If I remember correctly, that was Obama’s poor choice of words during the last presidential election. It is however, an appropriate use the same description for the James Hotel in Obama’s adopted home town of Chicago.
The wife and I planned a fabulous weekend of excursions and dining in downtown Chicago with a highlighted stay at the James hotel. Before the hotel was booked we reviewed TripAdvisor to confirm that this hotel was the best place to stay. The room was booked directly from the hotel’s website.
Upon arrival, we received room #609. We unpacked our bags and immediately noticed a peculiar sound resonating from the walls. With stuff to do, not much was thought of the sound and we departed for our plans.
When we returned later that night the noise was definitely loud and occurred frequently. It is hard to describe, but it sounded like a dumb waiter scraping against a wall. It reverberated throughout the ceiling and walls in our room. Other times it sounded like someone opening a door very slowly like in a horror movie. Regardless, this was not something you would expect to hear in a hotel charging $300 per night! To be honest, I wouldn’t expect to hear this noise in any hotel.
I didn’t sleep that night. The next morning I visited the front desk and received polite, but dismissive, treatment. “No, it couldn’t be the elevator,” I was told. Great. Nobody else has ever complained about this horrible noise. Rather than argue with the front desk we left to enjoyed the day in Chicago. But when we returned on Saturday night to change for dinner the horrendous sound was still there. I really had no desire to stay in the room. Ironically, we rode an elevator with another hotel employee who inquired about our stay and we replied honestly that we were dissatisfied due to the noise. He apologized but said the hotel “was fully booked” and we didn’t have any options.
The James may have spiffed up the décor (cosmetic improvements) of the hotel but they have failed to deal with the most basic of issues—a disruptive elevator. End result, we will NEVER stay in a James Hotel again. I truly felt like we got ripped off. They took our money and then placed us in the armpit of the hotel with little concern for our issues. The front desk should hold their next staff meeting in the room and still tell me that there isn't any noise. Cautiously make reservations here.
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