Old American Luxury
The Chicago Hilton sits on South Michigan Avenue, at the Southern end of The Loop, which means that it's really convenient for the parks, museum campus and Soldier Field, but a bit of a hike up to the Magnificent Mile and restaurant quarter. All the same, the location is really pretty by comparison to some of the more central hotels in Chicago.
As soon as you enter the Hilton you can't help but be wowed by the sheer scale and grandeur of the building. We visited at Christmastime and the Christmas tree in the main lobby really was the most magnificent sight. The hotel even had a gingerbread house in the lift area - made from real gingerbread.
The ceilings are high and the chandeliers sparkle and it gives the Hilton the feeling of being one of the prettiest hotels in the city. Check-in was efficient and staff were pleasant and helpful at every encounter.
I can't say that the view from our room was the nicest. We were 19 floors up in an alcove with a view of the Blackstone Hotel next door, which made the room a bit on the dark side. But the room was still very nice. The bed was delicious. You felt that you could just melt into it, it was so marshmallow soft and cosy. The TV was big and the interactive computer guide to the city was a really nice touch. The added bonus being able to complete airline check-in from the comfort of the room showed that they'd really tried to think of everything.
The bathrooom, unfortunately, really let the room down. It was dated, the bath wasn't deep enough to boil a potato, the taps dripped and the toilet leaked a little each time it was flushed. The bath wasn't dirty, but did look like it was showing lots of signs of age. That said, the shower was powerful and hot, which was its one redeeming feature. The only other niggle with the room was the lack of any noise reduction from the glazing. Even on the 19th floor you could hear absolutely everything from street level as though it was right outside of your window, and as the taxi drivers will honk their horns at anything moving or still at any time of the day or night a lie-in is pretty much out of the question.
The facilities at the hotel are plentiful - it's virtually its own resort. The pub, Kitty O'Shea gets quite busy, especially when the Bears are in town. We didn't eat there but word is that it's quite pricy and the menu was sparse. The little cafe, Snax, was quite reasonable. It was effectively an expanded Starbucks, but had a good range of breakfast, lunch and snack items at decent prices. The hotel also boasts its own steakhouse and grill, and a gift shop. I didn't use the fitness suite but a quick peek through the doors showed it to be a good solid facility.
Overall, The Hilton is a good hotel. I'd stay here again in a flash, if only for the kudos of walking through those doors to see that huge Christmas tree!