The Silversmith Hotel, Chicago

a few blocks away from the Art Institute - great central location for seeing the sites. Hotel was great - hotel was clean and quiet. Hotel staff friendly and very helpful. And they have free wi-fi! Will definitely come back to this one!

this would not be my first or even second choice for staying in downtown Chicago. It took 2 calls, 1 visit to the front desk and 50 minutes to get the sheets to make up the fold-out bed. I'm disappointed in the service and the follow-up to the lack of service.

Like many of other reviews - not the best value for $ - bell hop staff excellent rest seemed to be putting time in. Many things they advertise online & in rooms are not available when you get there. When I wanted theatre tickets on a wed nite to a show a block away I was told the person who does that only works weekends and I asked for phone numbers to call and they could not give them to me. As one reviewed put it don't go there to be pampered. We got a suite and as other person reviewed small and not a full wall. I guess if no where else to stay and price was right it would be ok. It is in good location and close to alot of stuff if you just want a room to sleep in go for it but ask for one the side away from street as the train & construction are on the street. It was sad as I was really looking forward to this stay after reading about the hotel and seeing pics but service just didn't match.

If you're not looking for a picturesque view, then this is a swell stay. Check their website for last minute discounts. My friend and I did this and ended up with a 2-room suite for less than the price of a regular room. The staff might seem a little distant, but it's to be expected. Don't let it bug you, most of them are very accomodating and friendly. The L-train is right outside your door as is Millenium Park. Clean room, cozy atmosphere, we will definately go back.

i did not like the people there because people who worked here are more interested in getting your money than serving you. they're not friendly. just like hilton in delaware avenue and o'hare. my friends got married with reservations from the rewards in hilton in delaware avenue, when they got there for their honeymoon transported by a limo, their reservation was cancelled and told them they will be transfered to Hilton in O'hare, they went there by taxi in their wedding dress when they arrived they had to wait in line till 11:45pm not a bell boy helped them and the front desk people did not honor the reward and letter from previous Hilton and they end up paying $298+ $50 charge for using debit card during that night and they have to check out noon. can you imagine more than $300 for 12 hrs. and the mess they made for the newlyweds? this is outrageous! So don't go to Hiltons in Chicago and O'hare. You can't even comment on them cause they're not advertised here.

The rooms at the Silversmith are clean and nice enough. However, don't choose this hotel if you want to be pampered at all. The staff seem like they've been around so long that they've lost interest. In fact, the hotel itself looks as though it's been around a long time...and not always in a good way. The decor in The Silversmith is straight out of the mid-1980's. There is NO POOL at this hotel! Overall, this is a very average hotel in an extraordinary city. If you don't care about service, feeling pampered, having a pool, and aren't bothered by a flashback to the 80's, then this is your hotel.

This review is being written on April 30, 2008, and we were at the Silversmith just this past weekend, for four nights. The most disappointing thing was the rate combined with the lack of quality. We paid over two hundred dollars a night for an extremely loud room on the 9th. floor. There was construction at a building outside our room AND the Chicago subway (T) zoomed overhead every couple of minutes. (The noise could have been mitigated by better insulated windows.) The room was quite small with little natural light (except the windows in the bedroom). The bedroom, while a separate room technically, was really just partitioned off from the living area by two French doors which were very pretty but which transmitted light from the adjoining room right into the bedroom. Equally distressing, the wall that partitioned the bedroom from the living area did not go all the way to the ceiling, for reasons I do not understand. So noise from within the hotel room – the TV, the bathroom toilet or shower, etc. – was transmitted very easily. We traveled with our toddler, which is exactly why we wanted a one-bed room suite. But between the noise from outside and the light and noise inside, it was just like sleeping in a regular hotel room, only worse, because there was the expectation of privacy and separate rooms. When the TV was on in the adjoining room, it might as well have been on in the bedroom. We did not read the description of the Silversmith carefully. There was no microwave in the room, and the refrigerator was very small. We expected a type of kitchenette, so that we could warm up our daughter’s milk each morning. To Silversmith’s credit, the towels and washcloths were plush and plentiful. The bathroom was a nice size, though the water pressure in the shower was not great. And you cannot beat the location. It is near a lot of sights and public transportation. For the money, I would not stay there again. I would instead look at Homewood Suites (Hilton), which also has properties in Downtown Chicago, and they seem to be more affordable than Silversmith and the suites come with complete kitchenettes and dining areas. We should have known to be wary when Silversmith required full payment in advance. We stayed the four nights because we did not want to fight for a credit and were too busy to haul all our stuff to another hotel.

We recently had the pleasure of spending two nights at the Silversmith Hotel. We found the staff to be most friendly and courteous. Upon our arrival we were greeted by a valet who advised they parked our vehicle for us. The only downside was being hit with a $74.00 parking fee which we were not advised about when we handed over the keys. Overall, a most enjoyable stay and would highly recommend this hotel.

My daughter and I stayed at the Silversmith the weekend of March 7, 2008. We actually booked our reservation through Priceline, so we got a really good deal. From the moment we arrived on Friday evening, things couldn't have gone better. Everyone was extremely friendly. Check-in took all of two minutes, then we were escorted to our room along with our bags, and our bellman took the time to give us some tips about getting around, what to see, etc. The location of the hotel was GREAT! The room was beautiful, extremely clean. Check out on Sunday went just as smoothly as check in. The ONLY complaint I have would be that if you're not familiar with downtown Chicago, as we were not, you can't see the name of the hotel on the front entrance from the street, because the el runs right on top of the street, so the tracks and trestles block your view. You have to look for the signs at eye level that say Silversmith valet parking. We had a great weekend, and I would definitely send someone to this hotel.

It was very nice and clean and the staff was very pleasant. I would recommend it to my friends. I stayed there when the name was Crowne Plaza.