Like many have noted, the first impression of the W Lakeshore is all about the design - from the cute pillows on the oh-so trendy ottomans tucked inside the entrance, to the cascading orchids and curvy wood chairs in the lobby - it's all about the trendy decor. I've stayed at this hotel twice in the last two months, and I can say with certainty that all of the shimmery, velvety, meant-to-wow appointments in the lobby don't mean jack. The hotel is nothing special. If you can afford the “Whatever, Whenever” celebrity milk baths and bottles of Cristal in your fancy-smancy suite, then maybe it’d be better, but most of you will have an experience more like mine, checking into one of their regular rooms.
On both of my trips, we pulled into the parking area and were not greeted, or welcomed. No one offered to help with bags. The lobby is nifty (though as someone else noted, some people may not like it at all - my mother, for instance, would squirm in a place that tries so hard to scream its "coolness"). Check in was efficient for both of my stays. We had a lake view room. The view of the lake and pier is nice, but there is something that looks like a water treatment plant taking up a lot of the view.
There are issues with the room themselves too. It's your basic hotel room - entry with alcove closet (with no door) and no floor, so no where to store shoes really. There is a mini-bar, bathroom, and bed (s) with a desk across from it. There is the ubiquitous chair and tiny table, and that's that. As many have noted, there is an odd pass-through with shutters in the wall between the bathroom and rest of the room. The first time I stayed at this hotel, the shutters were broken, and would not stay closed. The second time I stayed here the shutters worked fine but the entire room steamed up the one time someone was able to take a shower that actually included hot water. The appointments in the room are Ikea like – inexpensive, but trendy, minimal and contemporary. But, add a flowery bedspread and take away the decorative pillow, and you could be in any motel/hotel anywhere. What they describe as a chaise is actually an armless chair.
Sounds carry in the room, and listening to others using the toilet is not my idea of a good time. Speaking of noise, the walls seem very thin; sound carried from housekeepers in the hall, the people having sex next door, televisions and CD players. It was loud unless I turned my own TV on.
There is no microwave in the room or coffeemaker (though you can get a coffee maker if you ask for it). When I did, I was sent one cup and nothing to stir with. I found the bathroom items to be OK in quality but small in size. They really don’t hold enough for more than one person. The way they promote their “sinkside six spa experience”, you really expect more. And that sums up what the real problem is with this place. They have clever marketers who know how to give everything a sheen of nice, making it all sound lux, but its lipstick on a pig. Useless. A good example is the bathrobe they leave in rooms. ONE bathrobe. Nice, but I wonder how many people feel irritated at having to call housekeeping to request a second one (for a tip). Better hotels think ahead about the things that really matter and don’t inconvenience their guests nearly as much as W.
The beds are OK. I found them rather hard though I appreciated the abundance of pillows. They are mattresses set on boxes, constructed from what looks like plywood painted brown. Use care when approaching the bed since the frame goes all the way to the floor. We jammed our toes painfully into the side of the beds more times than I can count. Turns out there are reasons most beds have legs and a space underneath.
Our window blinds broke in the down position, the chain coming off the track. The tub stopper completely came out of the tub when I tried to lift it out to drain water. Grout spilled from the tile into the tub whenever the shower was used. I noticed scuffs and wear and tear in almost everything in the room, though not horribly so. This place needs to pay more attention to the details that really matter.
The local WGN TV channel doesn’t come in right, The repairman we called to try and fix it so we could watch a local hockey game said it’s been broken for years and gave us some lame excuse about why. Thing is, I live in the Chicago area, also have Dishnetwork and my reception is just peachy. We were offered a free movie to make up for the trouble (which was nice) but it was on our bill when we checked out. So, a freebie turned into another issue to deal with, another hassle.
Someone mentioned how neat it was to come into the room for the first time to the CD playing, and that IS a nice touch, but not one they do for everyone. In both my stays, I was met with silence. Only one of the rooms even had the CD laying there. The music was awful too, very dance, frantic beat type stuff that I imagine someone in W Marketing loves and thinks really sets their tone. It just made me antsy and irritated. Contrasting this is another hotel I love (The Metro in Milwaukee) that also has a signature CD that they actually do have playing in every room upon check-in. It’s jazzy. It’s cool. It’s the kind of thing anyone would find enjoyment in and most of all it complements the décor and vibe so well that you truly do feel instantly transported to some chic yet soothing place. W’s music is bad disco at best and only made me wince.
W Lakeshore also has a problem with their hot water. On both stays, at some point, they ran out of hot water so we had chilly showers (not fun in Chicago when it’s in single digits outside).
The pool wasn’t open on one of my stays and we were not notified when we made the reservation or upon check in. When we complained to the manager, explaining that the entire reason for that trip was to give our daughter her birthday wish – time in a pool – we were told that some people had been given passes to the health club down the street. They must have been madder than I was, for no one made me such an offer. About the hot water in the room, she claimed engineering had checked and it was “fine”. Only after telling her how horrible I thought her attitude was did she even offer anything to compensate for our miserable stay – she said if we ever came back that she would inspect our room personally. Gee, thanks. If she actually did that for our second stay, I have no clue, but she missed the broken blinds and tub stopper, and forgot to turn that CD on.
My second stay was more of the same. This time we ate at WAVE, the restaurant. Very nice décor, again, and the food was OK until we found something floating in my husband’s beer, and I found a bone in my duck croquettes. Service was slow and inattentive. The small plate concept leads to a lot of dishes when tables are not cleared. So I ended up eating with my elbows lifted to avoid dragging my sleeves through old dishes.
Oh, and parking is $48 (robbery). The coordination between parking and the front desk isn’t very good. On my first visit, they hadn’t put the parking on the bill, so my husband had to run back inside, wait in line and handle it himself. Taxes are insane too. Bottom-line - stay here only if you are concerned mostly with how things look on the outside. If you want service, efficiency and a truly good hotel, look elsewhere.
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