Fairmont Hotel
Chicago
Good hotels convey a distinctive character to their guests. Some have
Old World charm. Some are homey. Some project a twenty-first century,
hi-tech efficiency. Some are just unadorned and utilitarian. And some,
like the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago, send out a warm welcome that
emphasizes grace in a setting of modern elegance.
Situated on Lake Michigan, the Fairmont rises above the northern end
of the downtown business district and is within walking distance of
Chicago's famed Magnificent Mile shopping mecca on Michigan
Avenue. Nearly every major retailing name faces the avenue or is
located in indoor shopping malls just off the street. Visit the
extravagant Nike store, one of the retailer's first U.S. shops.
In recognition of its status as a destination for business travelers,
each Fairmont room has a fax machine; computer rentals are available
as well (each room comes equipped with data transmission/modem
ports). The hotel also offers $10 daily membership privileges in one
of America's most spectacular health clubs, the Athletic Club. It has
an indoor track, dozens of fitness machines, weights, a pool, a full
European spa, aerobics rooms, ball courts and a 50-foot-high climbing
wall. It's a quick walk underground from the hotel, so even during the
winter you have no excuse not to go.
Whether you have vistas of the downtown business area or Lake
Michigan, most of the 692 rooms, including 66 suites, have spectacular
views. The rooms are decorated in neo-modern pastel tones. The
Fairmont Suite comes with a living room, dining room, library with
fireplace and grand piano, as well as two bedrooms. It is located on
the Fairmont floor, the hotel's 37th, where a private boardroom is
available.
The hotel has a top-rated French-influenced Continental restaurant,
Entre Nous, that serves a range of specialties. Typical dinner menus
include a brioche with New York State foie gras, a fricassée of
sweetbreads, and crab cakes. The main courses cover the entire range
of top-quality and exotic meats, from beef tenderloin to ostrich and
venison. The restaurant's wine list has received Wine
Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence. The list is noted for its
strong selections from all major French regions and California.
The hotel's other restaurants include the Primavera, a simple
Italian-style bistro that doubles as the hotel's main breakfast and
lunch center. In the evening, there are often strolling singers, and
the entire bar and restaurant area pulses with energy.
The Metropole, however, is the cigar smokers' haven. It is off the
main lobby, next door to Entre Nous, and it frequently offers live
music in the evenings. So, you can dine at Entre Nous and shift over
to the Metropole for a cognac and your favorite smoke. It is a plush,
wood-paneled room with a full-length bar. There is plenty of
comfortable seating and a slightly raised stage for easy viewing.
The hotel also hosts Cigar Aficionado's Big Smoke. The 1995
event there sold out two sessions with more than 2,500
people. Chicago's 1996 Big Smoke will be held at the Fairmont on April
16.
-- Gordon Mott
Fairmont Hotel
200 North Columbus Drive
Phone: (312)
565-8000
Room Rates: $219, city view; $239, lake view; suites
start at $500
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