We have stayed at this hotel many times since our first stay during its construction. We still are returning to this fantastic hotel and recommending it to our friends for many reasons.
1. Location: Right off the Mag Mile, short walk to Watertower Place, 1 mi straight down Grand to Navy Pier, short walk to the theater district. This time we took the 151 bus from in front of the Amtrak station at Union Station right to Ohio & Mich Ave (2 short blocks from the hotel). We also took the Red line 1 block from the hotel right to Wrigley Field. (Addison stops 1 block from the stadium) There is a large Jewel/Osco store 1 block away. You are in the middle of many wonderful restaurants and 1 block from the ESPN Zone.
2. Value: Beautiful, full breakfast every morning with long hours. We were served several types of fresh fruit, cereals, yogurt, coffee/teas, milk, juices, breakfast meat, scrambled eggs, 2 kinds of potates, and waffles or french toast. Great variety and quality of food. On Sun-Thurs nights they serve a buffet dinner where we found plenty to fill us up. The main dishes for the 3 nights we stayed were, stuffed green peppers, beef pepper steak, and chicken cacciatore. The sides were a soup, bread, a hot vegetable, 3 salads, and rice or pasta. Drinks were ice tea, water, lemonade, beer and wine. The desserts were cake, cookies and brownies (1 dessert/night). There were hot drinks available all day long which were a big help since Chicago was showing her rainy and cold side during our visit.
3. Rooms: We stayed in the King suite with a pull-out couch, 2 flat-screened TV's, full kitchen and large bath. Very nice sitting area. In the past we have stayed in the larger rooms with 2 beds with a pull-out couch. We have also made use of the cots they have available. The bedding was very nice on the King and the bed extremely comfortable. All this makes the Homewood Suites very comfortable for those of us traveling with kids. Our room was very quiet and was ready for us even though we arrived shortly after noon.
4. Staff: Very friendly, helpful desk personnel who made an effort to have our rooms next to each other without us asking. Doormen were very personable and welcoming. The maids also went out of their way to help us with small issues that arose. The dining personnel were particularly helpful and attentive. Everyone had a smile and made us feel welcome.
5. Pool: One of the few hotels in Chicago with a pool and this one is on the top floor with magnificent views of the city. Those with kids know the importance of having a pool.
6. Business Center: We did not bring a computer, so having 3 computers with a printer for our use 24 hours a day helped us keep in contact with work and friends while away. We also were able to use them for travel plans and maps since we don't have a smart phone. There is free internet (wired and wireless) access throughout the hotel and rooms.
We visit Chicago regularly and have stayed at several of the hotels, but we still return to the Homewood Suites for all of the above reasons.
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