Chicago Athletic Association Hotel

Expensive, small rooms, and it is a maze. After two days I barely figured out the maze of hallways. The place is gorgeous and iconic. The location is absolute perfection. The staff is outstanding, up to classic Hyatt standards. But oh boy, the sticker shock for what I got. Think the Park Hyatt is a better choice at almost the same price.

Hotel is beautiful and the location couldn't be better. However we paid extra to have an upgraded room with park view and ended up under the 8th floor "ball room" which is rented out to apparently whoever has the loudest bass dance music. It seems silly to have rooms priced like this only to find out your under a wedding after party.

My stay at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel was truly exceptional—easily a 10/10 experience. I highly recommend this hotel and will absolutely stay here again whenever I visit Chicago. The service was outstanding from start to finish. As an American Express Platinum Card member, I received a number of added amenities that made the stay even more enjoyable, including a room upgrade, late checkout, a $100 hotel credit, and daily breakfast credits. What really stood out was that I didn’t even have to ask for the upgrade—I was automatically given a beautiful room on the 17th floor with amazing views. I was also offered a late checkout at 2pm, which added a lot of flexibility to my departure. The $100 hotel credit was very convenient and I used it at Cindy’s rooftop restaurant. In addition, I received a $60 per day breakfast credit, which I used at the Reading Room one morning and for room service breakfast the next day. The food across the board—Cindy’s, the Reading Room, and room service—was excellent. The hotel itself is stunning, very clean, and full of character. One of the best parts is the convenience of having so many great amenities on-site, including the incredible rooftop bar (Cindy’s), a game room, the Reading Room, a Topgolf Suite, and even a Shake Shack that can be ordered via room service. Location-wise, it couldn’t be better. The hotel is within walking distance to Millennium Park, the Magnificent Mile, and the Lakefront Trail, making it easy to explore the city. Overall, an exceptional experience with top-tier service, beautiful accommodations, and unbeatable convenience. Highly recommend.

I recently spent three nights at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel and came away with a genuinely positive impression. My primary reasons for choosing this property were its unbeatable location, perfectly situated near the event I was attending, and the fact that I was able to book using Hyatt points, making it a complimentary stay. For those reasons alone, it delivered exactly what I needed. From the moment I arrived, the staff stood out for their warmth and helpfulness, setting a welcoming tone throughout my stay. I was in a single king bed room, which, while cozy, felt a bit confined. The window was positioned high on the wall, giving the space a somewhat basement-like feel that made it less airy than I would have liked. That said, thoughtful touches like complimentary in-room coffee and a refillable water carafe were appreciated. One notable drawback was the lack of hot water in the shower, lukewarm was the best I could manage during all three nights, which was disappointing. On the dining front, I had breakfast at the lobby restaurant and was genuinely impressed by the quality of the food. The property also has a Shake Shack and a coffee shop on the ground floor, which added great convenience. I unfortunately didn’t have time to visit Cindy’s, the rooftop restaurant, but it’s high on my list for a return trip. Similarly, the game room caught my eye as I passed through, it looked like a fantastic amenity that I’d love to explore next time. Overall, the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel is a solid choice, especially if location and value are your top priorities. The historic character of the property, friendly service, and dining options more than compensate for the minor room shortcomings. I’d happily stay here again.

This is the 2nd time in the past 6 months that I've stayed at this hotel, and some things were great, but some really important things were awful both times. Last Thanksgiving, the room we were staying in had some sort of water leak in the ceiling caused by the massive building-wide HVAC system leaking over our heads. We started hearing a drip drip around 2AM, and it was getting worse until it was basically pouring through a light fixture. We called down to the front desk and got moved to a smaller and worse room at 3AM. Not a lot of sleep that night. Many hours later (honestly, after our breakfast time) they offered us a free breakfast for our troubles, which really didn't seem equal to the harm done... This May, I came alone, and the toilet had some sort of leak at the seal. They needed to rip it out and fix the plumbing beneath--I was trying to do work in the room during the day. The engineer said he would ask the front desk if they could move me to a different room, but the front desk decided against it. So, I got a lot of banging and grinding and clattering for a few hours. And after it was all over, the toilet still didn't work right. On multiple occasions, I had to go downstairs to find a public restroom to use (to relieve myself, to wash my hands, etc.), because mine was either toilet-less or really dirty from having just had a toilet re-installed in it, before housekeeping could clean it up. No one from the hotel offered me any compensation for this disruption at any point. The building is beautiful, and the people you interact with face-to-face are great. The people who answer the phones and the texts are just out there trying to ruin their guests stays, or something. They are the absolute worst. I can't imagine I'll ever go back. The back-office service does not come anywhere near the level you would expect for such a nice hotel.