InterContinental Chicago

Acting as the right aorta in the shopping heart of Chicago, it's the only downtown hotel with a front entrance to the Magnificent Mile. But location isn't everything. So while your travel companions are out braving the cold, ducking in and out of the Apple store and Banana Republic, you can hang back and relax in one of the two soaring guestroom towers. Hit the modern fitness center, get a massage, swim laps in the Junior Olympic swimming pool, or taste a flight at the hotel's  sophisticated-but-not-intimidating wine bar, Eno.