We spent a weekend evening at the Fairfield Inn & Suites in April. We were a little early for check-in, but the front desk was extremely helpful and checked us into to a ready room quickly. The room itself was recently redone, clean and was plenty large for 2, although it might have been a little small if a party of 4 or more were staying there. Our room was on the street side, but street noise was not bad - although we were on the 10th floor. Check out was equally quick. The room rate was lower than the expensive hotels, but higher than the lower rated properties in downtown Chicago, and seemed pretty fair.
The hotel is close to Michigan Avenue, a short walk to the loop, and near many restaurants and other activities in downtown Chicago. There is no parking directly at the hotel. The parking lot that is recommended is about 2 blocks from the hotel and $35 for an overnight 24 hours(extra fee if you want valet service), which did not seem too outrageous for downtown Chicago. We found a nice Irish pub that served good food at reasonable prices about 1/2 block to the east of the hotel.

As others have mentioned, the best thing about the hotel is its location, only 1 block away from Magnificent Mile. The free breakfast is nice as well, with variety of items including hot items like oatmeal, waffles, and bacon biscuits which is served from 6am to 10pm.

The people at the front desk were helpful as with the rest of the staff. The front lobby has been renovated so it looks different from the pictures on Expedia.

The hotel is pretty much no frills. It has a tiny gym with only 4 treadmills. The free internet is nice as it helped a lot with finding attractions and restaurants.

Our room was on the 8th floor, not much of a view. It was on the smaller size, especially the bathroom sink area. For some reason, it was very humid in our room and on our last day, the bathroom light went out. Also, the water pressure in the shower goes in and out. Not a big deal really, just a minor annoyance.

I'd recommend this place if you're looking for a no frill type of hotel that is close to Magnificent mile.

Staff and service is mediocre and real service hotel wannabes. Front desk not very 'with it.' Upon entrance to room, there was a heavy fragrance odor - like standing next to a person wearing too much perfume/cologne.

Aside from this heavy lingering frangrance, room was clean and average. Free internet access was very handy.

Location is excellent blocks from the magnificent mile. Starbucks, Panera and the Corner Bakery are blocks away.

Breakfast buffet and location were the best things about my stay here.

The rooms are comfortable with new upgraded beds and linens. The rooms are not large and there are no views, but overall very pleasant. Our housekeeper did an excellent job cleaning every day. The breakfast is excellent as other reviewers have said, and there is coffee and tea 24 hours a day.
The breakfast room is on the second floor and there are plenty of tables.

The staff at reception was consistently helpful and pleasant and there is a computer in the lobby including a printer - very helpful in getting boarding pass. The lobby is small and was being renovated while we were there. An additional plus - free internet access.

The location is unbeatable - 1 1/2 blocks off the Magnificent Mile - and there are 14 restaurants on the hotel's block. It is within walking distance of many other restaurants and other places of interest including the Navy Pier. Several times we took a taxi and there was never a problem getting one right outside the hotel. Chicago is a great city and the stay at Fairfield Inn made our visit very enjoyable.