Nice Hotel, Great Location
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza February 4-5, 2012 for a quick family getaway. Our room was a corner suite on the 22nd floor. From the bedroom, we had a nice view of the corner of Michingan Ave & Huron (could see right down inside the sky window of the Apple Store). 
The room was nice. It had a desk, a hide-a-bed. flat screen TV, and minibar-fridge in the living room. The bathroom was standard, clean, nothing out of the ordinary for a hotel. The bedroom had a king size bed and a TV. All pillows including the extras for the hide-a-bed were feather down. The room was very clean, no complaints at all. 
The lobby was nice enough, but there wasn't much going on. Check in was quick and easy. Never had to wait long for an elevator. We checked out the sky lounge for sunday brunch, but didn't eat. It was a little pricey for the limited buffet. It did have a great view. The pool is on the roof, but was obviously closed and drained being it was February. I had read other reviews about the noise. My kids did remark that the noise from Michigan Avenue disturbed them a little. I had a long day and slept like a rock.
Maybe the best aspect was the location. It is right in the middle of the Magnificent Mile. We took the kids to the Water Tower Place to the American Girl & Lego stores. It is only about 3 blocks north of the hotel. We lucked out and had pretty good weather for the season. If you're not from New York, it probably doesn't get any better than this if you are looking for a big city experience.
Lastly, we got the room on Groupon and paid roughtly half price. We thought it was a very good deal. But even at full price, I still think it is a good option for a stay.