The Hotel at Midtown

The Hotel at Midtown

"This Chicago hotel is something of an anomaly. It’s far from the Magnificent Mile and booming West Loop, the heart of the city’s tourism and business traffic and, since it edges up against a major expressway and residential neighborhoods like Logan Square and Bucktown, it’s one of the only proper hotels for at least a mile. There’s no doorman to greet you on the street, either. But for active travelers heading to the Windy City, the 55-room Hotel at Midtown, which debuted November 2017 inside the Midtown Athletic Club Chicago—has plenty of great, if unconventional, draws. Billed as the largest health and fitness property in the U.S., the club itself opened in August following an $85 million upgrade, transforming the formerly industrial tennis complex into a six-story, 575,000-square-foot sports resort. Featuring long, sleek lines and a reliance on natural materials like wood panels, glass, and concrete, today, it reads more as an urban wellness retreat than a glorified SoulCycle studio. And while tennis may still figure prominently (there are 16 courts), the club’s impressive assortment of boutique fitness offerings are the new attraction—a yoga studio outfitted with infrared heat panels, two PGA golf simulators, an outdoor, cenote-inspired hydrotherapy pool (just one of four on property), and a whopping 180 fitness classes per month. That said, you can still submit to your more base urges if you want: at Chromium, the on-site restaurant by Publican's Amanda Barnes, you're as likely to spot a post-detox tuna crudo as you are a juicy fried chicken sandwich (no judgment)."