HotelChatter

In the lobby, the hotel kept its Beaux-Arts structure intact, with its vaulted ceilings and marble floors from the original 1928 building. But instead of oversized furniture, there's white serpentine-shaped seating in the middle of the room. The high-backed movable seats allow for more privacy and more places to sit than before. The lobby, with neutral tones and pops of blue, also has mood ring-like tables, where when you touch one of the liquid-sealed tabletops, the design changes.

Prior to the renovation, one of the big problems in the guestrooms was the noise from the nearby El train. To fix that, the hotel installed soundproofed windows. The rooms were also dark, so new lighting was added, though there's a dimmer if you prefer some mood lighting. Earth tones were added, to open the room up, along with accents of navy and purple. The ceilings heights were also increased to give the rooms a more airy feel.

The hotel also tried to accommodate its business clientele by adding touches to the room like a 42-inch flatscreen TV, which is mounted on a retractable arm so you can move it around. You also can plug your laptop into the TV. Overall, the aesthetic is clean and simple.

If you want to check it out for yourself, rooms start at very do-able $183.49 a night.

[Photos: Jennifer Kester]