Home Annual Meeting 2012 Annual Meeting News Where to Stay in Chicago

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After a long day of attending sessions at the Annual Meeting, it is good to have a haven to relax and recharge for the next day. AAR has negotiated special conference rates at thirteen luxurious and convenient hotels for the convenience of meeting attendees. Hotel room rates do not include the average of 16.4 percent hotel room tax. Please note that the single/double/triple/quadruple room designation denotes the number of room occupants, not the number of beds. A triple room means three people are sharing two double beds, unless a rollaway bed is requested at an extra charge.

Best Western Grant Park — Available to Students ONLY

This downtown hotel will delight you with supremely comfortable lodgings featuring rooms overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan. Service is exceptionally friendly and amenities are plentiful, ensuring a most pleasurable and memorable stay. Favored for its location across from Grant Park, Museum Campus, Soldier Field, and Northerly Island, the Best Western Grant Park is also one mile from Millennium Towers and Chicago’s theater district. This hotel features Fornetto and Mei’s Kitchen, which serves American and Italian cuisine and has a 1,200 bottle Wine Shoppe along the back wall. Come and take advantage of their Italian coffee bar — which is open for breakfast and lunch — complimentary wireless Internet access, local calls up to thirty minutes, in-house business center, and a 24-hour fitness room. Oak furnishings are featured in this Best Western’s guestrooms in addition to upholstered chairs and ottomans. Smoking rooms are available.

$119/$119/$129/$129

Essex Inn

Chicago’s Essex Inn is located on the Michigan Avenue Cultural Mile three blocks from the Loop business district and Lake Michigan, four blocks from the Art Institute, and a mile from Loop theaters. Amenities at this hotel include an indoor pool with deck and rooftop garden, a 1,350-square-foot fitness center, an all-season indoor rooftop pool, and a business center with flat-screen computer monitors. Complimentary shuttle service runs along the Magnificent Mile. Contemporary rooms are accentuated with floor-to-ceiling windows, art deco-style furnishings, iPod stations, refrigerators, and coffeemakers. The hotel’s Savoy Bar and Grill serves pasta dishes and American favorites such as steaks, burgers, and salads. An old-time jukebox amuses diners. Smoking rooms are available.

$149/$149/$159/$169

Hampton Inn Majestic

Located in the theater district, this hip 135-room hotel features contemporary comfort and is two blocks from Grant Park and Millennium Park. Amenities at Hampton Inn Majestic include a fitness center, complimentary hot buffet breakfast, room service, complimentary wireless Internet access, free local calls, and a coffeemaker. Enjoy comfortable mattresses and new soft sheets, your choice of soft down or firm foam pillows, a plush down duvet, and pristine white cover. This is a smoke-free hotel.

$149/$149/$164/$164

Hilton Chicago and Towers

Overlooking Grant Park in downtown Chicago, this landmark 1927 Hilton hotel is two blocks from Millennium Park, three blocks from the Field Museum, and four blocks from the Loop business district. The health club features an indoor lap pool with palm trees, an indoor running track, a whirlpool, and an extensive array of exercise equipment (a nominal fee applies). The hotel offers three dining options that include Kitty O’Shea’s Irish Pub, where bands play on select evenings; The Pavilion, which serves Mediterranean-influenced cuisine; and the Lakeside Green Lounge, which serves coffee and pastries by day but then transforms into a lounge and cocktail bar by night. The hotel’s business center houses six computer stations. Wireless Internet access is available in public areas and guestrooms for a fee. Guestrooms feature pillow-top mattresses, 250-thread-count sheets, down duvets and down pillows, large flat-screen TVs, and marble baths. Antique-style oak furnishings create a warmly inviting look. Smoking rooms are available.

$149/$159/$169/$179

Hyatt Regency Chicago

This Magnificent Mile hotel is four blocks from Lake Michigan and extends thirty-six stories overlooking downtown Chicago. There are six restaurants and lounges within the hotel, three of which serve everything from Starbucks coffee, quick bites, 24-hour snacks, a breakfast buffet, and evening drinks and appetizers in the lobby. There is also an Irish pub, a large bar, and a chophouse with nightly live music. Services and amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, a full-service business center, wireless lobby Internet (surcharge), an airport shuttle that runs at scheduled times (surcharge), and room service that is available 24 hours. The guestrooms underwent a $90 million renovation in March 2011, showcasing contemporary decor with black-suede headboards and black-and-white photographs of Chicago landmarks. Amenities include coffeemakers, laptop-compatible safes, and in-room minibars. Refrigerators are available upon request for a surcharge. Smoking rooms are available.

$165/$165/$180/$180

Inn of Chicago

The Inn of Chicago occupies a landmark 1928 building and is a half-block from the Magnificent Mile and two blocks from the landmark Tribune Tower. Millennium Park, Navy Pier, and the Art Institute of Chicago are among the many attractions within one mile. This Chicago hotel offers a business center, a fitness room, concierge services, guest laundry facilities, and a lounge. Complimentary coffee is available in the lobby. A full bar and complimentary wireless Internet access is located in our newly renovated lobby. On the twenty-second floor, a landscaped rooftop terrace provides seating and panoramic city views. Guestrooms feature pillow-top mattresses, down pillows, wireless Internet access (surcharge), and coffee/tea makers. This is a smoke-free property.

$129/$129/$149/$149

J. W. Marriott Chicago

This 4.5-star exquisite hotel is situated in the city center, close to Willis Tower, Millennium Park, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The J. W. Marriott features a pool, a business center, self-parking, and a premier 20,000-square-foot luxury spa. In addition to a nightly turndown service, the guestrooms offer ten-foot ceilings, minibars, in-room safes, and luxurious bathrobes. There is complimentary wireless Internet access in the lobby. This is a smoke-free property.

