Check in early and stay late during OnMilwaukee's "Hotel Week" sponsored by VISIT Milwaukee. The next seven days will be packed with stories about historic area hotels, reviews, history, food and drink, staycations and more. Find out what it's like to be a tourist in this town. (Chocolate on your pillow not included.)

In an article about our favorite hotels, which runs this weekend, I say that I always joke that I'm better at recommending Chicago hotels – I've stayed at quite a few – than hotels in Milwaukee, where I've spent the night in just one. And, really, it's true. 

I look for any excuse to stay over in the Windy City – with just my wife, with the whole family and sometimes with one kid at a time. And over the years, we've experienced quite a few hotels. Here are five of the best (in no particular order).

1. The Peninsula

It's a bit difficult to explain the glory of The Peninsula in Chicago, which, from what I can tell, is the jewel in the international chain of hotels. The rooms are carefully appointed, the staff is warm and welcoming, and a stay there offers that rare occasion in life when every detail appears to be – quietly and understatedly – considered and attended to. The location is prime. The restaurants are acclaimed. And the indoor rooftop pool is nothing short of stunning, especially at dusk as the Tip Top Tap sign lights up outside one of the copious windows. Now, the hotel is also updating its rooms and adding cutting edge technological upgrades, upping the ante even more.

2. The Langham

After a spring visit here, I noted that The Langham – located in Miles van der Rohe's IBM Plaza – brings the landmark's International style building's sleek elegance and brings it indoors. The hotel's king room is spacious and bright with clean lines, a bath and vanity area worthy of royalty and great views of the Chicago River – even out to Lake Michigan – and the mix of vintage and sparkling new skyscrapers that line it, including the Trump International Hotel and Tower just next door.

Enjoy a casual cuppa in the 13th floor (er, I mean 12C) club lounge that is nearly indescribable. Part living room, part dining room, part gourmet restaurant, the club offers panoramic views of the city, buffets at breakfast and at happy hour, snacks throughout the day, cocktails in the evening ... it's the kind of place that, after spending a day, you might just want to move in and stay forever.

3. The Talbott

As I wrote last year, the redecorated Talbott has it all. It feels luxurious but is family friendly. It's on a relatively quiet street but just a block from the north end of the Magnificent Mile, where – I don't need to tell your kids – there is a ginormous American Girl store located right next to a LEGO Store. While new furniture and other touches have refreshed the Talbott, the hotel's warm English vibe survives, as do – much to the kids' delight -- the paintings of dogs. Speaking of which, The Talbott also offers packages for your pooch, so you don't even need to find a dog sitter back home. Advice: If the budget allows, take a horse-drawn carriage ride -- they pass right outside the door and kids love them. After dinner, head around the corner to the Argo Tea shop in the park and have a froyo nightcap.

4. Palmer House

The hotel Potter Palmer built as a wedding gift for his wife Bertha Honore is a true Chicago landmark, with a gorgeous ornate lobby that takes you back to the city's old world opulence. The current hotel – the 25-floor giant that stands today on the block between Monroe and Adams, Wabash and State – is the third Palmer House on the site. The first was ill-fated, burning in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 just short of two weeks after opening.

Palmer built a seven-story replacement in 1875. By the roaring '20s, Chicago was worthy of something much grander and Palmer's family (he'd died in 1902) replaced the hotel, piece by piece, with the current building – designed by Holabird & Roche – without ever shutting down. The soaring lobby is an explosion of gilt and colorful decoration with brass accents everywhere. And the hotel is in demand, seemingly always packed with tourists, business travelers and conventioneers.

Plus, it's the birthplace of the brownie. Nuff said.

5. The Thompson

The lovely Thompson is located on Bellevue Place, one of River North's loveliest streets, and boasts one of the city's best restaurants – Nico – in its lobby. The hotel – on the corner of Rush Street near copious dining and retail destinations – is understatedly luxurious with a quirky and engaging collection of art adorning the lobby and the guest rooms. The view from our room was pretty incredible, too. And, much to my child's delight, it was in walking distance to Oak Street Beach.