As long time residents of the Chicago suburbs, we took advantage of a discount offer and spent a night in The James Hotel, on the corner of Rush and Ontario St. The room was clean and modern -- white walls with grey carpet, modern chair and table (not desk) and a king bed that dominates the room. The large window faced north, towards a Sheraton Four Points Hotel across the street. The location is excellent for shopping on North Michigan Ave., and not too far to walk to the Daley Plaza, where ChristkindlMarket just opened. However, it proved not to afford a good night's sleep due to the brightness of the room throughout the night, coupled with the inability to lower the room temperature below about 70. The bed has a (delightful) down comforter, but only the comforter making it too warm so long as the room was "comfortable." The clock is a flat panel screen that is about as bright as a computer, which also brightened the room until covered by a book. In the morning I discovered how to dial down the brightness. The clock also incorporates a docking station for an iPod. With a 42" flat panel TV, I was surprised the TV received only analog station signals. The bath tub is small, and has liter-size body wash, shampoo and conditioner with pump dispensers, mounted on a wall rack suitable for showering, but wholly impractical should one want to bathe -- as I did. Fortunately, the bottles were removed with a bit to effort to use at tub level. The key card proved also to be temperamental, which I mentioned to the front desk. The staff is uniformly friendly and helpful. We booked this hotel based on the reviews of others. I am not so effusive in praising it, as is apparent. I won't say we would not return, but there were other options on comparable offer and our next overnight in the city will likely be at another hotel.
hotel reviews