(The Luxury Collection Hotels in Chicago

This is a pleasant, modern and airy hotel in downtown Chicago. We enjoyed our stay very much, but didn't eat in the hotel (apart from one snack in the bar), so I can't comment on the cuisine. The room was a good size, spacious and comfortable, with an excellent modern en-suite shower and toilet. The bed was large and very comfortable and every night afforded us a good night's sleep. What was particularly notable was the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff, in particular the concierge (Ramon), who guided us through the available sights and eateries in Chicago, which saved us considerable time in research. Chicago is a fascinating city, with all the modernity and dynamism of Manhattan, but without the grit or the slightly abraisive denizens of that island. We found all Chigacoans we encountered to be pleasant and engaging. However, Chicago is built on two levels, the lower level being under all the main roads that are elevated and therefore walking anywhere in the lower section is far less pleasant than on the upper section. I mention this because the main entrance to the Gwen hotel is on the lower level so when you exit onto the street it's advisable to climb the stairs around the corner to go up to 'street level'. Also, if you're not going to the hotel by taxi but by public transport (as we did) you'll have to carry your luggage down the stairs from the upper level where the bus stops. Additionally, the arrangement of the lifts in the hotel is a little irritating (and confusing to start with) because the lift from the main entrance doesn't go to the levels where the bedrooms are. The main reception is on the fifth floor so you have to go to reception and then walk to another bank of lifts that take you onward to the bedrooms and conference rooms. The Gwen seems to be a business hotel first and foremost and so there is a lot of activity and many people in the building for conferences and exhibitions. The terrace area by the bar affords a pleasant view of the cityscape, but there are two huge TV screens that perpetually show sport, so many of the guests on the terrace are there to watch a game. However it seems that there is no public place in Chicago that doesn't have TV screens on all the time, showing sport (the city seems to be obsessed with sport). Every restaurant we went to had multiple screens on, even high-end establishments. To a Brit this is weird because its only pubs and bars in my country that have these intrusive, mind-numbing displays. We enjoyed our stay at the Gwen and can recommend it for a pleasant stay as a tourist. its location is good for reaching many parts of the city and public transport is cheap and extensive. If we return to Chicago we will definitely book to stay there again.