Last updated October 14, 2026
The Palmer House Hilton is a 1,641-room hotel at 17 East Monroe Street in Chicago’s Loop and the longest continuously operating hotel in North America. It first opened on September 26, 1871, burned in the Great Chicago Fire 13 days later, reopened on November 8, 1873, and has been a Hilton since Conrad Hilton bought it in 1945.
Table of contents
- Quick verdict
- The fire, the rebuild, and the brownie
- Who actually painted the ceiling
- Location and what is walkable
- Rooms, and the main problem
- Dining on site
- Pool, fitness and spa
- Parking and fees
- The executive lounge
- Points versus cash
- Who it is best for
- 3 tips from a Hilton Diamond member
- Ownership, and what is unresolved
- Frequently asked questions
I haven’t stayed here yet, so this guide uses Hilton’s property page, award prices and published guest reviews, with property details checked October 5, 2026.
Summer festival weekends and big McCormick Place shows are when points beat cash here.
The Palmer House has 1,641 guest rooms and suites, including 47 suites, at 17 East Monroe Street in the Loop (Hilton.com property page and the hotel’s own fact sheet, dated May 2024). The current building went up in the 1920s; sources disagree on whether it was completed in 1925 or 1927, and on whether it is 21 or 25 storeys.
The lobby is the reason people walk in off State Street without a reservation. The ceiling is the most photographed hotel ceiling in the United States, and almost everything written about it online gets the attribution wrong. More on that below.
- Location
- Loop, walking distance to Grant Park
- Rooms
- 1,641
- Best for
- Loop location and the lobby ceiling, if you can live with the room condition
- Opened
- 26 September 1871, 13 days before the Great Chicago Fire
- Destination fee
- Not published. The amenities page carries a resort fees heading with no figure in it
- Self-parking
- $57 a night across the street at 55 East Monroe, chargeable to the room (hotel parking page, last modified June 23, 2026)
- Valet parking
- $85 a night, 24 hours, unlimited in and out, Monroe Street entrance
The fire, the rebuild, and the brownie
The first Palmer House opened on 26 September 1871, a wedding gift from Potter Palmer to Bertha Honore Palmer (Hilton, 150th anniversary article, September 24, 2021). 13 days later it burned down in the Great Chicago Fire, which began on 8 October 1871.
Palmer borrowed to rebuild, reportedly $1.7 million, and marketed the second hotel as the world’s only fireproof hotel. It reopened on 8 November 1873 (Hilton, September 24, 2021; Wikipedia, retrieved August 13, 2026). It has operated ever since, which is what the claim of the longest continuously operating hotel in North America rests on.
The brownie was created in the Palmer House kitchen in 1893, at Bertha Palmer’s request, for women attending the World’s Columbian Exposition. It is still on the menu and it is still made to a recipe with an apricot glaze.
Conrad Hilton bought the hotel in December 1945 for $20 million. Hilton sold the building to Thor Equities in 2005 and stayed on as manager (Wikipedia, retrieved August 13, 2026). It closed in March 2020 and reopened on June 17, 2021.
Who actually painted the ceiling
You will read everywhere that the lobby ceiling is a Louis Comfort Tiffany work. Hilton’s own history page says otherwise. It credits the 21 ceiling frescoes to the French muralist Louis Pierre Rigal, and credits Tiffany separately for the gold-dipped chandeliers and the bronze Winged Angels statues (Hilton.com history page, retrieved August 13, 2026).
So the room contains Tiffany work. The ceiling is not it. If you are going to look up, look at the chandeliers as well.
Location and what is walkable
Hilton puts the Art Institute and the Chicago Symphony under a 5-minute walk, and State Street shopping about 10 minutes on foot (Hilton.com location page, retrieved August 13, 2026). Walking times to Millennium Park, the Chicago Theatre, the CTA Monroe and Adams/Wabash stations, Grant Park and McCormick Place are not published by Hilton or the hotel.
