Let’s be honest. When it comes to hotels, the 42-inch plasma television and the free WiFi are for the adults, for those who want to check their e-mail while watching “Back to the Future” on the USA Network for the hundredth time.
There’s only one hotel amenity kids care about. It’s big, filled with water and may include kickboards. If you came up with “hotel pool,” give yourselves a hand.
At Play looked around and found a few local hotel pools that will have kids splashing in glee.
Essex Inn
800 S. Michigan Ave.; 312-939-2800
Hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Sun.
Available to: Guests only
Parents may want to join the kids after seeing the pool at this South Loop hotel. Enclosed in glass, the pool area offers both a bright, sunny interior and a great view of Grant Park, located across the street. Flags from several countries accentuate the area. The pool’s not too shabby, either. The 50-foot-long, 48,000-gallon pool is split into a lap area, a shallow end of 3 feet and a deep end of 8 feet. The pool comes with a certified lifeguard on duty, kickboards and other accessories.
Westin Lombard Yorktown Center
70 Yorktown Center, Lombard; 630-719-8000
Hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Sun.
Available to: Guests only
This Olympic-size pool (25 meters long) is big enough to accommodate both kids and adults, with removable dividers that can separate the lap swimmers from the splash-happy. The pool depth ranges from a 4-foot, 4-inch shallow area for beginners to a 7-foot deep end for advanced swimmers. Pool accessories include noodles (long, colorful foam tubes) and floating basketball nets with balls.
Courtyard Marriott
More Top Picks Beats Solo Pro
Chicago Downtown
30 E. Hubbard St.; 312-329-2500
Hours: 5:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Sun.
Available to: Guests and residences of the adjacent Plaza 440 building
Located on the hotel’s sixth floor, this 70-foot-long indoor lap pool comes with a 3-foot shallow end that’s great for horseplay. The lounge area also extends to an outdoor sun deck and roof terrace, allowing kids and parents a cool breeze during the summer months. And for the colder months, a nearby whirlpool keeps the kids warm.
InterContinental Chicago
505 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-944-4100
Hours: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat., Sun.
Available to: Guests and the public ($15 daily charge)
This indoor pool, located above the hotel’s grand ballroom was considered a marvel when the Medinah Athletic Club built it 1929 (this sentence as published has been corrected in this text). But who knew it was so kid-friendly? Vast and beautiful, the 129,000-gallon, 25-meter pool ranges from 4 to 10 feet in depth, making it great for a game of Marco Polo.