Tablet Plus
PUBLIC Chicago Hotel
1301 North State Parkway, Chicago, IL, USA
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While the world’s less clued-in luxury brands are still trumpeting their “exclusivity” to anyone who will listen, some of the hotel industry’s savvier players have come to recognize what a sour taste that concept can leave. Among them is none other than Ian Schrager, whose trailblazing boutique hotels did their fair share to enshrine exclusivity as a marker of luxury. But his new philosophy of inclusivity is embodied at PUBLIC Chicago, something of an anti-boutique boutique, an anti-design design hotel. As long as the service isn’t anti-service — and it isn’t — we’re still on board.
In many ways Chicago, less image-obsessed than Los Angeles or New York, is the perfect city to launch an experiment like this. And the former Ambassador East is an especially fitting location — it was here in the mid-‘80s that Phil Collins was turned away for failing to wear a dinner jacket. Suffice it to say that Jean-Georges won’t be chucking Kanye West out into the street anytime soon, at least not over sartorial issues.
PUBLIC may leave behind the velvet-rope aspect of the first generation of boutique hotels, but it holds onto Schrager’s trademark expressiveness, that emotional investment that makes a hotel feel like more than just a machine for lodging. Here a little design (by the likes of Yabu Pushelberg and Gabellini Sheppard) goes a long way. The spaces are theatrical, but subtly so, less like art installations and more like stylish backdrops for guests’ memories.
It’s a timeless style that seamlessly blends the classic and the contemporary — this building’s got plenty of architectural history, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Pump Room restaurant boasts an impressive collection of black-and-white celebrity portraits. Imagine a modern crowd inhabiting a circa-1938 period piece and you’re most of the way there, stylistically speaking.
Bottom line: it’s effortlessly chic, but with a compensating dose of Midwest unpretentiousness. The comforts and service are pitch-perfect, always sufficient but never precious or over-opulent. And with 285 rooms there’s space in here for everyone — no velvet rope required.
- Complimentary upgrade upon hotel check-in, based upon availability
- Guaranteed 4pm check-out
- One complimentary glass of champagne or one cocktail, per guest, upon arrival
- Guaranteed early 11am check-in
- 285 Rooms
- Style: Modern Design
- Atmosphere: Happening
- 48 Guest Reviews
- PUBLIC Chicago
- 1301 North State Parkway
- Chicago, IL, USA
Hotel amenities and services
- 100% non-smoking hotel
- 24 hour concierge
- 24 hour front desk
- 24 hour gym
- ATM/bank office
- Bar
- Business center
- Central air conditioning
- Free wi-fi
- Luggage storage
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Valet parking (charges apply)
Other Chicago hotels
48 Guest Reviews
All reviews are from Tablet guests with verified stays.
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- Leslie
- Stayed March 2013
- Rating: Fair
What I liked:
Beautiful design. Great food and drinks.
What the hotel could do better:
Chose to come back to the hotel bar after dinner and drinks out in Chicago. Cocktail waitress had a horrible attitude. Moved on to another who was great. Ordered Moscow Mules - the mint was about a week old. Asked the bar tender to make something else, also had a horrible attitude. Ultimately had to meet with a manager who was very pleasant and quickly rectified the situation.
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- Emilia
- Stayed March 2013
- Rating: Excellent
What I liked:
The lobby and bar are absolutely brilliantly designed and the room itself was stylishly minimalist. The service was the best I have ever experienced – after explaining that I was a light sleeper and would prefer not to be by the elevators, they upgraded me to a larger room in a quiet corner of the hotel. The location is great, too, with easy access to public transport.
What the hotel could do better:
Initially, I didn't care for the in-room heating/air con as it was quite loud, but it ended up working wonderfully as a way to drown out the noise from other rooms. I know it’s an old building and so thin walls are a given, but I could still make out every word of the conversations that were happening in the rooms on either side of mine and I’m fairly certain no one was being particularly loud. However, that's just a small complaint - my overall stay was excellent.
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- Dan
- Stayed December 2012
- Rating: Excellent
What I liked:
One of the best public spaces in the U.S. for me. The lobby and bar are incredible looking. Nice looking crowd, almost art directed in black against all the white. Rooms are huge and perfectly designed. My favorite touch: how they transform the bar into a coffee bar in the morning with amazing coffee. A perfect setup. Haven't seen that anywhere else. You don't have to walk down the block to a generic Starbucks.
What the hotel could do better:
Service is kinda soulless, but functional. At the front desk, in the bar and other areas.
