Word on the street is that one of our fave hotels in the U.S., the Elysian in Chicago, will become part of the esteemed Waldorf-Astoria brand. Hilton's uber-luxury chain is rapidly expanding in all four corners of the globe, and now has properties in Rome, Shanghai, Orlando, and Park City. Sources have told Crain's Chicago and The USA Today Hotel Check-In that the swank Elysian will most likely become part of Waldorf Astoria because "billionaire financier Sam Zell is buying the hotel for about $95 million." If this is true, says Hotel Check-In, "the per-room price for the 188-room hotel would be $505,000 - the highest, Crain's says, for a Chicago hotel. Zell apparently expects to lift the hotel's value by bringing in Hilton to manage it and market it to its millions of customers." The Elysian has won acclaim for its extreme level of luxury: to-die-for rooms, a dazzling spa, an on-site Marc Jacobs store, and a restaurant adored by the blogging cognoscenti. (Psst. Gwyneth loves these digs.)