Classy hotel, beautiful views, & friendly staff
My wife and I booked this hotel for my birthday / anniversary getaway. We were a little hesitant not using our Gold status and points at our beloved Marriott as I have stayed there in the past (across the street). We found a great package on Expedia and decided to give the InterContinental a try.
That being said, upon check-in, our Room Specialist (Patrick Taylor) first verified for us that we were not being overcharged (which we were not). Patrick was extremely courteous and overly friendly. After some general small talk and asking the reason for our travels, he surprised us with an upgrade to a better view once he knew it was our anniversary weekend. We were in room 2301 and our window looked out at the Chicago River and the Tribune building. I don't believe it was a larger room than a regular King, but the view more than made up for it.
This hotel has a great location - right in the middle of everything. We were able to walk to the Navy Pier (15 min), great restaurants (Hubbard Street - 5 min), Millenium Park (10 min), and the CTA (5 min) was a couple blocks away where we made our way up to Wrigley, down to U.S. Cellular field, and back to O'Hare. We highly recommend the Park Grill at the Plaza in Millenium Park - stiff cold drinks for hot days! Lee, Brian, and O'Malley were great bartenders (just tell O'Malley that he looks like Russell Martin haha). Good tips are well deserved! Oh, did I mention it looks right at The Bean? From the hotel, we did take a cab to the Willis (Sears) Tower for about $6 just because we didn't feel like taking the metro there, but did walk back so my wife could further enjoy the city for the first time.
Back to the InterContinental. There were definitely a couple conventions going on and the hotel was packed with teenagers and adults awake at all hours, but you could hear a pin drop in our room. We never heard a sound!The bed was very comfortable; the towels just a little rough (and only 2 of each). The maid service was very friendly every day and happily accommodated any needs or requests (including more towels!). We left the hotel mid-morning after long nights and would sometimes come back as early as 3pm to freshen up, and the room was always made. Everyone from the bellboys to the bartenders at Michael Jordan's were always nice and helpful. We only stopped for drinks at MJ's once (3 drinks for about $50) so it brought back the reminder that we could have had free drinks at the Marriott concierge lounge. 
However, the high class feel of this hotel, amazing lobby with the coolest front desk I have ever seen (perhaps short of the Caribbean), and the nicest staff will definitely make me want to come back again. Sooner rather than later.