You know how the FBI blasted obnoxious music into the Branch Davidion compound in Waco as a form of psychological torture... well that is basically the Crown Plaza Metro. I arrived on a Saturday and had a presentation on Sunday, an important presentation.

I took my family with as we only live 3 hours away and the drive would be a good get-away for them while I was at my meeting. My daughter is 9. She is allergic to smoke so we got a non smoking room. By about 2 a.m. our room was filled with cigarette smoke and her eyes were puffy and she was sneezing incessantly.

At 12:30 a.m. the neighbors in a room separated by a connecting door started having a frat party and brought a stereo with a substantial woofer and started playing 120 bpm dance music all night. At 1 a.m., 3 a.m., 5 a.m., and 7 a.m. we called the operator and requested they put a stop to the loud music and smoking, to no avail.

The trucks whizzing by on the interstate were very loud but a welcome disruption from the terrible dance music shaking our walls. We eventually opened the balcony so my daughter could breath and were up all night.

I'm a private contractor and the parking and hotel room cost over $300 dollars for a one night stay. We would have gotten more rest sleeping in our car in a parking garage. I've had better experiences at the Motel 6.

If you being kept awake all night and psychologically tortured, stay here.

For my first extended trip to a big city (I'm from a small Midwestern town), the Crowne Plaza was excellent. I chose to stay here because I wanted to stay somewhere different than the hotels around my hometown. I was not disappointed. From the moment I stepped out of the taxi, the experience was great. The staff was great and knowledgeable. The hotel is very warm and inviting. The lobby is huge and beautifully decorated. The room (King suite 1531), was beyond what I had imagined. It had a seperate living room, with a TV, desk, chair, and sofa (which pulled out to a bed). Beyond that was the bathroom and bedroom. For seclusion, if there was anyone staying on the sofa bed, you could have privacy in the bedroom by closing the door. The bedroom also had a TV, and the most comfortable bed I have ever laid in. The balcony had a stunning view of the Greek Town (Greek Walgreen's right across the street), and to the left, the Sears Tower. The bathroom was equally stunning. I loved the rainfall shower head; it was very relaxing. The lighting in the entire room was able to be dimmed, which was great. I can't wait to go back.

We stayed at the Crowne the last weekend in Feb. We had never stayed there and weren't quite sure what to expect. The staff were all very friendly and welcoming. It is a great location if you are interested in dining ...some great spots just to the north that are within walking distance. Our group had corner king rooms...the rooms were a little cozy, but the beds were very comfortable.
Great value and a spot I would highly recommend.

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.