Bluegreen Vacations Hotel Blake, an Ascend Collection Hotel

We recommend the Blake to travellers who want a central pied-à-terre without paying the price of the big brands on the Magnificent Mile. It is a hotel for cultural couples, professionals on business trips, first stays in Chicago with a controlled budget. Families find what they need thanks to the proximity of the museums and the lake, but the atmosphere remains predominantly adult and business during the week.

The building dates from 1894, typical of late nineteenth-century commercial architecture in the Loop. Red-brick façade, sash windows, steel structure characteristic of the Chicago School. The interiors have been modernised: compact lobby with exposed brick walls, contemporary lighting, sober designer furniture. The rooms retain original elements (beams, brick) while incorporating current equipment.

The ground-floor restaurant offers a classic American menu: burgers, salads, daily specials. Continental breakfast served on weekdays, brunch at the weekend. Room service operates until 22:00, simplified menu. No signature chef or gastronomic table, but honest cooking to tide one over without going out.

The Blake stands on South Dearborn, in the Loop, the historic business and theatre district. Millennium Park three minutes on foot, Art Institute five minutes, Chicago River seven minutes. Jackson metro station (Red and Blue lines) two blocks away, O'Hare forty minutes by train. The neighbourhood is lively during the day, quieter in the evening after the offices close, very animated on performance evenings at the Chicago Theatre or the Auditorium.