This is the first time I have ever felt the need to post a review about a hotel. I travel a lot and probably spend over 75 nights a year in hotels for work or vacation. I stay in both full service hotels (Ritz, Four Seasons, Hyatts) and limited service hotels (Holiday Inn Express, aloft, Courtyard) and I have never been as dissapointed in a hotel as I was in this one. First of all my room smelled like a water leak (Room 17-255). I called the front desk when I checked in but gave up after over 10 minutes on hold. I went down to the lobby to talk to someone but the hotel was so overwhelmed by the number of people checking in, the wait was at least half an hour to speak to a live body.....so I decided to stay in the room as it was only for one night. The rooms are small, and tired. The bath tub/shower had moldy caulking and the carpets in the room were dirty. I do have to admit that at least the bed was comfortable.
They state that there is wireless in the lobby but I could not find a free connection. I thought every hotel in the country had free wireless in the common areas. They even had attached a login and password for the Starbucks in the lobby......seriously?? The lack of free wireless in the lobby was compounded by the fact that the $275 a night hotel charges $19.95 (yes...you read that correctly) for 24 hours of in-room wired connectivitiy!!! In all the hotels I have stayed at, I have never been charged this much for what is now an essential in-room service. It almost felt like they charged you for hand soap or shampoo in the bathroom.
The next issue was the health club. Every hotel has a gym, but for some reason this hotel felt the need to charge GUESTS an additional $10 dollars to use it. I understand that they should have a hefty charge for day passes, but what is the rational for charging guests for the gym...just build it into the room rate.??
The hotel is massive....it almost seems better suited for Las Vegas than Chicago. That being said, they do not have the capacity, staff, or ammenities to support the large number of clientelle. Be prepared to stand in line for everything.....check-in, breakfast, coffee, etc.
The bottom line is that I would avoid this hotel and find one that has learned that the guest experience is most important part of the stay. There are many better choices for the same price ion Chicago.
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