Chicago's Essex Inn

Very clean, warm, good-smelling place; close to a CTA stop. It's currently being renovated, so I hope it doesn't go too far up in price. But this is the second time I've stayed at the Essex, and I'll definitely stay there again.

The hotel was in the perfect location - right downtown on Michigan Street - walking distance to almost everything. The hotel room was spotless, beds comfortable (although small for a queen). Even thought the hotel was going through some remodeling of the lobby the service was great and the personnel working there were extremely nice and very helpful. We came by train and what a great experience that was. We went to the Blue Man Group, a Bulls game and the Navy Pier and Sheds Aquarium, just to name a few of the events we planned. Great coffee shops behind on the next block, great little lunch spots and breakfast at the Yolk just down the street.

My first impression of the hotel was NOT good because they are under a re-model of the lobby and a big part of the lobby walls are boarded up. I would have liked to know that before I got there. Our three-day stay was actually fine though. I would have liked two chairs in the room, not just one, given that we were two people. I was visiting Columbia College with my daughter, and the Essex location was perfect. We went to the restaurant attached to the Essex for breakfast on morning and soup one night and both meals were very good.Noise? There is a train that travels close by, but the sound proofing in the rooms is good enough to block most of it out and we slept very well.

Our timing was a bit unfortunate as the hotel was going through a renovation of the main floor but in spite of this, our stay was very pleasant. They have a very nice pool, a workout facility and the rooms are pleasant. The floor to ceiling windows in the room gave us great views of the lake and it was an easy walk to the museum campus (Shedd, Adler and Field) and a pleasant walk to much of downtown.

I recently visited Chicago for sight-seeing and stayed at the Essex Inn for one night. As I was searching for places to stay, I immediately understood that staying in downtown Chicago is really expensive. Most hotels started from $250 per night for a standard double bedroom. The dismal part was that parking is generally not included in your hotel charge and has to be done at an extra cost. The biggest advantage of this hotel is its location. It is situated within about a mile's walking distance from most major downtown attractions in Chicago (the Willis Tower, Navy Pier, the Magnificent Mile, the Buckingham Fountain, the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum). After I reached Chicago, I did not bother to get into my car as I could just walk to all these places. The hotel itself would not leave a great impression by its look from outside, but the room was clean. They offer free Wifi, while most other hotels make you pay a surcharge. This is another advantage. There is a great indoor pool and fitness center that is open long hours which could be convenient for fitness freaks. You could either work out early before your sight-seeing or return later in the evening and get it done. That would be another big plus for the hotel. Breakfast was not included, but that seemed to be the case with all other hotels in Chicago when I did my search. That would be a minus, not for the hotel, but for Chicago itself! Parking costed me a fifth of my hotel stay itself. They valet your car for $41 per night. If you would really like to save on that, you could just park your car in one of the several public parking lots located in the neighborhood (there is a public parking at almost every block) that is twice cheaper if you did an overnight parking. When I checked out the following morning I still had about 6 hours of allotted parking time remaining. I had quite a few places to visit and thought that I might be gone an hour longer than my scheduled car pick-up time. As I thought that it would not be sensible to return to the hotel just to move my car, I had requested if they would bear with me in case I got delayed by an hour or so. I was told that it would cost me an additional $14 per hour if I did not pick up my car on time. I just decided to move my car right away to a nearby public parking where I ended up paying $12 for the next 10 hours that gave me ample time to complete my sight-seeing. Bottom line: This is a decent place if you need to stay in downtown Chicago (the loop). Be prepared to spend a lot of money, in general during your visit. You could plan ahead and save money through time management and utilizing public parking.

The location of this hotel was ideal for the trip! The service was not anything too special and the lobby's construction definitely did not make the entrance appealing. No major complaints, overall I would stay there again!

It was a great location to walk to things. Staff and hotel were great ! Had an amazing time !

Great hotel,fair price and wonderful location. We were in town to attend Legends to see Buddy Guy. Walk was about 1 1/2 blks. Will return in the summer and take advantage of their shuttle service to Navy Pier & surrounding sites.

I didn't have any major problems at the Essex Inn during a recent business trip there. The staff was great. They printed my event itinerary right at the desk when I explained that I needed a printer. If I can't get a place closer the Loop or the Magnificent Mile, I'd stay here again, but I wouldn't go around telling folks to stay at the Essex if they asked. They are much better places.

The good location of this nice hotel gave us a good chance to have an amazing vacation during the Thanksgiving break.