Above: The view looking east along the Chicago River in Chicago

Chicago may be a large and important city, but it has long lacked a luxurious hideaway hotel. All the properties we currently recommend have more than 200 rooms. It has seemed ridiculous that such a major metropolis couldn’t support at least one smaller hotel of potential interest to Hideaway Report members. The 40-room Soho House looked promising when it opened a few years ago, but amateurish service prevented us from recommending it. Since then, a number of other boutique properties with aspirations have opened in the city. Hopes high, we booked our tickets to return.

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