HotelChatter

Room Reaction:
Room 1433, with two double beds and facing down to the river, was all you ever needed from a hotel room with a stellar half-view, ample desk space, a flat-screen HD tv, a ginormous bathroom and easy climate control. With the Chicago mornings now clocking in at 30 degrees, we're not taking any chances.

Beyond the basics, there were too many decorative pillows on the beds and not enough sleeping-proper pillows, an odd chandelier silhouette on the wall, a bland bathtub and shower with a rainfall showerhead that luckily made up for it, and a marble-top sink. The heavy boudoir theme of the lobby continued up to the hallways and rooms as well, with silver (almost sparkly) wallpaper, a decorative purple floor lamp made of plastic, and the aforementioned faux chandelier. It was like New Orleans' French Quarter watered down with Las Vegas appeal, then watered down again for the Midwest.

Internet Connect:
Hallelujah, the Hotel Sax has free WiFi! After some initial hiccups as we attempted to log on at first around 11pm, we realized that guests are provided with 24 hours of free internet, and the browser window will display your remaining time when you reopen your laptop. In this way, we happily typed through the night and morning from bed, and even caught up on some correspondence while killing time in the lobby after check-out.

Amenities:
In addition to the free WiFi, the Hotel Sax wins huge points for its proximity to both the neighborhoods of River North and the Loop. Most everything is within walking distance for tourists and business travelers alike, and not to mention that hotel shares its own block with the House of Blues venue, Bin36 winebar and restaurant, 10pin Bowling Lounge and Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse right on the river. If you want to get somewhere further or faster, the hotel has a free shuttle between a few other Chicago hotel properties like the Palmer House; a placard in the lobby lists departure times and destinations.

Inside the hotel, amenities include a computer center just off the lobby, with internet and printers for those who left their laptop at home. And during autumn, the hotel lobby has a daily feature for guests to embrace the season. This is how we ended up with a recipe and a vial of the Moroccan spices; on other days you'll find glasses of hot cider, fresh varietal apples, and even a selection of wine and cheese.

Public Spaces:
Aside from the aforementioned Bin36 restaurant and 10pin bowling lounge, Hotel Sax has a pretty large lounge just off the lobby. Called the "Crimson Lounge," it sure lives up to its name as most furniture, walls, and decorations are a deep, rich shade of scarlet. Our friend remarked that the elaborate furnishings, partitions with scrollwork detail and blood-red color made it feel as though you were stepping into a setting from an Anne Rice vampire novel. Despite the opulent surroundings, the Crimson Lounge remained empty both nights and days we were there.

Additionally, on the 6th floor of the hotel is a Studio lounge, powered by Microsoft. It's open from 4pm to midnight and is free to guests, offering Wii and Rock Band and comfy seating for chilling while de-stressing with video games or the internet. (This space made our Best Geek Hotels 2.0 list.)

What We Liked:
Our absolute favorite bit of the Hotel Sax is its primo location, but the large room size, river view and cheap nightly rate majorly contributes to its appeal. There is hardly a trace of the gaudy House of Blues Hotel past, and the place seemed nicely booked up with professional guests. The clincher—which could bring us back again—is the free WiFi.

What We Didn't Like:
The rest of the hotel almost falls victim to the over-theming fate of the Crimson Lounge. There should be less focus on decoration and more on comfort; we could do without the butter-yellow pleather pillows on the beds, which made us think of dirty butts on them in the past.

One other issue: we seemed to be the youngest, hippest guests at the hotel, and we don't usually consider ourselves to be all that young and hip. Because of the easy walk to most Loop businesses, the shuttle, and the presence of a few conference rooms at the hotel, other guests skewed towards older businesspeople, who filled the elevators and lobby with talk of their upcoming big presentations. In other words, the hotel has no vibe; it's gone flat.

Bottom Line: After that last paragraph maybe you don't expect us to say that we liked our stay at the Hotel Sax, but we did. Every hotel has their problems, and the Sax isn't making any fatal mistakes. The service was great and the room was adequate, and hello—location and free wifi! Nonetheless, a few tweaks could re-invigorate the place and remind people why staying on the river beats the middle of the loop or Michigan Avenue.