A Great Stay Outside the City Center: The Thompson Chicago

~ Chris Wada

The Thompson Chicago is a great hotel with good food and a comfortable sleep. However, it’s not a good base for exploring the city if you’re a tourist.

The outside of the Thompson Chicago

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Booking the Thompson Chicago

We had a need for a quick one-night stay in Chicago. Our choices were between a hotel near the airport (in Rosemont) or in the city. Staying near the airport meant that we wouldn’t have much time to do anything in the morning before we leave for Amsterdam in the afternoon. But staying in the city meant we had a chance to walk around a bit.

Thus, we booked a stay at the Thompson Chicago. I found a very cheap non-refundable rate of just $157 for the one night we were there, and that sealed the deal. Everything else in Chicago appeared to be well above $200, so I’m not quite sure why the rate was so low.

The Thompson Chicago is a Category 5 hotel, meaning free nights cost between 17,000 and 23,000 Hyatt points/night. Given the low cash price on that night, it wasn’t worth it to use points.

Destination fee

The Thompson Chicago charges a $25.05 (plus a $4.95 tax) destination fee. What do you get for this destination fee?

  • 10% off at Lux Bar
  • Bruschetta or cookie dessert at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria
  • 15% off at Milk & Honey Spa
  • 25% off on All-Day Passes to FFC Formula Fitness Club
  • Glove rental at Rumble Boxing Chicago
  • “Special discounts” at over 30 shops, spas, restaurants, and entertainment
  • 20% off at 360 Chicago Observation Deck
  • Bottled water daily

We’ve seen some disappointing resort/destination fees before, but this one seems quite egregious. Of the items the Thompson Chicago gives as part of this destination fee, the only thing actually provided at the hotel is the bottled water. Literally everything else is a discount for other businesses in the area. What a joke!

The good news is you won’t have to pay this fee if you’re here on a free night (points or certificates), or if you’re a Globalist booking an eligible cash rate.

Earning Hyatt points

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase has a couple of cards that earn Ultimate Rewards points that can transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 rate:

  • The Chase Sapphire Preferred card (refer-a-friend link) that offers 75,000 points for spending $5,000 in the first three months.
  • There is currently a limited-time offer (refer-a-friend link) on the Chase Ink Business Preferred that gives an excellent 100,000 points for spending $8,000 in the first three months.

The Hyatt personal credit card (not an affiliate link) offers a 30,000 point bonus when spending $3,000 in three months. On top of that, you get 2X earnings during the first six months until you reach $15,000 in spend. At most, this is a 45,000 card for spending $15,000–and most certainly not the 60,000 bonus it claims disingenuously claims. But, on the bright side, if that $15,000 spend happens within the same calendar year, you’ll also get six elite night credits and a Category 1-4 free night certificate.

The small business version of the Hyatt credit card (refer-a-friend link) offers a limited-time 80,000 point bonus when spending $10,000 in three months. The main appeal here is the easier path towards earning elite status (5 elite night credit for every $10,000 in spend per calendar year), but it also gives up to $100 back on Hyatt purchases.

First impressions of the Thompson Chicago

Our flight into Chicago landed just past 11PM local time, which was a bit late for the kids. Rather than subject them into taking the L to save money, we instead took a Lyft to the hotel. We arrived to find the Thompson Chicago poppin’ with activity on a late Friday night. The lobby certainly does feel like a nice place to hang out, especially if trying to avoid the cold in late fall.

Luckily, there was no line to check in at that hour. The front desk recognized my Globalist status and upgraded our room to a lake view room. While the room category is considered a lake view room, don’t expect much of a view of the lake. He also handed us a voucher for breakfast (more on that later) and we were off to our room.

As an aside, when checking in this late (arriving midnight or later), I always check in on the app. I don’t want to give any indication to the hotel that I might not make it that night. No one wants to arrive at that hour only to find their room was given away to another guest after being thought a no-show.

Also in the lobby is a small postcard display in case you wanted to convince others you traveled to London. You’re in Chicago, by the way.

The room

Our room for this stay was on the 15th floor (1514). It’s far enough from the elevators to not hear them.

As a side note, this room looks like it can connect with the room across the way if you need two rooms.

Bedroom

Immediately upon entering the room, a cute painting of a smiling moon greeted us.

A little further in, we saw our beds, which certainly looked inviting so late at night. Indeed, the beds are plenty firm and we did get great sleep in the beds. The pillows are plump enough and the blankets are thick enough for our needs. I should point out that we could easily hear emergency vehicles on the street, but it’s hard to blame them on that.

