Kimpton Gray Hotel

Character and identity

Set in a former insurance building in the Loop, the Kimpton Gray channels gray-flannel-with-paisley-lining: buttoned-up bones (marble lobby, ex-corporate gravitas) with a wilder streak running underneath. The 293 rooms lean mid-century modern, platform beds, pendant lamps, leather headboards, with dark wooden armoires hiding floral interiors and asymmetric, photo-driven art above the bed. Two bars define the social life: Vol. 39, a romanticised law-office lobby lounge with low seating and votive light, and rooftop Boleo, higher-energy with a nightclub edge and credible Latin cooking. A hosted social hour runs nightly from 5 to 6 p.m.

Who's it for

Bottom line

What you're really booking is a stylish Loop address with two of the better hotel bars in the city attached. The room product is good; the social scene is the differentiator. Book a Spa room for the glassed-in shower with freestanding tub and abstract tilework, time arrival for the 5 p.m. lobby hour, and end the night at Vol. 39.