PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

Staying here is like visiting a wealthy, sophisticated aunt's town house: elegant but understated, welcoming but not effusive. The patrician Whitehall was once Chicago's most exclusive luxury hotel, with rock stars and Hollywood royalty dropping by when in town. Although those glory days have passed, the independently owned Whitehall still attracts a devoted clientele who relish its subdued ambience and highly personalized service. Since this is an older property, the hallways are quite narrow and the bathrooms are small. But the rooms are spacious and bright, with immaculate furniture. Rooms on the north side of the building come with a wonderful straight-on view of the Hancock Building, with Lake Michigan sparkling in the background. Don't miss the hotel's dimly lit, clubby bar, which hasn't changed since the hotel opened in 1928 (ask the staff to point out Katharine Hepburn's favorite seat).

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

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