Affordable Luxury at Affinia Chicago Comes With Six-Pillow Menu

Any weary traveler knows that true luxury is not about gilded chandeliers and rose petals; it’s about creature comfort. A cozy room, a good night sleep, a number of little things one cannot go without… You don’t know luxury until you get to stay at Affinia Chicago. It dawned on me like a round copper lampshade I was staring at after a luscious dinner at Marcus Samuelsson’s C-House restaurant. Utterly warmed up and heavy in the eyelids I realized that my dear husband and I didn’t have to venture into the chilly night and endure the sweeping gusts of Windy City yet again. Instead, we took an elevator to our cleverly designed L-shaped room with a bed and a flat-screen TV in one appendage, and a sitting area and workstation in the other. Warm wood and cool glass furnishing details, orange-and-steel color scheme, sepia views of the city on the wall mirroring skyscrapers behind the curtains, and oh that refreshing smell of clean linens! Everything is sparkling, aesthetically pleasing, and modern up to the bathroom décor with black countertops, round mirrors in LED frames, and patterned orange foil for wallpaper. But lo and behold, the hotel offers a range of customized additions to your already outstandingly comfortable stay, like a choice of a pillow, a fitness kit, a guitar, a putter, a gel eye mask, or a rubber duckie if that’s what your heart desires at the moment. No wonder return customers happily refer to their Affinia accounts for their individually requested and documented quirks. Some swear by the magnetic therapy pillow that presumably rids you of headaches and neck strains, others stick with hypoallergenic one, and there are also a sound pillow, a Swedish memory pillow, and buckwheat and down ones on the menu.
Opened just a year ago, the 215-room Affinia Chicago is located within the Magnificent Mile, mere steps from Michigan Ave. In addition to signature beds covered with a down comforters; large executive desks and ergonomic chairs; 24-hour fitness center; high speed Internet and WiFi, and a series of other “signature” features, the hotel offers over 3,000 square feet of meeting space with plenty of well-appointed conference rooms and nooks. The posh rooftop lounge, called C-View, affords spectacular views of surrounding architectural gems and a cool breeze on hot summer nights. A signature welcome drink is offered to guests at check-in, and a list of other niceties, like Jet Set Pet program, make a stay here outstandingly accommodating for all. For more information, visit www.affinia.com or call 1-866-AFFINIA. Affinia Chicago, 166 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611. Tel: 312.787.6000 l Fax: 312.787.6133. Photography by Yuri Krasov. 1. Affinia Chicago room. 2. A view from the room. 3. A meeting space outside a conference room. 4. A view from the rooftop lounge.