The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Michigan Avenue Chicago

Housed in an Art Deco tower structure that's dwarfed by some of its skyscraper neighbors, The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chicago offers a luxurious, old-fashioned ambience, but it’s far from stuffy. The lobby here is elegant and dark, featuring lots of velvet touches (including royal-blue chairs and lime-hued bench seating) and a three-tiered crystal light fixture as the centerpiece, which hangs over a large off-white stone relief sculpture. The Gwen Chicago rooftop is one of the more interesting spaces (it’s actually on the fifth floor, however), with a bar and restaurant, great city views, and even a curling pitch. Both the lobby and the bar area can get noisy, and lively, at times, with a mix of vacationing tourists (mostly adults), business travelers, and local residents coming to hang out.

The Gwen is located right in the heart of downtown Chicago, just a block west of the famous Magnificent Mile. It's an excellent location for tourists and business travelers alike, with plenty of restaurants in the immediate area and numerous subway stations within easy walking distance (the Grand station is the closest, at two blocks away). It's about a 10-minute walk to the northern edge of Millennium Park, 15 minutes to the Museum of Contemporary Art, and 20 minutes on foot to the Art Institute of Chicago. The Field Museum takes about 25 minutes to reach by public transportation. The hotel is also well-connected to Chicago O'Hare International Airport, which takes around half an hour to get to by taxi if there's not much traffic or just under an hour by subway (with one transfer).

The 311 rooms here are sophisticated and elegant, all with modern decor consisting of soft touches such as velvet throw cushions and runners in muted shades of gray and robin's egg blue. Aries-themed sketch-style art behind the beds gives the spaces a borderline bohemian (or at least less generic) feel, while large windows offer great views of the Chicago skyline. Rooms measure a consistent 275 square feet (25.5 square meters) and come with either two queen beds or one king; the main differentiating factors are their views.

Bathrooms are elegant, with a black-and-white color scheme, marble vanities, walk-in showers, and Molton Brown toiletries. Standard amenities include huge flat-screen TVs, Bluetooth speakers, and safes. The internet, while free, is sometimes patchy and there’s a limited to the number of devices guests can connect. Rooms lack coffee- and tea-making facilities, though suite categories do have Keurig coffeemakers and there is free coffee in the lobby.

Suites here have a similar design, but are noticeably larger, starting at 475 square feet (44 square meters) and run up to around 1,400 square feet (130 square meters). They also add high-end features such as deep soaking tubs, furnished terraces, and separate living spaces.

In an unusual twist, particularly for an urban hotel, The Gwen offers rooftop glamping, right on the 16th-floor terrace of the Gwen Lux Suite, with views over Michigan Avenue. The experience takes place in a 16-foot-diameter luxury tent complete with a queen bed and upscale furnishings. The only catch? Guests can't just glamp: they'll need to fork out for a hefty package that includes booking the two-bedroom Gwen Lux Suite.

If you're after Mediterranean food, you'll be well looked-after at The Gwen. Its sleek restaurant Kostali (Coastal in Maltese) offers fine dining inspired by the Mediterranean region at dinnertime, with private lunch events available on request. For other meals, there’s The Gwen Chicago bar, Upstairs at The Gwen, which features a wide variety of craft cocktails along with a solid selection of upscale shareables and pub fare -- think steak, flatbreads, avocado toast, and desserts. Breakfast is also served here, as well as brunch on the weekends. This fifth-floor space is cozy, with indoor and outdoor seating, including a long outdoor table with a fire feature at the center to keep guests warm, plenty of heat lamps, fairy lights, and fantastic city views. Note that the terrace opens a little later than the indoor section and closes slightly earlier on weekdays.

The Gwen Chicago pool is non-existent, and there’s no spa, although there is a small fitness center for those who want to get a workout in, complete with cardio machines and weight-training equipment. The Gwen Chicago wedding venues include a number of indoor spaces on the 6th, 9th, 10th, and 11th floors (that also double as meeting and conference rooms). The hotel offers room blocks, wedding planning services, and catering. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, however, there are limits on how many devices guests can connect at the same time.