~~A little background~~
Chicago was the starting point for our recent road trip touring Northern America. The road trip mapped out, our next step was selecting the hotels.
For Chicago, our choice was the Chicago City Centre Hotel & Sports Club. Why?
The hotel is close to many of Chicago's attractions - close enough to walk to many with trolley stops nearby to those further away. But as our preference is for quiet - not on the busy Michigan Avenue!
The hotel has parking facilities - essential as we were hiring a car.
And last but not least we wanted a hotel at the beginning of the holiday that was a little bit special - most of the others on the trip mainly travel motels just somewhere to rest our heads. The Chicago City Centre Hotel &
Sports Club is classified as three stars but has more of a four star look and feel.
~~Location, Location, Location~~
Chicago City Centre Hotel &
Sports Hotel is situated on East Ohio Street which runs from Michigan Avenue (The Magnificent Mile) and Navy Pier on Chicago's lakefront.
From the hotel's twenty-sixth floor you can see much of the city's dramatic skyline including the Hancock Observatory.
~~Booking~~
Online booking is available from the Hotel's webpage http://www.doubletreemagmile.com/map.aspx. Drop down boxes enable a check for room availability for any given date, number of nights required and number of people staying. Options are then provided for types of room available giving the cost of each. Cost is given in US dollars and also in any currency you choose from the drop down box available. Given that there are rooms suitable, you can then proceed to book and pay for the room.
Many travel agencies will of course book rooms on your behalf.
~~Price~~
Rates vary dependant on the type of room required ranging from £90.86 for a twin bedded room (the beds are queen sized - not single) to £116 .23 for a king sized bedded room with lake view.
Our choice was for a
king size bedded room without a lake view which cost us £101 per night.
These costs are bedroom only. For bed and breakfast the cost is about £20 more.
~~The Hotel Façade~~
The hotel is twenty-six storeys high. It was built in 1976 - all masonry and glass fitting blending into the surrounding buildings which all look the same. In front of the entrance is a pull-in area for cars, taxis and coaches which is patrolled by uniformed doormen. Just to the right of the entrance are the ramps leading to the car parking areas.
A step leads to the glass revolving entrance door with brass surrounds. Just to the side of this is a button operated opening door for disabled or for suitcase laden customers.
~~The Lobby~~
Busy, busy, busy!!!
The lobby is a large and spacious compartmentalized into its various functions. As you enter the hotel, the reception desk is directly in front of you manned by two to three members of staff 24 hours a day.
Beyond the reception desk to the left is Winners Bar & Grille. To the right is a large double staircase leading down to LaSalle ballroom - which we didn't go into!
Opposite to the reception desk, a corridor leads to four lifts which service the twenty-six floors.
To the right of the entrance door is a manned
concierge desk with a variety of brochures and information details. The concierge will book taxis, tickets as well as providing useful information. A post (or should I say
Mail) box is situated by the side of the desk.
Just beyond this the lift to the car park and beyond this is a corridor. On the right of the corridor is a small shop selling postcards, snacks and various other souvenir items.
On the left of the corridor is the 300 East dining area for breakfast and lunches.
To the left of the entrance is a lounge area with various seats and settees arranged around a large television screen.
Connecting the different lobby compartments is a lot of open space filled with doormen,
luggage trolleys and guests. Never empty!!
During our stay, the hotel was just finishing a refurbishment to the lobby with a few workmen, paint and sheets adding to the busy feeling. That saying - no matter how busy the hotel was, there was always a doorman or porter about
ready to help!~~Room~~
The City Centre Hotel & Sports Club has 500 bedrooms available spread over twenty six floors.
Our room was on the 3rd floor. The bed dominated the room with its rich burgundy bedspread laid over crisp
white sheets. The bed itself was very comfortable to sleep in - however the iron frame which surrounds the mattress was loose and protruded outward. As this was covered by the bedspread, I walked into this causing a nasty cut to my leg. The hotel DIY man was called and a temporary repair made.
Beyond the bed were double patio windows leading onto a small patio area. I wish I could say there was a nice view - not so just the walls of surrounding building. To get a nice view you have to go a lot higher or pay extra for a Lakeview!
There was also a sofa, a chest of drawers, wardrobe,
ironing board, iron, hairdryer and a coffee
machine (no tea). The
remote control television came with the usual free channels and a selection of other available channels with a charge. All bedrooms have high speed
internet access available - for a fee of $10!
The en-suite bathroom housed a American stylebath tub with overhead shower (low and wide) a sink, toilet and wooden towel rack complete with plenty of soft fluffy white towels. A set of nicely packaged mini bath / shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and soaps were supplied.
All in all, the room was nicely laid out with plenty of seating. The bed was comfortable and spacious. The decor was decorated in a simple contemporary style with pleasant framed pictures. The odd thing was that there was no overhead light - just bedside lights and one on the chest of drawers!!
~~Food~~
The City Centre Hotel & Sports Club has four restaurants cafes together with 24 hour room service.
300 East is open 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day serving breakfast and lunches. Try the cinnamon toast for breakfast - delicious!!
There is also the Corner Copia which boasts freshly baked pastries and fresh fruit open from 6:30 a.
m. to noon. We did not use this - mainly because we didn't see where it was!!
The Winners Bar & Grille opens daily at 11:30 a.m. and as far as wee could see most of the day and night. We ate an evening meal here - only one waiter serving but there were no delays in service. They serve a very tasty crab cake dish and a lovely crème Brule. I threw them a little though by asking for an espresso coffee - obviously not a usual request. The waiter had to search for an espresso cup!
The Breezes Bar & Grille is seasonal only and is situated by the
outdoor pool on the fifth floor. Closed during our visit.
~~Other facilities~~
The Sports Club - "The Lakeshore Athletic Club" is attached to the hotel and boasts a large indoor pool, the latest in cardio equipment, aerobics room, three
indoor tennis courts,
massage therapy and spa services. All guests using the sports club must show a photo I.D. and their room key
cards. However due to our busy schedule we didn't have time or the energy left to try any of the facilities!
The City Centre Hotel & Sports Club also has an outdoor pool on he fifth floor - too cold to use whilst we were there!
There are fourteen meeting rooms which can accommodate groups from 5 - 1000 participants. There is also the grand LaSalle Ballroom - which is available for weddings.
There is supposedly a laundry room however we couldn't find this!!
Soft drink vending machines and ice machines are situated on every floor.
There is parking available at the hotel costing an exorbitant $38 per 24 hour period and self-park at that!!
~~Check-out~~
Check out is at 12 noon. All very simple. Just a case of simply handing back the key card - a quick check for any other charges and that was that!
~~Summary~~
I was more than pleased with our short stay at the City Centre Hotel & Sports Club. The location was central to all the amenities we wanted to visit. The room was more than comfortable and very spacious.
The service was very friendly, fast and efficient. The room was kept clean and tidy. The porters and doormen were extremely helpful and always available!
On the downside are the extra charges necessary for wi-fi and for parking!!
A Hotel in that Toddlin' Town, Chicago 
e review the bed looks comfy.