I just returned from a business trip to Chicago where I stayed at the Affinia Chicago Hotel, formerly the Fitzpatrick. It is located on Superior Street between the Magnificent Mile and Northwestern University‘s Chicago campus. The hotel is in the midst of refurbishment, with protective scaffolding on the exterior and protective coverings on all the carpet/flooring in the public spaces in the hotel. My first impression on entering, when walking through the exterior scaffolding, was that I was entering “Hotel Beirut.” I was told that the remodeling would be finished by late November/early December. This is not a review of my stay, rather it is in praise of the power of the Affinia staff’s friendly and attentive service that was always delivered with a ready smile to make the best of an inconvenient situation. Everyone I encountered at the Affinia went out of their way to smile, to say hello and to ask if I needed anything. Their welcoming attitude more than made up for the fact that only one elevator was functioning and there were no snacks in the mini-bar and there was no food service available in the hotel. My room on the 18th floor was one of the recently refurbished ones. It was very attractive in a spare modernistic motif. I especially liked the desk-level outlets for my laptop and cell phone charger…no crawling around on the floor looking for an outlet. Someone was really thinking of business travelers with all their electronic gear. As I checked out, the receptionist asked if I had a good stay and asked me to come back. I told her I would. Encountering the smiling staff at the Affinia was in contrast to the Continental flight attendants that Fran Gallagher and I encountered on our flights to and from Chicago, who never smiled. They were efficient and did their job well but never cracked a smile. In my book, a friendly smile will always make up for snafus and such. -Dick Evans, vice president