Hotels in Chicago

Downtown Chicago is packed with hotels, thanks to the city's position as the business center of the Midwest. The majority are tucked amid the high-rises of the Loop and North Michigan Avenue, so staying here offers the pros and cons of any urban destination: Your room may look out onto a stunning cityscape, or no farther than the building next door. Lake Michigan views are highly prized -- and therefore command the highest prices. Although every hotel caters to business travelers, this is not a city where luxury hotels have dibs on all the prime real estate; casual, family-friendly properties are scattered throughout downtown. Affordable rooms, unfortunately, aren't so easy to find: Chicago hotels are among the most expensive in the country.

The Big Picture -- For the most part, Chicago hotels offer a quintessential urban experience: Rooms come with views of surrounding skyscrapers, and the bustle of city life hits you as soon as you step outside the lobby doors. Every major hotel chain is represented here, from the traditionally luxe Ritz-Carlton and Peninsula to the more casual, family-focused Embassy Suites or Best Western River North. But many hotels here have their own unique character.

Chicago has its share of places that tout themselves as "boutique" hotels, such as the Hotel Felix, but these aren't quite the same as their New York, Miami, or Los Angeles counterparts; the so-called beautiful people who frequent these spots on the coasts aren't likely to stop off in Chicago. No matter where you stay in town, you'll likely find that your fellow guests are business travelers or vacationing families, though the boutiques attract a generally younger crowd.

Tourist Information -- Chicago tourism's website (www.choosechicago.com) allows you to book hotels via Expedia as well as complete travel packages. Also try the Illinois Office of Tourism.

Alternative Accommodations -- If you'd prefer to stay in a private home, a centralized reservations service called At Home Inn Chicago, P.O. Box 14088, Chicago, IL 60614 (tel. 800/375-7084 or 312/640-1050; fax 312/640-1012; www.athomeinnchicago.com), lists more than 70 accommodations in the city. Options range from high-rise and loft apartments to guest rooms carved from a former private club on the 40th floor of a Loop office building. Most lie within 3 miles of downtown (many are located in the Gold Coast, Old Town, and Lincoln Park neighborhoods). Most require a minimum stay of 2 or 3 nights.

While hotels are the most obvious—and plentiful—option, cost-saving alternatives abound. As in any major city, vacation rentals have been a game changer. The city regulates these (or tries to) so look for homeowners that mention a license on Airbnb, etc.

For a traditional B&B, the site Chicago Bed and Breakfasts (www.bedandbreakfast.com) lists the availability and rates for bed and breakfasts. Prices range from about $99 to $200 a night.

And a handful of hostels are centrally located bargains. The Freehand Chicago, 19 E. Ohio St. (tel. 312/940-3699; www.freehandhotels.com), is a trendy River North hotel that also has quad hostel rooms, with bed rates as low as $30 a night. At HI Chicago, The J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel, just off Michigan Avenue (24 E. Congress Pkwy.; tel. 312/360-0300; www.hiusa.org), beds in minimalist shared rooms start at $28 and private suites start at $85 per night.

What You'll Really Pay

Chicago hotel rates vary widely throughout the year, making it difficult to pin down the average price for any given property. For each hotel listed, I've provided a range of rates that reflect the city's seasonal price fluctuations (cheaper in the winter, more expensive in the summer). The highest rate, known as the rack rate, is the maximum a hotel charges.

You can typically find discounts of up to 20% for rooms when booking through websites such as hotels.com or expedia.com. The hotels' own websites are also a good place to check for specials. During slow times, it's not impossible to obtain a room at an expensive property for the same rate as a more moderate one. Note: Quoted rates do not include Chicago's hefty hotel tax; at 17.4%, it can add significantly to the cost of your stay.

Getting the Best Deal -- Because Chicago's hospitality industry caters first and foremost to the business traveler, rates tend to be higher during the week. The city's slow season is from January to March, when outsiders steer clear of the cold and the threat of being snowed in at O'Hare. If you're not doing a lot of outdoor sightseeing, it's a great time to take advantage of the lowest room rates of the year.

Hotels charge premium prices during major conventions, most notably the International Home & Housewares Show in early March and the Restaurant Show in late May. Other conventions gobble up desirable rooms periodically throughout the year.

The best rates tend to show up on the hotels' websites, which often tout special deals. The only downside to booking online is that you often can't be sure what kind of room you're getting (at older properties in particular, room sizes can vary widely, as can the views). Follow up with a call to the hotel if you want to make sure your windows don't look out on an alley.

A local service, Hot Rooms (tel. 800/468-3500 or 773/468-7666; www.hotrooms.com), offers discounts of 25% to 50% off standard rates. (The rates here aren't always cheaper than the hotels' own websites, but it's worth checking out.) The 24-hour service is free, but if you cancel a reservation, you're assessed a $25 fee.

Most hotels offer discounts of roughly 10% to individuals who are visiting Chicago on business. To qualify for this rate, your company usually must have an account on file at the hotel. In some cases, however, you may be required only to present some perfunctory proof of your commercial status, such as a business card or an official letterhead, to receive the discount. It never hurts to ask.

Chicago Hotels Go Green

With their large-scale heating and cooling costs -- not to mention all those loads of laundry -- Chicago's hotels suck up a considerable amount of energy. Now the city's hospitality industry is taking a leading role in lessening that environmental footprint. About two dozen local hotels have signed up for a city-wide Green Hotels Initiative, signaling their commitment to recycling and energy conservation.

Hotel Allegro, Hotel Monaco, and Hotel Palomar -- all part of the Kimpton hotel chain -- print all material on recycled paper using soy-based inks. Though all three hotels are located in historic buildings, they've been fitted with energy-efficient lighting and air-conditioning systems.

At the Talbott Hotel, automatic sensors adjust the lighting, heating, and air-conditioning in low-traffic areas when they're not in use, and unused in-room soaps and shampoos are donated to a charity that recycles them for the needy. The hotel also purchases wind energy credits to offset 100% of the property's carbon footprint.

The InterContinental Chicago was the first hotel in the city to receive an Energy Star rating from the Environmental Protection Agency, thanks to its use of water-conserving toilets and sinks and motion-sensitive thermostats in the guest rooms (which lower the heat or air-conditioning when there's no one inside).

Then there's the Hotel Felix, the first hotel in the city to be built from the ground up with environmentally sensitive practices in mind. Sustainable or recycled materials were used throughout the property, from the flooring to the bedding.