Chicago is my hometown which is why I never used to know much about Chicago hotel rooms. However, now that I'm in DC, I travel as often as I can to Chicago and get to choose hotels. My favorite remains Sofitel (design/amenities) and Sutton Place (location/amenities).
I love to travel and typically go at least 4, if not 5 star hotels. I took my boyfriend to the W because well, it's the W and the W in NYC is pretty nice. I do not recall the last time I left a hotel but we left W. OK, here is my review:
For a long weekend, we were booked in their spectacular room overlooking navy pier/lake. GORGEOUS VIEW and if you're into that, this is the place for you wan to stay. While the room looked very pretty, it was NOT CLEAN. The rug needed a vacum and the duvet cover was dusty on top. While the bathroom was designed to look ultra chic, HORRIBLE LIGHTING , girls! never have I experienced such bad lighting in a small bathroom anywhere! I don't know how they managed to get it so poor but I was afraid to put makeup on not knowing what I'd look like. Also, the shower had no door and is a stand up only. Note it has no door and the water just runs into the entire bathroom..ridiculous design. The shades on the room were exceptionally difficult to pull down to cover the brilliant sun which comes in with the great view at like 6am. BOTTOM LINE: beautiful design requires some quality and thoughtfulness to make it practical. SERVICEWISE, I ordered some hot water after a late night out with friends at about 12:30 on a thursday night. I had to call 3x in order to get a cup of hot water delivered almost a full hour later!
Suffice it to say, my boyfriend and I cked into Sutton Place as early as friday. I will say that he and other friends of mine particularly enjoyed their spa, Bliss though I can't comment on that. Also, admittedly their feather bed and sheets were ultra comfy. As a Chicago local, I would also add that W lakeshore is not the best location for your visit. OK for navy pier but it'll be a short cab ride to MI ave shopping/rush st./food. If you want to see and do more, better stay somewhere else.
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