When planning our trip to Chicago, I debated about where to stay. I knew that I wanted to find a place downtown, preferably in a reasonable walking distance to Grant Park since our only definite agenda item was to go to the Taste of Chicago. Having stayed at a Kimpton Hotel once before and really enjoying it, I kept them on my list of hotels to keep an eye on for specials. When they had a special of “stay 3 nights, get the 3rd night free,” I compared the different Chicago locations (I believe there are 3 of them) and decided on the Hotel Allegro.
We decided not to get a rental car for the weekend thanks to the great public transportation system I knew Chicago has. Even arriving into O’Hare at 11:30pm, we were able to catch a direct train to the stop closest to the hotel at Clark & Lake. Two blocks away, we found ourselves at the hotel.
Upon entering the building, we were greeted by a beautiful red staircase. The lobby is on the second level and there’s an elevator next to the stairs for those with luggage or those not interested in walking (it also goes all the way up to the rooms).
The lobby is huge, modern, and relaxing. While we didn’t make it to any of them, Kimpton Hotels has hosted wine happy hours for their guests every evening and I believe the one at Hotel Allegro is in this area. In the mornings, we were able to get coffee, (iced coffee is available in the summer), tea, and water.
Check-in was easy and the hotel reception was very friendly. I’ve been following them on Twitter (Kimpton Hotels that is) and learned that they have passwords that guests can use to get fun things. June’s password was “flip flops” and I was sure to use it during check in 
The next day, we found out that our “prize” was $20 worth of food at one of the hotel’s restaurants or room service. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to take advantage of it, but it was fun using the password anyway.
Our room was quaint, which is to be expected of an old, city building. However, it was spacious enough for the two of us, clean, and comfortable. The bed was comfy and the desk was convenient. There was a large selection in the relatively reasonably priced mini bar (though we didn’t use it).
Like my stay at Hotel Deluxe in Portland (not a Kimpton Hotel), I liked the design of the bathroom. They also had Aveda products :-) It wasn’t huge, but was spacious enough that you didn’t feel cramped.
The hotel’s rewards program, Kimpton In-Touch, is free to all guests (like all other programs) but comes with a handful of perks. You get free wireless internet, if you’re a member, as well as your choice of pillows and newspapers (you can designate online). Those little touches make one’s stay that much nicer. Overall, we were quite happy with our stay at Hotel Allegro and recommend it if you find yourself in the Chicago Loop area.
If you’ve missed our other Chicago getaway posts, check them out below. We had a great weekend in Chicago and the Husband loved his first visit. Can’t wait to go back!
Navy Pier (and mediocre mexican)
Dinner at Giordano’s (Yum!)