I'm writing this review from the hotel. I'm here for a conference that is taking place at the Allerton and a block of rooms were set aside. I stayed here 9 years ago or so and it was very old and needed to be updated. When I saw that the conference would be here my first thought was "are they kidding?" but I checked out the Allerton website and saw that the entire place had been completely redesigned. I still wasn't 100% sure but they had pictures of the outside as well so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm really glad I did. The hotel has a boutique hotel feel without the snotty attitude that one finds at other hotels in the genre. It is very clean, all new lobby, bar, restaurant and rooms. The rooms are still small (as they were before) - which is fine with me - but the beds are comfortable and the bath roomy.

All of the staff - and I really mean ALL - is very friendly and helpful. They have gone out of their way to make sure I am comfortable, have heated milk for my coffee and helped with reservations. The food is great too!

Highly recommend it!

We found a great deal but when we read the reviews we were a little apprehensive about staying here. I'm so glad we decided to stick with it because everything exceeded our expectations.

The location is beyond perfect!! The staff is very helpful.
We read about the small rooms so we decided to get a king suite on the top floor and it was amazing!!! (photos included). We requested a fridge and they brought one up as soon as one was available.

I just loved it here!!! I can't wait to go back and try to get the same room.

Note: I tried to add more than 3 photos and it won't let me...if you want to see more of the room let me know!

We had planned a 3 night stay: requested a king size bed, on as high a floor as possible & near my sister & brother in law who were traveling with us. When we arrived, the bellman was very helpful, directed us to the elevator that would take us to the reservation desk. Once there we were told our room wasn't ready but my sisters was. When we checked back a few hours later it still wasn't ready, then it was, but not on the same floor as my sister, not even close! Avoid room 1011 at all cost, a queen bed you can hardly walk around. At night I couln't get past my husbands feet without hitting the radiator at the foot of the bed. Who ever laid out this room in the redesign should have measured the room better. When requesting things like a remote control for the TV, a clock for the room or extra towels, it appeared to be an inconvience for some of the staff, why should I have had to request these things? Will try not to stay there again, at least not in room 1011. Would be nice for 1 person. The bathroom was large but had a moldy smell.

We were staying with a Collette tour group (great tour with Barbara and Fred) so we did not have to check in or check out. We did find the room small. but the beds were very comfortable.
In the bathroom, there is only one very small shelf and no counter space. For two women traveling together, this was an inconvenience. The location was great. We LOVED Millennium Park. A must see is "the bean" and Crown Fountain, which changes colors and pictures--very beautiful. A local tour guide mentioned that the park has the best sound system in the world for their concerts and they were right. We stayed for a Gershwin concert and we were amazed. Also, the Wendella boat trip which included the river and lake was great. We found Chicago very beautiful with hardly any litter. The people of Chicago were also very helpful to tourists. We asked a gentlemen for directions and noticed a few minutes later that he borrowed a bicycle to catch up with us to redefine his directions--amazing. The folks at the hotel were also very helpful. Thanks to Jon (doorman) for recommendating Park Grille at the Park and for Tyrone and the front desk staff for good service, and the folks in the dining room which ran a first-class operation. We only had the buffet breakfast, but it was superb and managed very well. We also ate at Gino's East, which we enjoyed for Chicago Pizza. Be ready to wait for about an hour for their deep dish pizza. Ask the concierge for a coupon for free bread sticks there, which were very good and filled the void until the pizza came. The elevators were never a concern for us, but be careful not to get on the service elevator. We had a good experience at this hotel and truly loved Chicago.