The hotel's location was great for climbing on public transportation and the desk staff was more than willing to print out directions to any activity along with different forms of transportation. We were within walking distance of any shopping we could want. We found breakfast at the hotel very expensive. There were resteraunts close by for other meals.The matresses were hard and thin, pillows were not great, but the rooms were clean. The pool looks much bigger in the picture than it really is. It is small! I guess you have to remember that it is downtown Chicago.

I reserved a nonsmoking room, but they gave me a smoking room for the first night, with no apology. The service was lacking, and the rooms were average to below average. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant was barely edible. I would not recommend this hotel if others are available in the same price range.

This is a wonderful hotel! It's a 5-minute walk to the shops on Michigan Avenue (Magnificent Mile). The staff is very friendly, and as their buttons say, No Problems. There is a business center, pool, whirlpool, restaurant/bar, and a Pavilion Pantry. The Pavilion Pantry is open 24 hours a day, and you can buy souvenirs, food, beverages, and anything you might have forgotten at home, like Band-Aids or aspirin. The whirlpool was very relaxing and nice. The same goes for the pool, although it was rather small and very foggy, probably from too much chlorine.

The doorman was very helpful; if you needed directions, he was the person to ask. The Weber Grill Bar & Restaurant was conveniently located on the ground level. The food was delicious and moderately priced. The waiters and waitress were nice, too.

Our room had an oversized desk, two telephones, a TV with Internet, a small kitchen-type area with a microwave and fridge, a comfy king-size bed, a large coat closet, a nice view, and a good-sized bathroom (which was very clean and nice).

Although I didn't use this service, there was a special romantic kind of package you could have. I'm not sure about all the details on it, but I believe it included wine and roses. I would definitely recommend staying here!

This is a large hotel in a great and handy location (5-minute walk to Michigan Avenue) just north of the Chicago River, also handy to the amusements on the Navy Pier. We had a good-sized room with a very good king-size bed, a large desk, easy chair, computer connections, several telephones, our own heat and a/c unit, coffeemaker, mini-fridge and microwave, a nice TV, and a bathroom that met our needs. If I were to put one word on this hotel, it would be "efficient." Check-in was fast and easy, as was getting in and out of the hotel.

A major feature for us was the Weber Grill Restaurant, which is located in the hotel. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it also has the only cocktail service in the hotel. The tiny, handy mart by the front desk has the basic stuff you can purchase to keeping your in room. We stocked up on snacks and juices.

This hotel offers the benefits of the Hilton Honors frequent traveler plan with your choice of Hilton points and/or airline miles. In our stay of 8 nights, I collected an impressive total for use on future stays.

There is a health club with indoor pool, and you also have privileges in a health club down the street.

I like this hotel and plan to make a return visit. It met our needs. The staff is friendly and eager to please. The doorman was always able to find us a taxi, even at peak hours.

There is a coffee bar in the lobby that sells Starbucks coffee in the mornings in case you need a stronger coffee than you can brew up in your room. Breakfast is served in the Weber Grill, but is not included in the cost of your room.

I used the Zip-Out, Check-Out system and just walked out of the hotel on our departure morning with no wait at all.

This pleasant new-ish hotel is part of the "Garden Inn" spinoff of the gargantuan Hilton chain. It is at the busy corner of Grand and State in the River North area, adjacent to a major subway station and not far from North Michigan Avenue.

Built in 1999 and already remodeled in 2002, the Hilton Garden Inn is tall at 23 floors but contains only 357 guest rooms and 6 suites. Since this is a new building, the rooms are larger than the standard rooms offered by its sister properties at the older Palmer House and the Hilton Towers. Each of the rooms has exciting amenities like a mini-fridge, microwave and coffee maker, iron and ironing board. The rooms are not fancily decorated, but they are quite comfortable enough. My room had a queen bed with space to move around its entire perimeter. One drawback is that there is no complimentary breakfast here, unlike similar hotels like the Hampton, Fairfield, Embassy, etc. There is something called the "Pavilion Pantry" if you want to buy something to chow down in your room. The Weber Grill Restaurant (yes, you read it correctly) is connected to this property.

The hotel has a tiny indoor pool and jacuzzi for guests. I suppose it is better than nothing. The fitness center is a bit larger, in case you do not have room to do laps in the pool. If you need a better workout, you can go to the nearby Gorilla Sports fitness center for free.

Of course, the Hilton Garden Inn is a member of the Hilton HHonors program.