We booked the room 10 months ago with the intention of watching the 4th of July fireworks. The original reservation stated my preference for a Navy Pier view. I even called them a few times the week before our arrival to beg again. Then I look online and find that you can reserve a room with just the view I wanted. Of course it cost more money. Everything in this hotel costs more money - parking? $52/day. Club level for breakfast and/or evening snacks? Another $50/day. And a note about the club - the food was good but it's NOT open in the afternoon and ALL alcohol is an ADDITIONAL charge. Not sure I drank $200 worth of Starbucks coffee or nibbled on that many carrots to make the cost worth it. You can go in there and use the computer in the morning and in the evening, but that's it. I arranged for the club as a backup in case our view didn't allow us to see the fireworks. Turns out the view from the club isn't all that great. Our room was much better. The best place seems to have been the gym though. Did I mention that costs extra too? The front desk did throw it in for free when we got the club floor, but I think it's usually another $25/day. Are you seeing a theme here?
Our room was nice. Previous commentaries were on target - it's minimalistic, the sun does stream in and immediately warm up the room. The small frig is filled with water, soda, etc. that is pressure sensitive (if it moves, you get charged). There's no space to put any food you may have and it didn't even really seem cold at all. The bed seemed to be a super-king.
I titled this "A Mixed Bag" because I thought it was going to be a bit more upscale given the prices listed. Lets just say that the clientele was eclectic. Very very eclectic. It's unnerving when some guests treated the lobby area like a bus station (luggage was CVS bags that they felt compelled to root through in the foyer, another individual looked like she was "working").
Overall, I would say that the building itself is an interesting place to stay. The staff wasn't as helpful as I would've hoped, although there were some instances of kind support.
The location is absolutely wonderful and the view of the fireworks from our room was spot on.
I guess my review comes down to this - if you can get over paying for every little thing and you are going to spend most of your time either in your room or away from the hotel, then go for it.
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