The Whitehall Hotel

What a shame. Remembering the Whitehall Hotel and its back-to-back twin the Tremont, when they entered the Chicago market as concept boutique hotels fashioned out of well-located, historic properties, I booked into the Whitehall on a recent family visit. The Tremont is abandoned, and the Whitehall, technically historic still, is just very tired. I was in an unrenovated room, featuring tattered curtains and a closet door that couldn't be closed. No doubt the substandard room came with my Expedia reservation, but how to explain the heavy odor of must and mildew that pervaded the 19th floor, undampened by the deodorizing administered by the only staff I ever saw on the floor. The street presence of the Whitehall, located just off Michigan Avenue, is diminished by a sort of jerry-rigged entry which seemed to be plywood. The location is fine during the day, although it is certainly NOT the advertised "steps from Lake Michigan" - more like five city blocks and not in an area where the dining options are varied and plentiful. For that reason, The Whitehall likely banks on the dubious Oriental bar/restaurant that is adjacent. The breakfast buffet that was included as part of my reservation is no longer offered; management seems to depend on food sales to a clientele that are not going across the street to the Four Seasons. The lovely remaining ground floor salon, sitting room and other holdover spaces are unused and irrelevant to the hotel today, so if considering the Whitehall go for the cheap, not the historic.

The hotel is in a great location; many places are within walking distance, including the 360 Observation Deck, Bloomingdale’s, the Magnificent Mile, dining options, and public transportation. The hotel itself is very old—you can’t miss that—and the rooms are small; you have to notify the front desk if you need housekeeping. There’s also a small bakery right next to the hotel that’s absolutely fantastic. I’d say the hotel is ideal for 2–3 days; otherwise, it might end up feeling a bit too small.

The Whitehall Hotel is one of Chicago's secrets and fabulous places to stay. The hotel is located right in the middle of just about any venue you would look for. Many are within walking distance. Pizza restaurants, steak houses, coffee shops, the river tours, River Walk and even Navy Pier is only a short walk away. Once on the river you can go to China Town and visit other locations. The hotel itself was very reasonably priced, the rooms were comfortable, the bathrooms are a little small but cozy. We had a hotel contact, Janice, who made our stay most accommodating for our group of retired Marines. We were all very satisfied with this hotel.

Best way to describe this hotel outside of a good front desk and location is it’s horrendous. worn furniture, lacking phones, air conditioning doesn’t work. Management, not responsive. if you want a good trip, do not stay

I'm not very fussy with my hotels, and think of myself as a very adaptable and flexible traveler. However, The Whitehall Hotel is a place that seems like it needs a bit of refreshing, when it comes to its rooms and amenities. This was one of those hotel rooms where hot shower water was sparse, a complaint I overheard from someone else at breakfast as well. I appreciated that it was a normal tub and not a tiny booth, but it's hard to enjoy when the water can't reach the temperature you want. The TV remote was so badly worn that the buttons had become barely responsive. The room was generally clean, but I was questioning the true cleanliness when I saw a single insect leg on the mattress. Don't worry, it wasn't the nightmare bug that would ruin a mattress, but still a bit gross. Breakfast was so minimal, I probably would have been happier if I just spent a bit of money outside the hotel, but time was limited. Here's a list of literally every breakfast option when I stayed: two types of sugary cereal, one type of yogurt that I didn't check, bananas, apples, whole wheat bread, cream cheese, peanut butter, coffee, milk, and orange juice. I sat next to someone who ate eight pieces of toast in one sitting, displeased the entire time about the lack of options. Sorry to call you out, half-loaf guy, it was just amusing. But the location was great, and the room wasn't overly pricey, not that it would be enough to bring me back here.