Across the street from Grant Park
Comfortable rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, mini-fridges, and flat-screen TVs
Impressive fitness center with sauna
Rooftop garden with views of Lake Michigan
Free shuttle to tourist sights
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Valet parking is pricey
Rooms are on the small side
Halls are dark and a little musty
Decor is generic and slightly dated
This 254-room Chicago's Essex Inn is a decent value pick across the street from Grant Park, near the Museum Campus. Some of the comfortable (if chain-like) rooms have great views of the lake and the hotel's state-of-the-art fitness center is a huge plus. It's true that leisure travelers can usually find comparable hotels farther north for similar rates (like the Best Western Hawthorne Terrace), but the hotel's free Michigan Avenue shuttle to popular sites helps compensate for the South Loop location.
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Scene
Generic decor, but great extras like a rooftop garden
Inside, Chicago's Essex Inn feels somewhat generic -- ugly carpets, chain-like furniture, and few personalized details or artistic touches. But its great extras -- a rooftop garden overlooking Lake Michigan, a free shuttle to tourist sights -- make it better than a run-of-the-mill mid-range property. Plus, it's got great amenities for both families and business travelers: Coin-operated laundry, mini-fridges, and large suites for families, and a 24-hour business center and quality fitness center for business travelers.
Location
In South Loop, overlooking Michigan Ave and Grant Park
Chicago's Essex Inn is located on the southern end of the so-called Michigan Avenue Cultural Mile, the stretch of Michigan Avenue that runs from the Chicago River down the length of Grant Park. It gets its name from the numerous cultural attractions it goes past, including the Jay Pritzer Pavilion at Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum Campus, home to the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History.The Loop, the historic commercial center of Downtown Chicago, is a five-minute drive or 15-minute walk away. Magnificent Mile, an iconic stretch of North Michigan Avenue famous for its upscale shopping, and home to galleries and landmarks (the historic Water Tower, the Wrigley Building) is a seven-minute drive away. The hotel provides a free shuttle that makes four runs in the morning to the Museum Campus and then makes stops in the afternoon at North Michigan Avenue, the Art Institute, and Navy Pier.- Across the street from Grant Park
Rooms
Floor-to-ceiling windows, mini-fridges, and flat-screen TVs
All the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, some with great views of Lake Michigan, Grant Park, and the Museum Campus. The decor is generic and dated, but there are some nice conveniences: mini-fridge, coffeemakers, flat-screen LCD TVs with cable channels, alarm clock radios with iPod hookups, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms have shower/tub combos and Caswell-Massey toiletries.
Features
Rooftop garden with city and lake views and a 1,350-square-foot fitness center with a sauna
Chicago's Essex Inn has a rooftop garden overlooking Grant Park and Lake Michigan, and a well-equipped fitness center with treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, weight machines, free weights, and a sauna.Chicago's Essex Inn runs a free shuttle to Museum Campus, North Michigan Avenue, the Art Institute, and Navy Pier. Valet parking is charged per day, with in-and-out privileges. There are five meeting/banquet rooms, plus a laundry room with supplies and coin-operated machine. A 24-hour business center has desktop computers, a printer, and a copy machine (for a fee); a fax machine is at the front desk. Wi-Fi is free throughout.The hotel has been awarded for its waste minimization, water and energy efficiency, and other environmentally-friendly practices.
Double Suite
Family Room
King Deluxe Room
King Suite
Standard Room
United States
