PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

The good news: This hotel is not located on top of the super-touristy Hard Rock Cafe (which is about a mile or so away in River North). In fact, it is a relatively restrained rehab of one of the city's historic skyscrapers, the 40-story Carbide and Carbon Building. The overall theme here is music: Pop tunes echo throughout the lobby, TV monitors show videos, and glass cases display pop-star memorabilia. But the mix of old and new can be somewhat jarring -- the black-and-gray lobby feels like a nightclub, while the marble-and-gold-trimmed elevator bank still feels like an office building. Don't expect too much in the way of rock-star attitudes or personalities here; like most Chicago hotels, the Hard Rock attracts plenty of business travelers and families. The guest rooms are neutral, with modern furniture; the building's larger-than-average windows let in plenty of natural light. The so-called Hard Rock Rooms on the corners of each floor are larger than the standard double rooms and feature chaise lounges for stretching out. The suites, located in the tower at the top of the building, come in various one- and two-bedroom configurations and allow an added layer of privacy (with only one or two suites per floor, you're separated from the masses).

The lobby starts swinging after dark, when the music gets going at the street-level bar, Base (open 'til 4am, it hosts live music and DJs most nights). The hotel's restaurant, China Bar & Grill, serves up Asian fusion cuisine in a high-energy setting. And because the hotel actively courts rock bands who come through town on tour, you never know who you'll see stopping in for a drink.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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