Chicago brims with hotel choices -- for conventioneers, for nightowls, for shoppers -- you name it. The majority of these can be found in The Loop (West and South Chicago are mainly residential), and also in the Near North and Magnificent Mile area.

The Loop

Business travelers should seek to book in this part of town; associations typically choose a Loop hotel when planning a Chicago convention. As such, it can be hard to find vacancies at the last minute. Try to plan your stays in this neighborhood several months in advance. For your trouble, you'll receive a sublime cocktail of impressive hotel amenities, lush accommodations and tip-top customer service.  Some of the popular properties include Elysian Hotel Chicago, our Best Hotel in the USA for 2011, and The Ritz-Carlton Chicago. If you're faithful to the Kimpton brand, consider this neighborhood's Hotel Burnham.

Near North & Magnificent Mile

Truly out-of-sight shopping opportunities await lodgers here (see our write-up on the Magnificent Mile). But the sacrifice will be fairly generic dining options and limited nightlife. The hotels of Near North and the Magnificent Mile are just as hip as the storefronts, however: there's the Park Hyatt Chicago and Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, two entrants on our Best Hotels in the USA 2011 list. Also in this part of town: the decadent Trump International Hotel & Tower, Chicago.

• If you'd like to be somewhat near downtown, the happening Lincoln Park and Lake View neighborhoods offer a handful of hotels. As a bonus, accommodations are relatively near the lakefront. Most also have relatively easy access to public transportation or routes well traveled by cabs. A determined walker can even get from Lincoln Park to the Magnificent Mile in a half hour." -- Fodor's
• The best chance of finding a hotel in Chicago under $200, however, is at a B&B located north of downtown: The neighborhoods of Boystown and Lincoln Park offer a number of options." -- Concierge.com