The suites were wonderful - great accommodations, two double beds and pull-out sofa in living area, table, refrigerator, spacious. Provided cooked complimentary breakfast and managers' reception each day. Pool, hot tub, sauna and workout room. Across from convention center. Had to pay $15 parking fee each day. Near airport but very soundproof, couldn't hear planes in room.

Embassy Suites are among my favorite places to stay, both for business travel and leisure. The breakfast in the am gets the day going, and the free drinks in the evening create sort of a community feeling. Both are especially nice when you are with a large group, such as the reunion I attended. I highly recommend Embassy for groups, for that reason. (Hint, if one person in the group collects Hilton HHonors points, let them set up the group reservation.)

The Embassy adjacent to O’Hare is consistent with the usual for this chain--nothing special, nothing wrong either. It has a free shuttle from the airport, and I strongly recommend using that or a taxi, rather than the train, unless you are traveling very light. The walk of two long blocks from the transit stop to the hotel is too much for schlepping luggage. Just follow the signs to the shuttle/courtesy buses at O’Hare and go to door no. 3 to wait for the bus. You can board either the Doubletree Chicago-O’Hare Rosemont bus or Embassy Suites Chicago-O-Hare Rosemont bus, because the two hotels are literally steps apart.

If you must dine at the hotel, I strongly recommend stepping across the courtyard to the restaurant at the Doubletree. The one at the Embassy is a run-of-the-mill hotel eatery. The Doubletree’s Gibson’s Steakhouse simply is a very good restaurant within its genre. Another alternative is the Harry Caray’s-Rosemont in the O’Hare International Center, a short cab ride away.

To get to attractions from here, transit is the way to go. Hint: exit the hotel from the doors in the conference center and turn left. This saves you a few steps. Another hint: cross the street immediately, either with the help of the cops who man the crosswalk to the Rosemont convention center or at the first stoplight. After those two opportunities, it would be suicidal to cross over to the side on which the transit stop is located. Figure that including walking, waiting, and riding, it will take an hour to get downtown, 2 hours to get to either ballpark for a baseball game.