Returning to a city where we were once a local and having to stay in a hotel can be a jarring experience. So to soften the pains we opted to check out what is currently Chicago's hottest hotel property: The James.

According to The James' website, we are supposed to keep our eyes open for more properties to come in both New York and Miami, as Chicago is the standard-bearer. Turns out The James is exactly what the blustery old hotel scene of Chicago needs; it rivals the attentiveness of The Peninsula while standing out from other heavily-tapestried properties around Michigan Avenue.
]]> JetSetCD 2008-08-21T14:01:12-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/19/142038/762 <![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/swayzewikicommons.jpg" class="imgborder"> <p>A tipster wrote in today to let us know that our perennial crush <b>Patrick Swayze</b> -- who is officially back to work, hooray! -- is shooting a new series for A&amp;E on location in Chicago. <p>And what location might that be? Well, none other than a <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Kimpton%20Hotels">Kimpton</a> hotel.<p> Seems like a natural fit, as Kimpton properties are known to embrace things that are both sexy and cuddly (zebra print decor and pets, respectively), and clearly P. Swayze fits nicely into both categories. They've been filming some scenes at the <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Hotel+Monaco+Chicago+-+a+Kimpton+Hotel/local/469">Hotel Monaco</a></b> -- and we hear the cast and crew were spotted dining in one of Monaco's private meeting rooms at lunchtime. <p>The show, called Jenna 2008-08-19T14:30:33-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/13/212929/316 <![CDATA[<p><p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/11725/aloftsign.jpg" class="imgborder"><p><i>Lo! What light through yonder window breaks? It is Chicago, and Aloft is the sun...</i><p> <p>Even the esteemed Bard Shakespeare would find something novel to say about the grand opening of the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Aloft+Chicago+O%27Hare/ian/269199"><b>Aloft Rosemont at O'Hare Airport</b></a>, that hasn't been said a thousand times before.<p> <p>Surely he would concoct some delicious snark about Aloft Hotels dotting the globe in a slow yet deliberate campaign for world hotel domination.<p> No doubt he would kill us softly with some carefully crafted sonnet about those uber-hip W-ish terms for 24-hour food bars (example: re:fuel), the ticket kiosks in the lobby, the funky amenities in those sleek open-style bathrooms, free water bottles in the room, nightclub-styled public seating areas. &nbsp;Yet, all annie0007 2008-08-14T12:50:53-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/12/125326/295 <![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/westincrn_room.jpg" class="imgborder"><p>If you weren't able to get to Chicago for <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/7/15/42330/3651/hotels/Lollapalooza_Hotels_Put_Your_Name_on_the_List_at_Chicago_Hard_Rock">Lollapalooza</a> or the <a href="http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/7/21/235630/269/travel/Wide-Eyed+Travel%3A+The+Death-Defying+Chicago+Air+and+Water+Show">Air and Water Show</a>, then maybe the Jazz Festival which is celebrating its 30th anniversary over Labor Day will entice you to visit the Windy City.<p>And if it does, then the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Westin+Chicago+River+North/ian/116986"><b>Westin Chicago River North</b></a> has a little Labor Day package for you. The hotel is offering a <b>Park & Eat Package</b> that includes complimentary parking at the hotel and breakfast for two at the hotel's Ember Grille restaurant. <blockquote><p>Guests can leave car keys in their posh accommodations and explore the city by foot as the premier property is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Valid August 28 through September 1, juliana 2008-08-12T14:43:44-05:00 http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2008/8/4/8143/65205 <![CDATA[<p><img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/images/icon_small_hell.gif"> <p>We love us some hotel hell stories on Monday mornings -- if only because they serve to remind us that there are worse things in the world than facing the end of a weekend. <p>For example: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com">HuffPo</a> blogger Michelle Renee's <a href="xhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-renee/hotel-room-hell-sense-of_b_116457.html">little adventure</a> at <b><a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/The+Avenue+-+Chicago/local/1297">The Avenue Hotel </a></b>in Chicago recently. <p>Formerly the Radisson, the property was recently reflagged as The Avenue, remodeled completely and decorated with a 'lil bit of zebra print. Michelle loved the stunning views from her room and really dug the beds -- but there was some trouble. <p>First, she heard "what sounded like a helicopter hovering outside her room" and had to invest in earplugs because she couldn't bear to part Jenna 2008-08-04T09:00:04-05:00 Search HotelChatter string http://www.hotelchatter.com/search/