a container of Clorox cloths to wipe down equipment. Some of the equipment seemed to need a tune-up, but it was a slightly more complete gym that you usually see. Overall I think the Crowne Plaza Metro Chicago was worth the money and a good place to stay.