PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

A historic hotel that received a bland makeover, the Allerton's main appeal is its central location and relatively reasonable rates. Built in 1924 as a "club hotel," providing permanent residences for single men and women, the Allerton is now one of the flagship hotels of the Crowne Plaza chain. The Italian Renaissance-inspired exterior has been painstakingly restored to its original dark-red brickwork, stone carvings, and limestone base. Too bad the distinctive exterior style wasn't replicated inside. The rooms have a generic chain-hotel feel, and because the hotel was originally built for single men and women, the rooms are fairly small (the "Petite Classic" rooms are -- surprise, surprise -- tiny). Still, all the rooms and public areas have a warm and homey feel. Snag one overlooking Michigan Avenue to get the best views (or at least stop by the hotel's Renaissance Ballroom for a peek at the Mag Mile).

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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