Hotel Lincoln – Chicago

We recently made a quick weekend trip to Chicago to see our son. This was our first visit since he moved there last year. I booked 2 different hotels near him so that I could see which one I liked better for future trips.

Here are my thoughts on the Hotel Lincoln.

Location, Location, Location

The Hotel Lincoln is a JdV (Joie de Vive) hotel by Hyatt located at 1816 North Clark Street where Lincoln Park meets Old Town. You can literally walk out the front door and cross the street into Lincoln Park or to grab a bus.

Valet Parking with In-and-Out priveledges is available for $68 per night or you can self-park nearby.

The Hotel

JdV is a collection of boutique hotels under the Hyatt umbrella. I booked this hotel because of its location, vintage vibe, and charm. The hotel did not disappoint! From the moment that we walked into the lobby, I felt like we had gone back in time. Every detail was well thought out to create the hotel’s retro style.

Every single staff member that I came in contact with was sincerely friendly and helpful. The team at the Front Desk, the Valet, the Bartenders, and the Housekeeping staff I chatted with in the hallway all did their part to make me feel really welcome.

The Leather Sofa with a Flashing Neon Message in the Lobby is the Perfect Instagram Spot!

Amenities

Hotel Lincoln charges a $17.61 per night Amenities Fee which includes these items:

• Premium high-speed Wi-Fi in guest rooms, meeting and public spaces
• One free house beverage (per guest) at J. Parker rooftop bar
• Free bottled water with 7x-filtered, touchless FloWater station refills
• 24-hour fitness room
• 24-hour business center
• Free Trek Townie bike rentals (seasonal)
• Waived pet fee
• Discounts to several local attractions

Pro Travel Tips

This hotel is a Category 3 Hyatt property. You can book an award stay for either 15,000 points per night or with a Free Night Certificate good at category 1-4 hotels. If you book an award stay, the Amenity Fee is waived but you still receive the benefits.

JdV hotels count as a unique property type that Hyatt Loyalty members can use toward completing the Hyatt Brand Explorer Challenge. Once you have stayed at 5 different property types you are awarded a Free Night Certificate good at a category 1-4 hotel.

Dining

J Parker is a bar located on the rooftop of Hotel Lincoln. You can see it peeking over President Lincoln in the first photo below. It offers great views of the Chicago skyline and is a cool place to hang out and enjoy a cocktail or two. Your Amenities Fee includes one drink coupon per guest, so make sure you check it out.

Elaine’s Coffee Call – This cute little Coffee Shop operates from 7 am to 5 pm daily and is located off the Lobby. It features a delicious selection of breakfast sandwiches, pastries, coffee, and juice. Perfect grab-and-go items to get you through your day.

Elaine’s After Dark – From 6 pm to 10 pm (11 pm on Fri/Sat) this split personality Coffee Shop changes its menu to coffee-house-inspired craft cocktails, local beer, and wine. What a great idea!

Sushi Suite 202

Sushi Suite 202 is touted as a Sushi Speakeasy! When you secure your $149 per person, reservation the Concierge will provide you with a key card to access the exclusive dining suite. You will then enjoy a 60-minute, 17-course sushi dining experience with a Master Sushi Chef.

Our Room

Now that you know a little bit about the hotel, let’s talk about our room. The room’s style reflects the hotel’s vibe with retro fixtures and furniture. There is a large full-length mirror when you enter the room which is great because the bathroom is very small. Next is the closet with two storage drawers, an ice bucket, a coffee station, ironing equipment, a luggage jack, and a safe.

As you enter the main room, there is a cute little corner chair and a compact workstation with an overhead lamp and rolling chair. They have carefully thought out all of these details to meet guest needs and still fit into the room’s small footprint.

The bathroom is located across from the closet near the entrance to the room. Still demonstrating the hotel’s retro style this bathroom has everything that you need during your stay….except maybe space. They have tried to solve that by adding some extra shelving around the bathroom mirror to give guests a place to put their toiletries.

The bathroom is equipped with an array of Malin+Goetz bath amenities.

Last but not least, our queen bed was flanked by a pair of really interesting leather and wood 2-drawer dressers. This allowed us both to have a place for water, a phone, or whatever we needed close at hand. There were also swing-out wall lights for reading. My favorite thing though was the hanging above the bed with artwork illustrating Abe Lincoln in a very comfy position with his bare feet kicked up and his top hat perched on the chair nearby.

My second favorite thing was the awesome view of Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan!

Our Overall Experience

A few things that I didn’t love about this hotel.

• The hotel has tiny European-style elevators that are very slow.
• The room was super cool, but very small.
• The bed was a little too firm for me so not extremely comfortable.

That being said I really liked this hotel. The location, the hotel style, all the dining options, and the fantastic staff who made me feel so comfortable during my stay. Since this hotel is just blocks from where my son lives, I imagine that I will be staying here again in the future. I can’t wait to try out Sushi Suite 202 on one of those trips.