Chicago's Best Hotels

Because you need a place in Chicago to hang your hat and rest your head, the most important part of planning a trip is deciding where you're going to stay. Four crucial factors come into play: price, location, roominess, and amenities.

You may be the kind of traveler who thinks a hotel room is simply a place to sleep and stow your luggage. In that case, you don't need two pools, a half-dozen restaurants and lounges, a grand ballroom, and a health club. Nor do you need to shell out for those nonessential extras.

On the other hand, if you enjoy taking full advantage of a hotel's amenities — afternoon tea with harp music, a day at the spa, arcades packed with shops — you can find hotels with those, too. But you usually pay extra for the privilege. You can enjoy the best of both worlds by staying at a no-frills property and visiting other hotels to enjoy tea and jazz, and to relax with a cocktail by the fountain in a fancy lobby bar with a piano. In Chicago, you can find rooms at both ends of the price and comfort spectrum, and a great many in between.

Most Family Friendly: With cribs, laundry service, free hot breakfast, and every room a suite, the Embassy Suites Hotel Chicago-Downtown/Lakefront is ideal for families looking for more space than the typical hotel room provides. The in-room Nintendo, indoor pool, and location near Navy Pier — plus hamburger joint P.J. Clarke's in the same building complex — should keep Junior happy, too.

Best Room with a View: This isn't an easy call. Peering over the elevated tracks, The Silversmith in the Loop offers a distinctly urban vista. But consider several other hotels for their mix of lake and city views: the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, The Drake, the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, and Park Hyatt Chicago.

Best Bet for Romance: Ahip hotel that's known for its sense of romance and whimsy is Hotel Burnham. During the holidays, you're right across the street from the world-famous windows at Macy's (formerly Marshall Field's) and within viewing distance of the massive Christmas tree at Daley Plaza. Inside, you get a feel for the handcrafted beauty of the former Reliance Insurance building, one of the city's first skyscrapers. Windows are huge — you won't feel left in the dark or cramped here. Rooms are clubby but glamorous, with plush beds, mahogany writing desks, and chaises longues.

Best Place to Splurge: You want luxury? You've got luxury at three of Chicago's hotels, which are among the best in the world. The Peninsula Chicago was named Conde Nast Traveler's "Number One Hotel in the World," in 2006, as well as Travel + Leisure magazine's 2006 "Number One Urban Hotel Spa." The attention to detail, regal pampering, and well-connected concierges you'll find at the ultra-luxe Ritz-Carlton Chicago and Four Seasons Hotel Chicago make them the hotels of choice for travelers who want to feel like royalty.

Best Place to Save a Buck: Red Roof Inn Chicago Downtown offers a fabulous location for a bargain price. But the Hampton Inn & Suites Chicago-Downtown gets bonus points for being a bargain stay and for having a pool.

Best Swimming Pool: With its dazzling, all-tile, junior Olympic-size pool constructed in 1929, the InterContinental Chicago takes this award easily.