Alyssa Powell/Business Insider
- For a luxury hotel on Chicago's Michigan Avenue that feels anything but generic, the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel plays on its rich history, gothic architecture, and curated design to offer unique personality without feeling kitschy.
- With multiple excellent on-site bars and restaurants (including what I consider Chicago's best rooftop bar), the hotel is a worthy attraction before you even consider the huge variety of rooms.
- I've stayed at this hotel multiple times and paid rates ranging from $175 to $500 for both standard rooms and suites. Here's why I keep going back, and my top pick to recommend to friends.
All hotels want to create a "gasp" moment when a guest walks into the lobby.
We've all seen the huge spaces, large hunks of corporate art, and deep crème-colored carpet. We've seen them so often in fact, that for the experienced traveler, they just don't do the trick anymore.
The Chicago Athletic Association, however, from Hyatt's Unbound Collection, is the rare hotel that not only creates a sense of wonder when you first enter, but manages to deliver it every single time you come back.
The hotel is a top-to-bottom rehab of the classic Chicago Athletic Association building, built in the year of the World's Columbian Exposition (1893) in epic gothic style. If you are an architecture fan (likely, as many who come to Chicago are), staying here provides a rare occasion to stay within an icon.
A flawless 2015 renovation preserved all of the original character but chased away the dust. The rooms, far from standard rectangular boxes, are each wildly unique, paying homage to the hotel's athletic club roots, but in a way that feels sincere.
However, it's the on-site venues that make this hotel my favorite. From a postcard-perfect rooftop bar overlooking Millennium Park, to a tiny hidden cocktail lounge serving vintage spirits, this hotel does not take its amenities for
granted.
I've visited on a variety of times and dates, and have paid both full price and discounted media rates. Prices tend to be lowest when I've booked just a few days out, as low as $135 for a last-minute King, or as high as $1,000 for an extraordinary suite.
Typically, expect to pay around $250 a night, with prices a bit higher during the summer tourist rush, and lower in winter. But keep an eye out for suites, which are sometimes difficult to fill. I've had surprising success booking a suite that normally sells for $1,200 a night for just $500.
In downtown Chicago, that's an incredible bargain.
- The first impression
- The room
- On-site amenities
- What's nearby
- What others say
- What you need to know
- The bottom line
- Book the Chicago Athletic Association starting at $135 per night
Keep reading to see why I was so impressed by the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
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