The Talbott Hotel

Hotel description

Though it’s easy enough to forget, there’s no law of nature that says a small, independently owned urban boutique hotel has to look like something out of a design competition. The Talbott Hotel, on Chicago’s Gold Coast, is a throwback to another era, in this case the 1920s, a time before multinational hotel chains, superstar designers, indeed decades before the very invention of the concept of the boutique hotel.

This classic, slightly retro opulence is a big part of what we love about Chicago, recalling the era when this was the capital of the West. It’s been renovated since then, which is good news, but fortunately none of the character of the place has been sacrificed: it’s still a hybrid of old Chicago charm and pan-European sophistication, thanks to a collection of hand-picked antiques. And while many historic hotels struggle with cramped floor plans, here even the standard doubles are downright spacious — to say nothing of the massive, apartment-style one- and two-bedroom suites.

Here you’re just off the Magnificent Mile of Michigan Avenue, which means easy access to the best of Chicago shopping, and no shortage of first-class restaurants. Not that you’ll need them, necessarily — the Talbott’s bistro and sidewalk café are neighborhood favorites in their own right.