9 Best Hotels in The Loop, Chicago

A global-chic lobby featuring pops of color and texture (check out the high-gloss red alligator fabric on the registration desk) as well as rooms with steamer-trunk nightstands and Moroccan lamps inspire wanderlust. Another nice touch are the plush window seats. Complimentary high-end coffee is available each morning from 6 to 9, and guests are offered free wine each evening from 5 to 6.

A massive, light-filled lobby—part of a $168-million renovation—is the centerpiece of the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the city's largest hotel with 2,032 rooms in a prime downtown locale. Perched between the Chicago River, Lake Michigan, Millennium Park, and Michigan Avenue, the spot is perfect for business or leisure travelers. Technology updates offer computer screens for self check-in and checkout, as well as free Wi-Fi. Renovated rooms are modern and minimalist with crisp white linens. Stetson's, where sushi is as popular as steak, is definitely a cut above most hotel restaurants.

Mixing architectural elegance with a sleek modern style, this historic property has lots of gorgeous areas, from a bright and welcoming lobby bar to spacious guest rooms with high ceilings and marble baths. Built in 1914 as the Continental & Commercial National Bank, the Daniel Burnham–designed building is in the heart of the financial district and handy to Union Station. Its upscale Italian restaurant, the Florentine, is popular for business lunches and cocktails.

City history and contemporary design come together with stylish elegance at the Pendry Chicago, in the iconic 1929 art deco Carbide and Carbon Building. The minimalist decor with gold accents compliment the original building design making guest rooms feel bright and modern. The ground-floor restaurant, Venteux, and the rooftop bar, Château Carbide, highlight French cuisine.

With design savvy inside as well as out, this gem breathes life into an 82-story skyscraper designed by revered architect Jeanne Gang. Indoor and outdoor pools, a game room, a movie screening room, a well-equipped fitness center, and lush landscaping on outdoor terraces are all part of the deal. The location is a winner, too, as it's close to Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue. Eight PCs and a conference room in the business center make this as good a fit for road warriors as it is for families with kids and pets. The lobby-level bar is bright and welcoming.

Perched on prime real estate on the south bank of the Chicago River, this cosmopolitan spot is shouldered by high-rises but you can enjoy still enjoy fantastic views of the Chicago skyline right from your room. Stay on the slightly pricier club levels for complimentary weekday access to a private business center, continental breakfast, hors d'oeuvres, and nonalcoholic drinks.

The Swissôtel's triangular Harry Weese design allows for panoramic vistas of the city, lake, or river—and the comfortable, contemporary rooms feel like condos. A 42nd-floor fitness center and pool are both a big draw, thanks to the bird's-eye views. Guests also enjoy the convenience of having a Palm steak house on the premises. Meeting rooms and an on-site UPS outlet ease the business traveler's burdens.

Theater lovers will relish an opportunity to stay at this art deco–theme hot spot, with its plush banquettes, intimate candlelight spaces, and oversize works of modern art. The service is solid, and the muted metallic walls and blue mohair headboards in the rooms are a treat. The bathrooms are well designed, with gleaming new gray marble, plus updated sinks and vanities. Rent a suite if space is your thing. The building, staying true to its original architecture, keeps the rooms on the smaller side.

The atmosphere at this sleek spot, topped by ROOF, one of the Loop's most happening bars, is fun and youthful; the same can be said of the guest rooms, which are moderately sized and modern, with hanging wall art meant to resemble puckered lips. The hotel announces itself with a massive lightning bolt out front and winged lighting sculptures in the lobby. It's the perfect place to see and be seen; you'd never guess this is a Doubletree.