PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

This property promotes itself as a hip boutique hotel -- although sophisticated travelers might feel like it's trying way too hard with dance music playing in the lobby and black-clad staff members doing their best to be eye candy. But the W has a fun, relaxed vibe that appeals to younger travelers. The compact rooms are decorated in deep red, black, and gray, a color scheme that strikes some visitors as gloomy (though others appreciate the change from the sterile look of other chain hotels). Although the Asian-inspired bathrooms are stylish, the wooden shades that separate them from the bedroom don't make for much privacy. You'll pay more for rooms with a lake view, but I actually prefer the ones with city views. Whiskey Sky, the hotel's see-and-be-seen spot, is on the top floor, and there's also an outpost of New York's popular Bliss Spa.

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

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