If you're planning to check out Chicago in the fall or winter (gorgeous -- and a wee bit cold, depending on when you visit, but gorgeous nonetheless), check out the W Hotel City Center if you think you may be staying a while.
It's kinda hidden on the hotel's website, so here's the scoop: during select days through the end of the year, you can receive 15% off. Stay 4 nights, and score 20% off.
The valid dates are actually not too shabby at all:
· October 1-24, 29-31
· November 1-9, 12-29
· December 5-30
Ah, it's oh-so-nice to be able to relay a discount that does not involve waking up early and trying to beat other people to the deal -- and then getting shut out. Not naming any names, though.
Have a hotel deal you think we should consider? Or have a destination and date where you want us to check for hotel rooms and rates for you? No guarantees on either, but you can try your luck by hitting us here: tips@hotelchatter.com. Please include "For Reader Deals" in the subject heading.
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
And today's award for an unspectacular, dreary view out of a hotel room window goes to: Palmer House Hilton Chicago. A Flickr photographer who goes by the name of scaryspice was sarcastic enough to describe this view with the phrase "amazing isn't it ..." and we agree: amazing that the buildings here which actually are potentially quite beautiful just end up looking so drab when you see them up too close.
The Palmer House Hilton'snew restaurant is finally ready, and will open with lunch and dinner service Monday, November 19. While the menu makes it sound like an expense-account paradise, we're considering it now that we've drooled over some food porn shots of Chef Phillip Foss' grub.
The presentation is a lot more artful than we originally suspected, with foams and sauces dabbed and dolloped on entrees like the Surf, Turf and Turf, a plate full of lobster, spare ribs and steak. Also looking good is the Faux Gras. We'll take two, please.
The Palmer House in Chicago gives a discount to its return customers. But there's a catch -- you're only shot at nabbing the deal is if you visited back when the hotel housed WWII vets returning home to their sweeties. One-time guests who visited more than 50 years ago can stay for the price of their original visit as long as they can provide the original receipt.
Last week, 81-year-olds Larry and Mariam Orenstein stayed in the hotel's $1,600-a-night suite for $10 -- the price they paid when they honeymooned in the room in 1947. And actually, they didn't even have to pay the $10 as their grandson Ze graciously paid the bill.
The hotel, which first opened in the 1800s, started offering the deal in 1925. But customers have taken advantage of the offer fewer than 10 times over the last 25 years, said hotel spokesman Ken Price.
The Palmer House Hilton will soon have a shiny new restaurant to match its gleaming lobby. We're a little suspicious of the "November" opening date, but Lockwood Restaurant is scheduled to open soon, with French and Italian food perfect for the expense account crowd.
Executive Chef Phillip Foss will skirt Chicago's foie gras ban with "faux gras" (duck liver terrine) then follow it with entrees like osso bucco, pan roasted codfish and "surf, turf and turf," a combo of tenderloin, short ribs and lobster. Obviously, a lengthy list of wines will be on hand.
Dessert is more interesting than you might imagine. Chicago is the home of the brownie, and Lockwood will serve its version with milk mousse, shiraz-chocolate ice cream and an almond cookie.
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
Since we're talking about Chicago hotels this week, this anti-view is especially appropriate. This is the view from the city's Club Quarters hotel taken by JazzLovr who wrote:
The Club Quarters hotel was great. Good location, nice room, comfortable bed, fabulous service... But apparently the view was so bad that they had blocked off the bottom half of the window to spare us from seeing it!
This is the second time a Club Quarters hotel (which is a private sort of hotel for business travelers) has had a crappy view or in this case, no view at all.
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The screenshot here was taken on August 15, 2006 and rates are subject to change.]
Get your Latin groove on at Grant Park during the day, then retire to the stylish W Chicago City Centernearby, for $199 to $259 per night.
"Chicago's Hispanic community boasts the largest Mexican population outside of Los Angeles, California and is home to Hispanics from around the globe including the Americas and the Caribbean. Chicago celebrates this diverse group of people through music, food, dance and art. Last year 170,000 people attended the festival."
We're a little worried about the double bed listed in this "wonderful room" rate at the W, so you may want to upgrade to one of the packages on the web site and pay $239 to $259. That way you won't get stuck with a closet and you can justify it by enjoying the free parking and/or welcome cocktails they throw in to sweeten the deal.
We're hoping that the reason a hotel window just up and fell off the 17th floor of Chicago's W Hotel City Center location, is a glamorous one. Like let's say, a reunion of 80s hair bands were in town and threw a rager.
Unfortunately, no details are to be found, just some mundane report:
Parts of LaSalle and Adams streets were closed after the window fell from the 172 W. Adams location of the W Hotel about 11:26 a.m., according to police News Affairs Officer Marcel Bright.
There were no injuries, Bright said, adding that a building inspector was on the scene investigating.
This is not what we expect from a W. Guests chucking those bulky ethernet cables out the window we would understand, but the actual window itself baffles us.
Perhaps it was a Whatever/Whenever request gone bad.
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by Jenna
We're hoping that the reason a hotel window just up and fell off the 17th floor of 
