The Kimpton brand of hotels prides itself on offering comfortable boutique accommodations in historically significant settings. A night at downtown Chicago’s Hotel Burnham marked my first experience with the brand. This highly ranked hotel provided a mostly-comfortable stay that was well worth the $100 we spent on it via Hotwire.

Know Before You Go
Hotel Burnham is one of three Kimpton hotels in Chicago. It is located in the city’s theater district, adjacent to Macy’s department store and within walking distance of innumerable restaurants and shops. A five minute walk gets you to Millennium Park, while seven minutes will find you at the Art Institute. If you book directly with the hotel, you can expect to pay around $200 for this branch.

Architecture buffs will find the building alone enough reason to stay at this hotel. Hotel Burnham is housed in the historic Reliance Building, constructed in 1895. We saw photographs of the building displayed at the Cultural Center and learned that it was fairly groundbreaking for its time and ushered in a new era of skyscraper construction. While it looks fairly mini compared to today’s metal monstrosities, the Reliance Building still stands out for its attractive facade.

Valet parking at the hotel is $40.00 per day for hotel guests. You can do much better than this even within the same block. We found a garage for $29.00 per night, and I know I’ve parked in this area for $25.00 before.

First Impressions
We arrived at the Hotel Burnham in the early evening and were greeted warmly by both door and front desk staff. I noted the cozy, attractive lobby decorated with rich reds and golds, with couples seated on winged armchairs sipping out of wine goblets.

We were checked in promptly and given heavy gold keys. The “historic” elevators made me a little nervous, but some will probably see them as a cultural experience. The alternative is a neat-looking old-style stairwell but we were located on the fourteenth floor out of fifteen.

The Room
Our room was slightly smaller than standard, but not by enough to cause a serious problem. We enjoyed an excellent view of the street and landmark Chicago Theatre sign. Kimpton has done a good job of creating a guest space that is unique and fanciful without being tacky. The room was done in blue and gold, with touches that seemed almost Middle Eastern. We had a small canopy over the bed, an ornate wall mirror, and an array of decorative pillows of all sizes and shapes. The bed was a double instead of a king or queen, so be prepared to snuggle if you stay here. A winged armchair, small desk, and television cabinet rounded out the furnishings. Hotel Burnham doesn’t offer much in the way of technology. We had a radio/CD player combo, but you won’t find an iPod docking station here, nor a flat screen television. The free internet is wired and cumbersome to use. What the hotel lacks in modern conveniences, though, it makes up in homey little touches. We noted a leather ice bucket, wine glasses, and adorable animal print robes.

The bathroom was small but spotlessly clean, with a terry cloth shower curtain. We had good water pressure and the temperature was easy to control. The highlight, though, was the presence of luxurious L’Occitane toiletries – soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion.

I have only one major complaint with the room. Construction (think jackhammering) disrupted our peaceful night of sleep, awakening us at 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. High thread count sheets simply couldn’t make up for the high level of noise we endured for a good two hours. I probably wouldn’t stay at this hotel again until the streetwork outside is completed

Amenities and Services
Hotel Burnham is a small city hotel, so don’t expect a fancy pool or workout facility. It does have a place to get some grub – a large portion of the lobby space is dominated by the popular Atwood Cafe, an upscale restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a sidewalk view. Room service is available 24 hours. The hotel also provides free Starbucks Coffee and Tazo Tea to patrons each morning.

As one might expect, Hotel Burnham offers cleaning and shoeshine along with business services. This is a pet-friendly hotel which gives a lot of press to it’s dog-owner “packages.”

Overall…
While we didn’t get as much sleep as we had hoped for, our stay at the Hotel Burnham was otherwise quite pleasant. This hotel is ideally located for those attending a show or visiting the Art Institute, and makes a nice contrast to the bland, boring chain hotels scattered all over Chicago. My recommendation? Wait until the construction in the area is completed and then give Hotel Burnham a try.

Recommended: Yes