Property
Homewood Suites by Hilton caters to business travelers, but it’s a perfectly cozy place for a family to put up in the heart of Chicago. Full kitchens, separate living rooms with pull-out couches, complimentary meals and even grocery shopping service remove many of the difficulties of staying downtown with children.

Location
The hotel is right off the Magnificent Mile, which means it’s near pretty much everything: Navy Pier, which includes the Chicago Children’s Museum; House of Blues; Hard Rock Cafe and Millennium Park.

Sleeps
Double suites could sleep up to six with two queen beds and the pull-out sofa; our king suite is meant for four, but for our family baby made five and he fit just fine in a portable crib set up by a staff member.

Highlights
Great, friendly service, from the valet parking attendant who reminded me to take my cell phone from the car, to the hostess circulating through the tables at the light dinner buffet. Yes — they have a complimentary dinner with beer and wine Monday through Thursday, in addition to the more standard breakfast buffet all week.

For the kids, the highlight was the 19th floor pool. They swam while I sat back and enjoyed the view of the Trump Tower and the Wrigley Building.

Good to know
Although the hotel is perfectly clean and attractive, some amenities show signs of age, mainly the peeling sides of the pool.

Contact
http://www.homewoodsuiteschicago.com/index.shtml

Homewood Suites Downtown Chicago from TravelSavvyMom on Vimeo.

May 23rd, 2010 | by Carrie Kirby