$165/$165/$180/$180

Palmer House Hilton

This 1925 Beaux Arts-style Chicago hotel is steps from Millennium Park, two blocks from Macy’s and the Art Institute, and one mile from Lake Michigan, Magnificent Mile shopping, and Wrigley Tower. The health club (surcharge) includes an indoor pool, workout equipment, and exercise classes. A business center offers wireless Internet access (surcharge), copying, and faxing services. Balance Spa, the full-service health spa onsite, offers massages, facials, and beauty services. There are also two restaurants onsite — Potter’s, a lounge that serves cocktails and appetizers, and Lockwood, an upscale-setting restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner from a contemporary French and Italian menu. Guestrooms, which were renovated September 2008, reflect the French Baroque style of the hotel featuring dark woods, marble bathrooms, antique-style decor, and pillow-top mattresses. Smoking rooms are available.

$149/$159/$169/$179

Renaissance Blackstone

Occupying a richly renovated 1910 building, this Chicago hotel is in the South Loop area, bordering Grant Park — the site of three world-class museums. As a unique addition, the Blackstone’s art collection comprises more than 1,400 museum-quality works by Chicago-based artists. Celebrity chef Jose Garces helms the Mercat a la Planxa restaurant, showcasing Catalan cuisine in a Mediterranean-inspired setting. In addition, a Starbucks café is onsite, room service is available, and the hotel has a 24-hour fitness center. Guestrooms offer pillow-top mattresses, down duvets, refrigerators, flat-panel TVs, iPod docks, wireless Internet access (surcharge), and their marble bathrooms come with bathrobes. Plug-in panels enable guests to connect their laptops, cameras, and other electronic devices directly to the TV. This is a smoke-free hotel.

$129/$129/$159/$189

Renaissance Chicago

Located across from the Chicago River, this hotel enjoys a prime location three blocks from Michigan Avenue shopping and within one mile of the Willis Tower, John Hancock Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The hotel’s fitness club includes an indoor lap pool, spa tub, yoga center, sauna, spa treatments, and 24-hour fitness center with exercise equipment. A full-service business center is onsite, and wireless Internet access is available (surcharge) hotel-wide. Onsite dining options include a casual yet sophisticated restaurant serving American fare open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner with river views, a lobby lounge serving appetizers and cocktails with piano entertainment on selected evenings, a café serving Starbucks coffee and light fare, and 24-hour room service. Spacious guestrooms have refrigerators, large windows framing city or river views with designer down duvets, triple sheeting with 300-thread-count sheets, and plush robes. All rooms are nonsmoking.

$165/$165/$180/$180

Sax Chicago

This hotel, across the Chicago River from the Loop and two blocks from the shops on Michigan Avenue, features a fusion of design influences that is both traditionally elegant and bohemian. The hotel serves as a hub to the pulsing Marina City playground, which includes the Smith and Wollensky Steak House, 10 Pin Bowling Lounge (a unique bowling experience and gaming lounge with a Martini Lounge), Bin 36 Restaurant and Wine Cellar (open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), Crimson Lounge (live jazz or a DJ nightly), and as a special bonus offers guests VIP access to the nearby House of Blues. The 353 guestrooms feature pillow-top mattresses, padded headboards, and 300-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets. The rooms are equipped with desks, iPod stations, fully stocked mini-bars, and 42-inch flat-screen televisions. Wireless Internet access is available for a surcharge. This is a smoke-free hotel.

$149/$149/$169/$169

Silversmith Hotel and Suites

Designed in 1897, the Silversmith Hotel is conveniently located on Jewelers Row, within one block of Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park; Chicago’s famed museums, shopping, and architectural sights are within two miles. Complimentary high-speed Internet access and use of the 24-hour fitness center is offered at this hotel. You can either dine in the hotel’s onsite restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a New York-style deli setting, or relax during happy hour in the lobby lounge. Room service is available from 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM. All rooms are appointed with an Art Deco look and feature refrigerators, CD players, coffeemakers, and video games. All guestrooms are nonsmoking.

$129/$129/$139/$149

W Chicago City Center

The twenty-two-story W Chicago City Center hotel is in the Loop business district, one block from the Willis Tower, five blocks from Lake Michigan, and within two miles of Magnificent Mile shopping. Conveniences provided are an onsite fitness center with complimentary fresh fruit and bottled water, business center, DVD library, and room service are all available 24 hours. Wireless Internet access in the lobby and transportation within a five-mile radius (1:00–8:00 PM only) are both complimentary. Onsite dining options include Tuscan-influenced cuisine, served in a romantic atmosphere for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as an Art Deco-inspired bar. Guestrooms offer iPod docking stations, DVD players, minibars, 42-inch plasma TVs, bathrobes, wireless Internet access (surcharge), pillow-top mattresses, 350-thread-count sheets, and down comforters and pillows. Smoking rooms are available and pets are welcome.

$149/$149/Rooms with two beds are not available.

Please note that you must be registered to secure housing. Register online here.

To help orient you to the city, here’s a map of the area of Chicago where the hotels and the McCormick Place Convention Center are located. The Map corresponds with the hotels listed below:

1 — Best Western Grant Park
2 — Courtyard Chicago Downtown (NO AVAILABILITY)
3 — Essex Inn
4 — Hampton Inn Majestic
5 — Hilton Chicago
6 — Hyatt Regency Chicago
7 — Hyatt Regency McCormick Place (VIPS and EXHIBITORS)
8 — Inn of Chicago
9 — J. W. Marriott Chicago
10 — Palmer House Hilton
11 — Renaissance Blackstone
12 — Renaissance Chicago
13 — Sax Chicago
14 — Silversmith Hotel and Suites
15 — W Chicago City Center

 

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