Fiancee and I stayed here recently (Jun/09) to check out apartments in South loop area and for a bit of romantic R-and-R. (Didn't quite do it for us for latter purpose). Booked through Hotwire (maybe that was the mistake), which rated this at 4.5 stars (wish I had a BS detector). Upon arrival, discovered only one parking option exists... valet, which runs $53 per day. Ok, fine. Then, at check-in, lady told us room we were getting was great with spectacular views... lie. Come to find out, room was musty smelling, worn-looking (and I don't mean the decor) and very dark. Serious need for a remodeling/redecorating, at least for our room. As for the "spectacular view", one small window in the corner with a partial view of Chicago River and Michigan Ave; what a joke. Then discovered hot water fixture in sink was broken. Called to report it; all they could offer was that they'd send someone to take a look at it... no offer for room change, voucher, nada, not even a thank you for having reported it. Noise from hallway other room doors opening/closing was very apparent and annoying. Felt a bit like we were in a cruise ship, as the nickel-and-dime approach to a few of the amenities seems to be the other modus operandi at this hotel (following the trend of the big-chain hotel industry it would seem); $12.95/day for wireless, for example. Even though we booked through Hotwire (somewhat of a deal, relatively speaking), based on what we observed and experienced, this hotel does not deserve to be rated higher than 3.5 (4 maybe, but that's stretching it) EVEN at the price we paid (just under $200). Other than that, service was just "okay", nothing special. Hotels in this tier really need to take that extra step make you want to return or at least attempt to provide a memorable stay. In this regard, the Intercontinental just falls flat and is way out of its league... it simply offers nothing that to make it, or your stay, stand out. Take this together with the above-mentioned demerits, and I would have to recommend that you seriously consider staying elsewhere. Prospective travelers (and hotels, for that matter) can (and do) much better than this, especially in this area and price range. I'm somewhat disappointed with Hotwire as well... I've had good luck with them in the past, but they have never been quite this far off-the-mark in terms of rating and overall value.