The Pfister Hotel

Character and identity

Open since 1893 near the historic Third Ward, this 307-room landmark trades on Victorian grandeur: the largest hotel-held collection of Victorian art anywhere, a grand staircase, marble fireplace, lobby piano lounge, and holiday decor that goes properly maximalist. Guest rooms read conservatively classic rather than design-forward, but the public spaces carry the personality. The top-floor martini and wine bar, Blu, looks out across Lake Michigan from the 23rd floor, where you'll also find the indoor pool. There's a spa on site. Service follows the register of a long-running civic institution.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pull here is the building itself: the Victorian art, the grand staircase, the marble and the piano lounge create a hotel experience the rooms alone don't deliver. Book it for the lobby, the holidays, and the lake view from Blu rather than the bedroom. Choose a higher category if you want the room to match the public spaces, and time a winter stay for the full decorative effect.