i wanted to stay in the HR hotel because the building it's in (the carbide & carbon building) is my favourite chicago landmark, i think it's just beautiful.
i was initially booked for 2 nights but had to add an extra day to the beginning of the stay at a relatively late stage. although this cost a bit more than the previously booked nights it wasn't too bad and was set up easily and i was put in the same room for the entire stay. there was a slight problem when i returned on my 2nd day to find myself locked out. because the first night had been booked separately their system had got confused and shut me out. but their reception staff were really helpful at sorting this out and within 5 minutes or so i was back in the room with no further problems.
the room itself was very cool as you'd expect from the HR chain - big bed, contemporary furnishings, and a big picture of iggy pop on the wall, but it was also really comfortable and well laid out. the room looked directly over michigan avenue which made for a good view, it was fun to sit by the window and just watch the people down below.
the bathroom was extremely modern but a good size and had everything you need. the only slight problem as i found it was that the layout made it slightly awkward - for instance the toilet paper roller was on the other side of the room from the toilet, and the door was so close to the bath and toilet that if the bath mat was on the floor it would get all scrunched up and the door would get stuck - sometimes it's the little details that are more annoying than big issues.
the only really major problem i had in this hotel was the noise - the doors to the rooms were, i think, metal, and as such were quite noisy. my room was close to the elevators and i could hear literally everything from the hallways. in fact more than once the room next door to mine had visits from housekeeping and i thought housekeeping were knocking on my door as i could hear the knocks so clearly - i'd open the door to them and they'd be waiting for next door. when people took luggage to and from rooms i could hear the suitcases clattering about and anything people were saying to each other. given that some people were leaving for flights quite early in the morning (about 5-6 am) it was quite annoying. maybe the hotel could consider soundproofing their doors a bit more because although they were very contemporary and cool they weren't necessarily practical.
that aside, the whole place is extremely cool, the decor is modern, the rock memorabilia is great to look at, and the building itself is just stunning. and the location is amazing, 1 block from the michigan avenue bridge, a few blocks from millennium park, 2 24 hour shops within 1 block - you can't get much better in terms of location.
overall i really enjoyed staying there but at times (especially with regards the bathroom layout and doors that allowed so much noise) it felt as though style had come before substance.
hotel reviews