What was not to like about this property? The check in was prompt and courteous. We were given a room on the 8th floor although we aren't Starwood Honors. Can't figure out why we got it since we paid only $106 per night which I felt was a bargain in Chicago.

The room was comfortable, the bed was perfect and the microwave and refrigerator were very handy. The last morning before going to Midway we purchased breakfast burritos next door at Trader Joes and popped them in the microwave.

The location of the hotel is very convenient to everything in the downtown area. You couldn't leave the hotel without someone on the staff asking if you needed a taxi. Very professional staff including the maid.

This will be our hotel when we return to Chicago.

After reading some of the more recent positive reviews, I was a bit disappointed upon experiencing this hotel myself.
Some of my disappointments included:
* Room and hallways feel a bit dated, and do not feel fresh. I could smell stale pee on the sofa in our room.
* The hotel hot tub was gross. There was brown scum in the bubbles. Never went more than once because of this. Also, no change room by the pool.
* The front desk did not want to be there, and it showed. I felt like such an inconvenience whenever I asked a question.
* Location: I actually prefer to stay in the Loop area. Magnificent Mile area is too busy and over-priced. We wanted a deep dish pizza one night on the weekend, and every deep dish restaurant had a line outside. Didn't have this problem in the Loop area. And note to shoppers - there is more variety and better deals at stores in the Loop area (e.g. Macy's on State St. is better than Macy's at Magnificant Mile; Filene's Basement on State St. is much better than the one on Magnificent Mile, and same with Nordstrom and Marshalls on State St.)
* Too many families with kids & strollers staying at this hotel for my liking. This might explain the pee smell on our sofa.
There were some positive points to this hotel:
* Value. Paid only $800 Canadian for a package deal consisting of four nights at this hotel (over Easter Weekend) and round trip flights from Toronto (for two people).
* The Bellmen were extremely nice, unlike the desk workers.
* The rooms were quite spacious. I think we may have been upgraded without requesting it.
* The business center came in handy, as we needed to print something.
* There is free coffee on the 3rd floor.
* The hotel did keep our luggage in storage, since our flight was many hours after our check-out time.
* I did like the smell of apple cider in the lobby, as noted by a previous review.

As a comparison, we liked Hotel Blake much more than this hotel (refer to my Blake review) . Both are listed as 3-star hotels, but Blake felt like a 3+ star hotel, and is botique style.

Only spent one night but we had a great experience. We were able to check in early and they upgraded us to a larger room, which doesn't happen often when we travel. The staff was helpful. The room was very comfortable for us (it included a microwave and refrigerator) and immaculate. Another traveler's comments reminded me of the squeeky clean tub that's almost slippery. I forgot to ask what they use to clean their tubs! All looked recently remodeled. The pool is small but the kids enjoyed it. My only complaint about the entire visit was that there was too much chlorine in the hot tub. My husband liked the free internet but wasn't able to get that connected; we probably could have gotten that resolved but didn't bother. The location is close walking distance to Michigan Avenue shopping and many good restaurants. There is no full service restaurant on site but it's not a problem unless, I suppose, the weather was awful and you couldn't get out easily. But what a terrific value for a hotel. We hope to be back!

We loved the location of the hotel. The room was spacious, the bed a dream. Wonderful to have the convenience of a microwave and refrigerator. We were allowed to check in early which we so appreciated after a very early flight. Free use of the business center was very helpful. Very nice and friendly staff. Enjoyed the whirlpool after lots of walking each day.