What the published figures already tell you is enough: this is a Loop address between State Street and Michigan Avenue, with the Loop’s L train tracks a block away. For a first Chicago trip the position is close to ideal.
Rooms, and the main problem
Hilton.com lists 18 bookable room and suite categories, spanning standard, deluxe oversized, premium and suite tiers in king, queen and double configurations (retrieved August 13, 2026).
Room condition is the recurring complaint and it deserves stating plainly. An Oyster.com review, published July 4, 2024 and updated May 19, 2025, dates the rooms to a 2008 refresh and calls quality inconsistent, citing chipped furniture, peeling paint and thin walls. The Points Guy, reviewing on March 23, 2019, called a standard Hip & Historic King room more historic than hip and recommended paying up to the executive level. Points With a Crew described a standard room as very small and gave the same advice.
Elevators are the second complaint. Guest reviews titled around slow and unreliable elevators recur on Tripadvisor. The executive floor uses separate express elevators that bypass the main lobby, which is a practical reason to book it beyond the lounge.
The hotel’s May 2024 fact sheet mentions a $7 million renovation without naming a scope, floors or completion date. Which floors were updated is not published.
The advice that follows from all of this: book an executive or premium category, not a standard. The gap between the 2 is larger here than at a normal Hilton.
Dining on site
Lockwood Restaurant and Lockwood Bar sit under the frescoed ceiling and are the reason to eat in at least once. Lockwood Express is the grab-and-go counter. Potter’s Bar is the second bar (Hilton.com and the hotel’s fact sheet, May 2024).
A naming note, since older reviews will confuse you: the name Potter’s Burger Bar does not appear on any 2024 to 2026 source, and Oyster.com calls the same room Potter’s Lounge. A separate Starbucks appears on a 2013-era fact sheet and not on the 2024 one, which suggests it became Lockwood Express.
Pool, fitness and spa
The indoor heated pool is on the 8th floor and was described as brand new in the May 2024 fact sheet. Oyster.com calls it small, within a 3-level fitness and spa complex.
The fitness center on the same floor runs to more than 10,000 square feet with Peloton bikes and full cardio and strength kit. The Spa at Palmer House is on the 5th floor (hotel fact sheet, May 2024).
An indoor pool matters in Chicago from November through April in a way it does not in Austin or San Juan.
Parking and fees
Valet parking is $85 per night for overnight guests, 24 hours a day at the Monroe Street entrance, with unlimited in and out. Self-parking is available across the street at the 55 East Monroe garage for $57 per night, chargeable to the room, with 10 Level 2 EV chargers on site for a fee (hotel parking page, last modified June 23, 2026).
That is a $28 a night gap for a walk across the street. Over 4 nights it is $112.
A destination or resort fee amount is not published. Hilton’s amenities page carries a resort fees heading with no figure in it, and Expedia lists no mandatory fee.
The executive lounge
There is a lounge on the executive floor, reached by dedicated elevators, with complimentary breakfast and an evening happy hour for executive-room guests and eligible elite members (The Points Guy, March 23, 2019). The same review reports it heavily crowded at the end of Sunday breakfast and during evening service.
The exact floor, the current name and the precise 2026 split between what Gold and Diamond receive are not published on Hilton’s amenities page. Given how much the express elevators improve a stay here, the executive floor is worth booking whether or not the lounge lives up to it.
Points versus cash
Chicago is a strongly seasonal hotel market and the Palmer House sits at the middle of it. Summer festival weekends and large McCormick Place shows are when the cash rate detaches and points win. January and February are when cash wins.
Lollapalooza ran 30 July to August 2, 2026 in Grant Park, which is walking distance (Lollapalooza.com, retrieved August 13, 2026). That weekend is the clearest points redemption of the Chicago year.
The fifth night free on standard room award stays applies from Silver up (Hilton Honors terms and conditions, effective July 15, 2026). Compare against cash on my Hilton points value guide.
