Description:
Housing five in Chicago isn’t easy or inexpensive. When looking for two nights lodging in the center of the Second City, I remembered staying here on business two years ago. Given Embassy Suites’ $160-$180 per night price tag, our family usually makes other choices with our own travel dollars. But with standard two-bedrooms going for $150, when a $135 per night pre-paid rate popped up at the Hilton website, I grabbed it.
There are two Embassy Suites downtown, one in the middle of the theatres on State Street (they weren’t offering any discounts). We stayed in the other, just north of the river on Columbus Street at Illinois, close to Navy Pier. It’s a mile to Millennium Park and the Art Institute, a few blocks west to Michigan Avenue and the start of the Magnificent Mile, and a short cab ride to nearly everything else.
The building’s lower levels are occupied by an AMC Theatres complex and garage, creating an unusual arrangement: the hotel uses only a small section of the ground level—enough for the bell stand, valet parking, and a bank of elevators that take you to the ‘Sky Lobby’ on the fifth floor.
From here to the top at the 17th floor, the building belongs to Embassy Suites. A huge central atrium extends to the roof, with the rooms all located on its exterior and reached by a separate set of four elevators that look south on the city through the building’s glass wall. Registration, a bar, the breakfast/reception and seating area, and the pool are all located here. A long, attractive black granite wall sets off three parabolic water fountains, with rows of bamboo trees in planters framing two sides of the seating area.
It’s a pleasant and impressive space, but a little noisy this holiday weekend, the night before the Bears’ first playoff game. When that activity continued into the late hours, the noise easily made it into the outer room of our suite, even on the 13th floor (or so our kids reported). 
The breakfast is impressive, whether you opt for a cooked-to-order omelet or stick with the buffet items. Eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage, fresh fruit, pastries, pancakes, yogurt—feeding a family of five here for two mornings was probably worth a third of the room price. The evening reception was much less extensive, and seemed designed to temper the volume of food required with a limited serving area, and consequently, longer lines. The snackish items were good, though.
The room was a typical Embassy Suites layout, with two extremely comfortable doubles in the bedroom. The suite space helps when the room is ‘home’ for most of three days. Some late-night noise came through from neighboring rooms, but less than average at most hotels. The staff were all friendly and helpful, from bellman to valet to concierge to reception staff. I’d certainly stay here again for business, and—as long as I could retreat to the quieter bedroom—pleasure.
Close