Must-see hotels in The Great Lakes

  • Inn at Irwin Gardens

    Indiana

    A mighty antidote to Columbus' modernist flare, this 1864 Victorian monolith with Edwardian furnishings and Italianate gardens (inspired by Pompeii) sits…

  • Ironworks Hotel

    Indianapolis

    With design touches forged from industrial parts from an abandoned Wisconsin iron foundry, this 2017 newcomer to Indy is a boutique gamechanger. The lobby…

  • Wheelhouse Hotel

    Chicago

    A 2018 newbie, the Wheelhouse features 21 rooms in a restored greystone building not far from Wrigley Field. The smallish rooms have an earthy, urban loft…

  • Sophy Hyde Park

    Chicago

    Hyde Park got its first boutique hotel in 2018, and it's a design winner. The 98 rooms have an artsy-hip look that feels truly fresh. Each is a good size,…

  • Fieldhouse Jones

    Chicago

    This hip hotel occupies a vintage, redbrick dairy warehouse. It's great value for the Gold Coast, drawing a wide range of travelers – global backpackers,…

  • Majestic Hotel

    Chicago

    Nestled into a row of residential housing, the Majestic is walking distance to Wrigley Field and Boystown and mere steps from the lakefront. From the…

  • Acme Hotel

    Chicago

    Urban bohemians love the Acme for its indie-cool style at (usually) affordable rates. The 130 rooms mix industrial fixtures with retro lamps, mid-century…

  • Publishing House Bed & Breakfast

    Chicago

    The building was indeed a publishing house more than a century ago, and it’s now transformed so it looks like the stylish home of your coolest city friend…

  • Ace Hotel

    Chicago

    Chicago’s branch of the super-hip Ace chain rises up across the street from Google’s shiny office. Hints of Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe…

  • Found Hotel Chicago

    Chicago

    Breezy Found Hotel joins the elevated hostel/casual-hotel brigade. The 60 rooms come in several configurations, including four-bed dorms with sturdy (and…

  • Shinola Hotel

    Detroit

    Shinola, Detroit’s homegrown company known for its luxury crafted watches, extended the brand to this superbly stylish hotel. The 129 earth-toned rooms…

  • Waldorf Astoria Chicago

    Chicago

    The Waldorf routinely tops the list for Chicago’s best uber-luxury hotel. It models itself on 1920s Parisian glamour and, we have to admit, it delivers it…

  • Jail Hill Inn

    Illinois

    Convicts and town drunks were locked away here until 1977, but this former jail has been lavishly converted into one of the country's best B&Bs and now…

  • Oxbow

    Wisconsin

    Partly owned by Justin Vernon, frontman for the indie/folk band Bon Iver, the Oxbow is a major marker in Eau Claire's claim as a burgeoning hipster haunt…

  • Pepin Mansion

    Indiana

    Standing supremely along New Albany's historical Mansion Row, this easy-on-the-eyes 1851 Italianate abode features ornate hand-painted ceilings, original…

  • Robinwood Inn

    Indiana

    Idyllically set in the woods just far enough outside Nashville to feel isolated, these wonderful one- and two-bedroom cabins feel like they're half a…

  • Oliver Inn

    Indiana

    This elegant salmon- and green-trimmed B&B occupies a gorgeous, Queen Anne–style home dating to 1886. Corner turrets, curved-glass bay windows, spindles…

  • Viceroy Chicago

    Chicago

    The Gold Coast's newest luxury hotel, the Viceroy has 198 rooms and suites with art deco–inspired design elements with warm woods, gold accents and luxe…

  • Charmant Hotel

    Wisconsin

    The Charmant took an 1898 candy factory and converted it into a 67-room hotel, and the result is sweet indeed. Rooms have all the modern conveniences –…

  • Ambassador

    Milwaukee

    This renovated art deco gem, on the city's western side, near Marquette University, is an affordable central option. Architecture buffs will love all of…

  • Hampton Inn Chicago Downtown/N Loop

    Chicago

    This unique property with a central location makes you feel like a road-tripper of yore. Set in the 1928 art deco Chicago Motor Club Building, the lobby…

  • Virgin Hotel

    Chicago

    Billionaire Richard Branson transformed the 27-story, art deco Dearborn Bank Building into the first outpost of his cheeky new hotel chain. The airy,…

  • Summer's Inn

    Gold Coast

    This completely renovated mid-century motel is well-located, quiet, comfortable and excellent value. Rooms are small but well-appointed, and common lounge…

  • Hotel Julian

    Chicago

    Twelve stories in a 1912 office building now comprise one of the Loop's newest mod-luxe hotels. Large rooms are elegantly decorated with a slightly…

  • Kimpton Schofield Hotel

    Cleveland

    Set in a rehabbed 1902 building downtown, the Schofield is for the cool cats in the crowd. Rooms are spacious and have funky artwork (such as prints of…

  • 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati

    Cincinnati

    An outpost of Louisville's popular art hotel, the 21c sits next door to the Contemporary Arts Center. The modern rooms have a Nespresso machine, free wi…

  • Lora

    Minnesota

    Central boutique with bold, modern styling, like exposed stone walls, that harmonize beautifully with the mid-century inspired pastels and furnishings…

  • Old Rittenhouse Inn

    Wisconsin

    This beautiful Victorian on a high hill, with a commanding view of the water, is a worthy splurge if you're looking for lace, creaky floorboards and a…

  • Rembrandt and Rutabagas

    Wisconsin

    This white stucco International–style home seems oddly placed on a hilly, 200-acre farm, but there it is. The five, bright-hued rooms are decorated in…

  • Wales House

    Minneapolis

    This historic 10-bedroom B&B, in a house dating from 1910, serves as a home away from home for scholars from nearby University of Minnesota. The hosts,…

  • Cleveland Hostel

    Cleveland

    This hostel in Ohio City, steps from an RTA stop and the West Side Market, is fantastic. There are 15 rooms, a mix of dorms and private chambers. All have…

  • Hotel 340

    Minnesota

    Hotel 340 delivers old-world ambience aplenty, and it's usually a great deal to boot. The 56 rooms in the stately old building have hardwood floors and…

  • Longman & Eagle

    Chicago

    Check in at the tavern downstairs and then head to your wood-floored, vintage-stylish accommodations on the floor above. The six rooms aren't particularly…

  • Inn on Ferry Street

    Detroit

    Forty guest rooms fill a row of Victorian mansions right by the art museum. The lower-cost rooms are small but have deliciously soft bedding; the larger…

  • Stafford's Perry Hotel

    Gold Coast

    The Perry Hotel is a grand historic place. Hemingway once stayed here (in 1916 after a hiking and camping trip in the region). Count on comfy beds,…

  • Pines Motorlodge

    Gold Coast

    Retro-cool tiki lamps, pinewood furniture and communal lawn chairs add up to a fun, social ambience amid the firs in Douglas.

  • Riley's Railhouse

    Indiana

    Occupying a decommissioned 1914 freight station in Chesterton, this railway-themed boutique B&B offers a beautiful, fireplace-warmed lounge with…

  • Inn at 835

    Illinois

    This historic arts-and-crafts-style luxury apartment building from 1908 offers 11 rooms of the four-poster bed, claw-foot bathtub variety (along with two…

  • Hotel Broad Ripple

    Indianapolis

    This Scandinavian-accented boutique hotel (the owner has Norwegian roots) is a cozy getaway in hip Broad Ripple, offering 13 spacious rooms right along…

  • Hotel Zachary

    Chicago

    Gleaming Hotel Zachary – named after Zachary Taylor Davis, the architect of Wrigley Field – opened in 2018 right across the street from the celebrated…

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