The short version, by window:
| Window | What drives it | What to book |
|---|---|---|
| Summer festival weekends | Lollapalooza ran 30 July to August 2, 2026 in Grant Park, which is walking distance | Points |
| Large McCormick Place shows | The cash rate detaches from the rest of the Loop | Points |
| January and February | Chicago is a strongly seasonal market and this is the bottom of it | Cash |
Who it is best for
People who want the building. That is a real reason to book a hotel and this is one of the few places in America where it holds up. The lobby, the Empire Room, the Grand Ballroom at 9,733 square feet and the adjoining State Ballroom at 3,550 square feet are all part of the same story (hotel facilities page, retrieved August 13, 2026).
Loop business travelers, and conference delegates working across more than 130,000 square feet and 77 function rooms.
Not for anyone who will be unhappy in a room that has not been touched since 2008, unless you book up. Ask.
Ownership, and what is unresolved
Wells Fargo, acting as trustee, obtained a foreclosure judgment of roughly $427.8 million against Thor Equities’ hotel entity in July 2022 (CoStar, July 11, 2022). In 2024, bondholders including BlackRock and MetLife sued JPMorgan Chase over disclosure in the 2018 loan (The Real Deal, August 2, 2024).
The retail and parking garage portion, a separate 60,000 square foot entity that has been in default since 2020, went to auction with a starting bid reported around $2 million in early August 2026 (The Real Deal and Crain’s Chicago Business, both July 28, 2026).
Who currently owns the guest room portion, and whether Hilton remains the manager, is not published in any 2025 or 2026 source I could find. The hotel is trading normally and taking bookings; the capital structure above it is unsettled.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Palmer House ceiling really a Tiffany?
No. Hilton’s own history page credits the 21 ceiling frescoes to the French muralist Louis Pierre Rigal, and credits Louis Comfort Tiffany separately for the gold-dipped chandeliers and the bronze Winged Angels statues.
Was the brownie invented at the Palmer House?
Yes. It was created in the hotel kitchen in 1893 at Bertha Palmer’s request, for women attending the World’s Columbian Exposition. It is still served.
How many rooms does the Palmer House have?
1,641 guest rooms and suites, including 47 suites, per Hilton.com and the hotel’s own May 2024 fact sheet. Wikipedia gives 1,639, and sources disagree on whether the building is 21 or 25 storeys.
How much is parking at the Palmer House?
Valet is $85 per night with unlimited in and out. Self-parking at the 55 East Monroe garage across the street is $57 per night and can be charged to your room, per the hotel’s parking page last modified June 23, 2026.
Does the Palmer House charge a resort fee?
No amount is published. Hilton’s amenities page carries a resort fees heading with no figure, and Expedia lists no mandatory fee. Check the rate rules at booking.
Do the rooms need renovating?
Reviewers say the standard rooms date to a 2008 refresh and describe inconsistent condition. The hotel’s May 2024 fact sheet mentions a $7 million renovation without naming floors or a completion date. Book an executive or premium category.
Related guides
- Best Hilton hotels for couples: 7 romantic picks (2026)
- Hilton Anaheim review: 2 award nights and a $75 late check-out
- Best Hilton hotels in San Antonio (2026)
- Best Hilton hotels in Austin (2026)
Sources: Hilton.com property, rooms, amenities, history and location pages, retrieved August 13, 2026. Palmer House fact sheet, May 2024, and the hotel parking and facilities pages, last modified June 23, 2026. Hilton 150th anniversary article, September 24, 2021. Hilton Honors terms and conditions, effective July 15, 2026. The Points Guy, March 23, 2019. Oyster.com, July 4, 2024, updated May 19, 2025. CoStar, July 11, 2022. The Real Deal, August 2, 2024 and July 28, 2026. Crain’s Chicago Business, July 28, 2026. Wikipedia, Skyscraper Center, Lollapalooza.com and Tripadvisor guest reviews, retrieved August 13, 2026.
