Business travelers and hipster vacationers appreciate the professional service and array of choices for mingling and relaxing such as the 33rd-floor Whiskey Sky Bar and the first-floor Wave Restaurant and Bar. The W Hotel's lobby offers comfortable lounging areas with a mirror-tiled waterfall behind the zig-zag marble reception desk, fresh flower and wheat-grass arrangments in white vases, carved-wood chairs, leather sofas and ottomans, wood floors, natural light, and ambient music.

This 12-story, completely non-smoking Westin is a favorite with corporate travelers, who appreciate the location, business and recreational facilities, and famously comfortable bedding. The marble lobby is an inviting space with a soothing waterfall, grouped leather seating, Benchmark restaurant, coffee shop, and sunken bar with plasma-screen TV.

Faux Greek columns set the stage for the eclectic decor of the Hotel Monaco's lobby, which is furnished with a fireplace and brushed-velvet couches piled with pillows. Returning guests are often addressed by name, and new guests complete a preference card that makes their next stay more personalized.

A two-story, glass-atrium lobby provides comfortable seating amidst trees, flowers, and a reflecting pool. Located within four blocks of Magnificent Mile shopping, Lake Michigan, and the Loop business and theater districts, the 36-story Hyatt Regency Chicago attracts business and leisure travelers. Extensive on-site meeting and event space makes it popular with conventioneers as well.

Potted topiaries mark the entrance to this fanciful 10-floor Renaissance. The lobby's playful, chess-themed decor includes wooden chess tables. Across from the reservation desk, its corporate clientele sips wine in the library nook, which is decorated with a Lucite chessboard and overstuffed chairs. On weekends, leisure guests sink into high-backed banquette seating before a roaring fire in the lobby bar.

The hotel’s emphasis on privacy is especially attractive to business travelers and VIPs. The third-floor lobby has high ceilings, antique reproductions, Art-Deco chandeliers, and plenty of couches and chairs for chatting and planning the business of the day.

Dedicated shoppers and leisure travelers are drawn to this 14-story hotel's location within three blocks of Water Tower Place, Oak Street shops, Lake Michigan, and the John Hancock Building. Renovations have restored the hotel’s 1920s-era charm, including the lobby’s Art Deco-detailed marble floor and a paneled ceiling with inlaid brass medallions and crystal chandeliers.

The palatial lobby of this 10-story Magnificent Mile hotel features a neoclassical decor with carved molding, crystal chandeliers, and jacquard-rose curtains. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the 1920 hotel has hosted royalty and celebrities as well as business and leisure travelers.

This Chicago hotel is centrally located for both business and leisure travelers. The property is set half a block from the new Millennium Park & Magnificent Mile shops and is also close to the Navy Pier, Art Institute, and the Museum Campus (all within walking distance). On site, the lobby showcases an eclectic array of antique and modern art, offsetting groupings of armchairs, couches, and tables.

This modern, three-sided Chicago hotel is designed to optimize river, lake, and city views. A staffed business center serves business guests, who mingle with leisure travelers in the light-filled lobby amidst elegant leather and cloth armchairs and smoky-blue and olive-green velvet couches. The hotel's Lobby Lounge offers a double-sided fireplace, a full menu, and fresh flowers on dark wood tables.