First off, I would have given the Allerton 3 1/2 stars, if that were an option on the Tripadvisor rating scale. It's a well-maintained oldie, with a great location for people on Michigan Avenue shopping sprees.
After you enter the hotel at street level, you take an elevator one level up to the tasteful, peaceful lobby. The front desk staff was quite pleasant.
I snagged my room via Priceline bid, so the room that had been reserved for me upon arrival was a "Petite Classic" with a full-sized bed. I'd read a number of TA reviews beforehand, and decided to upgrade to a king room for $20 per night extra. (After pre-paying, you don't really want to spend more on a room, but c'est la vie.)
Elevators to the rooms are small, but I never found them to be a problem. The most frustrating thing about elevators was the split between the two banks of elevators on my room floor, that left me unsure where to look every time I heard the "ding" indicating that an elevator was arriving.
The king room was very clean, relatively spacious and tastefully decorated. It featured good closet space, an in-room safe and a good work desk. The bed was very comfortable.
The bathroom also was spacious, but the Porcelain Princess was a bit awkwardly situated. Bath products by Archive were a nice touch. The selection of TV channels wasn't as extensive as at other downtown Chicago hotels I've stayed in, but more than adequate.
Upon check-in, I was given a code for free Wi-Fi access during my stay. Cool, right? Heh. .... Wi-Fi at this hotel in a word or two? Quelle horreur !!! It is as bad as many reviews have pegged it as. When I could connect to it, I could never stay connected for much longer than a minute. It's an exercise in total frustration. The Wi-Fi in the lobby is only slightly better than that in the rooms. I ended up bolting to Starbucks every day to get connected.
The location is prime if you're one of those Michigan Avenue shopping enthusiasts. It's at Michigan and Huron, smack dab in the middle of the Mag Mile. I personally don't like to stay in the area, surrounding by the throngs of slow-moving people clutching bags, but Priceline's bidding zones don't separate River North from the Magnificent Mile. If you're getting around via the CTA, the many bus lines that run on Michigan stop at Huron, and the Chicago station on the El's Red Line is about four blocks away.
Again, the Allerton is a fine place to stay in a solid downtown Chicago location. It's a well-kept hotel with good amenities. BUT if you need to stay connected via Wi-Fi during your Chicago visit, you'll definitely want to stay somewhere else.
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