Essex Inn, Renovated Chicago Old Time Charmer

Proudly towering over Grant Park in South Loop, a high-rise 15-story hotel is hardly “old,” but it emits a vague sense of old times – good times. When Mayor Richard Daley cut the cake in the shape of the building at groundbreaking ceremony back in 1960, the Essex Inn designed by Epstein and Sons surely indicated the dawn of modern era among the 19th century architectural gems of Michigan Avenue. Today, the newly renovated establishment achieves modernity in a contemporary way, so to speak. The hotel is going green, holds a double bronze certification, and strives for silver. A sign of times – key cards are made of a corn product, and recyclable. Windows open in every room to reduce the use of air conditioning, and energy efficient receding lights are installed over the beds. Located a walking distance away from the Art Institute of Chicago, Essex Inn has each floor dedicated to modern artists, so there are floors decorated with prints of Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Warhol, etc. Wallpaper textured as canvas, burnt orange color scheme in room furnishings, granite counter tops and backlit mirrors in bathrooms add to the allure. Technologically modernized as well, the hotel offers plasma TV, Ipod adapter, and 24-hour WiFi for a bargain price of $5. Another huge attraction here is an all-season swimming pool under a glass dome, open from 6 am to 10 pm, with a lifeguard on duty. There is also a green space – an open terrace growing endangered plants on the 4th floor garage roof, an outstandingly equipped workout facility, and a dry sauna. The hotel provides shuttle service to the Water Tower Place, Museum Campus and Navy Pier. The Symphony Center and a number of theaters and music venues are accessible on foot, same as McCormick Place, Soldier Field, Millennium Park, and the Sears Tower (pardon me, your Chicago old-timer – Willis Tower, of course). Many of the 254 guest rooms and suites offer spectacular views of the Michigan lakefront, festive flowerbeds in the park, and the sunrise over the magnificent city skyline. On a clear day one can see all across to the state of Indiana, or the hotel staff says so. Meeting and banquet facilities accommodate up to 150 people, however, you will be better off with the outside catering. During our stay, the restaurant on premises, frivolously called Savoy, provided a listless breakfast with the even more apathetic service. Good that the restaurant Mecca is found just steps away from the hotel. Families with children and business visitors alike frequent the hotel, making a use of sleeper sofas and coffeemakers in every room, a convenient business center, and all the great advantages of this modernized, clean, and unpretentious space right in the heart of the beautiful city. Essex Inn located at 800 South Michigan Ave., Chicago. Call 312-939-2800 or visit essexinn.com. Photography by Yuri Krasov. 1. Essex Inn lobby. 2. A room at Essex Inn. 3. All season pool at Essex Inn. 4. Sculptures by Magdalena Abakanowicz in Grant Park by Essex Inn, a gift from the artist and the Polish ministry of culture (Chicago is the sister city of Warsaw).