Peninsula Hotel Chicago

I booked the Peninsula Chicago spontaneously on a whim for Lalapalooza weekend in Chicago on Travelocity. It was site recommended as a good deal at $475/ night. The staff are wonderful. Service perfect. Accomodation and ambiance nice but not quite what I was hoping for. The Shanghi and Terrace were closed to private party leaving only the pool and deck to lounge at for city views. I've seen Holiday Inn's with nicer pools. The deck was very small seating only 12-15 people at most. Needless to say the snoring man next to me amused the entire deck (No I wasn't with him!) The spa was totally booked the entire weekend as well. The bed was heavenly like a Westin (noting I do prefer a soft mattress so was pleasantly surprised). The bathroom really tried to compete, but the deep tub had no jets and the TV wouldn't turn up loud enough to clearly hear it. If I had taken the time to research these details before booking I would not have stayed there. I would consider it at $200/ night. The location is great, but so are 20+ other hotels within 5 blocks. I didn't like it enough to ever recommend it or stay there again.

Nice little indoor pool with a cool view of the city. Great bar (very fun to watch working girls pick up on banker types). Good food / drinks. Centrally located. Expensive, but worth it. Especially if you're traveling for business.