One potential improvement for the layout of the room is placing more outlets by the bed.

Across from the beds are the desk, TV, and a chair for lounging. The design in the room feels modern and inviting, especially with the large windows.

The desk perhaps visually fits with the decor in the room, but it’s not functional at all if you want to use a computer on it.

The TV feels small given the size of the room. Since we didn’t use it on this trip, I can’t comment on how it functions.

Underneath the TV is a large minibar. These aren’t free snacks like at Andaz hotels, so expect high prices. That said, your free daily waters are also stored in here, so be careful what you grab.

In the corner is a nice reading chair and light. If we were staying longer, we might have had more of a chance to use it as something more than just temporary storage.

For those who care, there is a large Thompson-themed bag you can use during your stay (or take home with you to give away as a gift bag).

Since this is a corner room, you’ll have views out in two directions. I think the view looks nicer at night with the lights on.

As I mentioned earlier in the post, there isn’t much of a view of the lake from here. It’s hard to see because it’s dark, but the lake is just past those buildings.

Bathroom

By the entrance to the guestroom is the bathroom, which has plenty of subway tiles inside. Some might like the style, but I just see all the maintenance needed to protect those grout lines.

The theming inside the bathroom fits with the overall style of the room and the common areas. The vanity is functional and I can dig the style if I’m not the one cleaning it.

Just behind is a small soaking tub if you need to relax. It’s certainly not big enough to fit more than one person.

And next to the tub is a shower. Unfortunately, you’re going to get blasted with cold water when you turn it on. But on the positive side, both the water temperature and pressure are excellent.

Toiletries are by Bowmakers, the brand standard for Thompson hotels.

If you’re a fan of the toiletries, you can pay $50 to take some home. For what it’s worth, while I normally complain that the price is too high for these amenities you can take home, these aren’t out of line with eBay pricing.

Breakfast at Tavern on Rush

At check-in, the front desk let us know that as a Globalist, we could take our free breakfast one of two ways. Either we could dine in Tavern on Rush or we can have it via room service. Choosing one over the other can be a personal decision, but we prefer dining in the restaurant when possible.

It took us a moment to figure out how to get to Tavern on Rush, but it’s hidden away behind the staircase.

Then, you’ll find yourself awkwardly in the middle of the dining room. Head right and you’ll find the host stand.

Tavern on Rush is a rather small restaurant with a large TV screen hanging above the dining area.

Menu

With the Globalist benefit, each adult and child (up to two of each) can choose one entree, one hot drink, and one cold drink. When there is no kids menu, kids get to choose from the regular menu. The cuisine is pretty much standard American fare.

The food

Up front, let’s just say that the portions are absolutely huge. I wasn’t feeling too hungry before ordering and the feeling only solidified after seeing the food arrive.

I ordered the chocolate covered strawberry pancakes, just in case Char wanted my strawberries. Naturally, I was on my own.

Char ordered the Tavern breakfast, which is the standard two-egg combo. She substituted fresh fruit for the breakfast potatoes, which was a wise decision. (Note that the Globalist breakfast benefit covered the upcharge.)

Naturally, she was thrilled when it came given how much she likes fruit.

Alex ordered the same thing but without the fruit.

Jenn ordered the short rib benedict. Surprised that it wasn’t me ordering the short rib dish? Yeah, me too.

The bill would have been a hefty $152 charge if we didn’t have Globalist status, but you’ll see the line item on the check completely removing the charge. It also explicitly includes the service fee. We’d hesitate to say that we value the benefit at the full amount as we didn’t need anywhere near as much food to fill us up. My rule of thumb is roughly $15/person in value. But it’s still great to have the benefit.

Recommendation: Yes, but not the best to explore the city

Overall, the Thompson Chicago has some good things going for it. We like the decor of the rooms and the beds are comfortable enough for us. The shower temperature and water pressure are great. And breakfast at Tavern on Rush is not going to leave anyone hungry–plus it’s delicious!

That said, there’s one thing I need to point out where the hotel falls a little short, and it’s the location. If you need to be in the area anyways, then you’re good to go. But if you’re here to shop the Magnificent Mile or explore the Millennium Park area, this isn’t going to work well. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the nearest metro station, which can be rough if you have luggage.

Thus, if you’re a tourist, we might suggest staying elsewhere. That said, we do like the hotel, especially if you can find a great cash price like we did. But mind the excessive destination fee they charge…

Where do you stay in Chicago?

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