The better Chicago hotel?

September 14, 2007 9:33 AM

Which Chicago hotel is most appropriate for important business visitors?

My choices are the Belden-Stratford, The Crowne Plaza (733 W Madison), or The Willows (Surf St). I've looked at all three from the outside and seen the websites. I would prefer the two closest to Lincoln Park but I'm afraid the Belden and Willows would have very small rooms. I would love informed opinions from anyone who has stayed at any of these hotels.

posted by who squared to Travel & Transportation around Chicago, IL (9 answers total)

The Willows if in a fairly residential street, though it is close to Lincoln Park. It's a smaller building, but I've never stayed there. For downtown options I've stayed in Allegro and had a good experience. Inn at Lincoln Park was very friendly, and the King bed rooms were spacious (the double bed was less so) but isn't very glitzy.
posted by ejaned8 at 9:58 AM on September 14, 2007

I've stayed at the Belden-Stratford - we stayed in a suite, which was basically a one-bedroom apartment with a nice living room. It was quite spacious, with a full bedroom, nice living room, and galley kitchen. I would not classify it as high-end in terms of the finishings, but it was very nice in a comfortable faded-oriental-rug kind of way rather than feeling like a hotel. If you can get those suites (which were not much more than a regular hotel room) I would not worry about room size at all.
posted by true at 9:59 AM on September 14, 2007

I have stayed at The Willows (formerly The Surf) and the regular rooms are indeed quite small. Although I have not stayed in one of their suites, I have at their sister hotel, The Majestic, and their king suite is quite nice, with a bedroom, sitting area and kitchenette.

The basic room size aside, both hotels are quite nice with excellent service, free wifi and you can't beat the location.
posted by bradlands at 10:42 AM on September 14, 2007

I've stayed at that Crowne Plaza. Its only average as far as business travel hotels go. The gym is in a tiny stuffy room, and the hotel breakfast isn't that great. Plus not many good restaurants nearby. I would recommend The Drake, The Intercontinental, or The Chicago Hilton.

I did a 3-month stint of working in Chicago 4 days/week, and I preferred the Chicago Hilton. Great lake views, and you can taxi anywhere in the city for $8 or $9.

If your business visitors are frequent travellers, they probably have preferred hotel chains that they want to be loyal too (i.e hilton brands, marriott brands etc). You could ask the travellers if they have a preference.
posted by BigVACub at 11:31 AM on September 14, 2007

I know that it doesn't really help you, but the reality is that none of those places is appropriate for "important business visitors."
posted by iknowizbirfmark at 11:43 AM on September 14, 2007

Yeah, I second iknowizbirfmark on that one. If they're that important, set them up at a truly decent joint.

I stayed at the Four Seasons in Chicago just a couple weeks ago and it was terrific - they have meeting rooms available, roomy guest rooms, and a genuine business center with decent PCs and printers.

Also, it's the Four Fking Seasons, which means the place is very attractive and the service is unparalleled. Something like 300-500 a night. As long as you're going to the trouble, do it right.
posted by BigLankyBastard at 12:04 PM on September 14, 2007

I'm thinking The Palmer House is still teh shit.
posted by phaedon at 12:32 PM on September 14, 2007

The Palmer House is a crapshoot. for the same money, you can get a closet or a suite. It runs on the massive conventions in pumps through its doors. Fine place, but not what the requestor is asking about. It's also a ways away from Lincoln Park.

The old-school "the shit" places are still the Drake and The Ambassador East. The "new" kids are the Peninsula and the Raffaelo, and though I've not been there, the Sofitel Water Tower Place.

The Farimont is not half-bad, and its proximity to NBC-Chicago means that the visiting celebs are often there.

The first one that went through my mind from the way the question was posed is the Ambassador East.
posted by beelzbubba at 7:33 PM on September 14, 2007

I realize I am coming very late to the party but felt like stressing to any reader of this thread to absolutely positively avoid the Drake. man, that place is gawd awful and stuck very very deep in the fifties. they need to renovate badly.

I do like what I keep on hearing about the peninsula, especially it's restaurant, but wonder why nobody on here has mentioned The James, which from anyone I know to have stayed there got massively good reviews.
posted by krautland at 4:17 PM on May 13, 2008