Nice hotel overall...but you can find an equally nice or nicer hotel (with more amenities) and spend far less money. When I arrived I was surprised at how nice the rooms where, but SHOCKED at the prices! Drinks from the vending machines cost $3.00! Coffee packets for in-room brewing systems are $3.25 (for a single serving pod)! It also cost me $3.50 for seven minutes of internet. There was a bottle of water next to the television on the dresser that had a $6.00 price tag! I'm surprised they didn't charge for ice in the ice machines. The hotel boasts four great restaurants, but these prices are also radically high. My friend and I ate dinner at Kitty O'Sheas in the hotel and were surprised when we realized that beers cost $6.50 a piece! (This is more expensive than beers at a White Sox game). Chicago is a relatively cheap city. There is no reason to charge those prices. One would expect a first-rate hotel like the Hilton to at least offer free internet access! (I know that the Holiday Inn does!).
I also must complain about the unfriendliness of the staff. Several of the employees were arrogant and just plain rude. When I asked for the key to the mini-bar, the attendant asked for my I.D. (which is fine), but then insisted that I wasn't 21 (I'm 26). It turns out she was reading the expiration date on my license instead of the birthdate. Then she claimed that my I.D. looked fake. I guess she's never seen a Texas driver's license before. I was in town for a professional conference and didn't appreciate being treated like a kid trying to sneak into an R rated movie.
Speaking of kids, for the first few days of my stay, the hotel was crawling with teenagers! (There was some sort of High School Student Government convention going on in the hotel). They were everywhere! Goofing around with the elevators, sleeping on the couches in the lobbies, running down the halls screaming and giggling at 2am! Each group of teenagers was followed by equally troublesome adult chaparones, that screamed and yelled orders at the kids. It was mayhem. (I realize that it wasn't the hotel's fault, but it was an annoyance). The hotel also hosted a local prom on Saturday night.
The nearest subway stop was closed and I was forced to either walk five blocks to the next stop or take a cab. The concierge informed me that this particular subway stop always seems to close down on the weekends.
If you must stay at the hotel (if you're attending a conference for instance) then here are some tips: stop at Walgreen's which is only a couple of blocks away and buy drinks and snacks to stock your hotel room. Also, don't eat at the hotel, instead, eat at the eleven city diner, or any of the other restaurants located nearby.
hotel reviews