I recently spent four nights at the Homewood Suites in Downtown Chicago. Overall, I had a very pleasant stay. The room was spacious, service was good, location was excellent, and the price was outstanding.

The entrance to the hotel is small and easy to miss. It's little more than a door with an awning, and inside you will find only a bell/parking desk and the elevators. This also acts as a security checkpoint; you must show your key to get access to the elevators. The lobby is a few floors up, and is a nice comfortable space with sofas, chairs, etc.

Off the lobby is a dining room, where the complete buffet breakfast, included in the price of the room, is available. It's better than the continental breakfast offered in some hotels, but not quite up to the level of the made to order breakfast at a competing suites chain. The dining room also hosts a nice reception in the evenings with wine and finger foods. Fitness facilities are available at a nearby club.

As is typical of Homewood Suites, my room was a spacious one bedroom apartment, complete with a full kitchen, including a stove, microwave, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, dishes, utensils, pots and pans. The living/kitchen area is quite large, somewhat under furnished and under decorated, but still comfortable. There is a sofa (which can be pulled out into a bed), a large comfortable chair, and a couple of tables in addition to a television. There is also a desk that can double as a dining table if necessary. Given the amount of available space, a separate small dining table would fit, and would have been a good addition.

The bedroom by itself is as large as most regular hotel rooms. Mine had two double beds, a small dresser (a larger one would be better, especially since this is supposed to be an extended stay hotel), a full closet, and another television. Again, a little more furniture and decorative touches would have been appreciated, but everything was fine and in good shape. The bathroom was basic but clean and everything was in working order.

The location is terrific. It's a block and a half to Michigan Avenue, and just a few blocks up to Michigan Avenue shopping. There is a mall directly across the street with a Nordstrom, and several other stores nearby. The El (elevated/subway) is nearby, and it's only one stop to State Street shopping. Other major hotels are close (my conference was at the Marriott, which is less than a block away). There are also several restaurants in the neighborhood.

It's a good thing that things are close and that public transportation is nearby, because the parking situation is terrible - valet only, expensive (over $30 a day), and slow.

One other complaint: The hotel has free wireless internet, but the hotspot was not strong enough to get a decent signal to my room. There is no provision for using regular Ethernet. My options were to go to the lobby, or use dial-up.

Overall, I had a very pleasant stay. With my corporate discount, my room was less than $120 a night, less than staying at any other regular full service hotel in the area. My travel plans are likely to take me back to Chicago, and I will probably stay at the Homewood Suites again.


Recommended: Yes