The check-in experience proved to be predictive of our hotel stay. I reserved a 395 square foot room with a king bed at a rate of $259.00 (+ $39.88 state and local taxes for a total charge of $ 298.58). Upon entering the room following check-in, we found ourselves in minuscule space of which the king bed occupied most of the footprint…. literally, not figuratively, as narrow passageways on the sides and foot of the bed represented the only open floor space. Four days of this, no way! I called the front desk to state the room did not meet the specifications of the reservation and insisted on being placed in another room. The clerk advised the hotel was sold out and the room was the only one available with a king bed which begs the obvious question, what happened to the 395 square foot room with king bed that I had reserved three days prior to my arrival! The clerk advised a larger space was available; however, it was furnished with two queen beds. I find it very telling that the front desk clerk did not extend the consideration of advising us up front that the reserved room was not available and no attempt was made to offer an acceptable alternative. The clerk’s modus operandi was to surreptitiously purvey an inferior offering with no consideration for the commitment made at the time of the reservation and no consideration for me as a guest.
The alternative room was a large space furnished with two queen beds, an uncomfortable lounge chair, table, large marble top desk with wide screen flat panel TV, matching marble top night stand with an iPod player between the beds and a gentlemen’s armoire with dual dresser drawers. There was a space for a mini-bar and refrigerator; however, these had been removed although a personal coffee maker remained. The room also had a small closet which housed an in-room personal safe. The bathroom was decorated with an eye-popping black and white paisley wallpaper and was fixtured with a rain shower over tub configuration. The bath room was stocked with selected branded toiletries; however, there was only one mini-soap for the wash basin and shower. My multiple pleas to the reluctant housekeeper were finally met with an agreement to provide a second bar of mini-soap.
The room was located on the interior of the hotel and the windows were framed by high rise walls on all sides, thus there was very little natural light, the consequence of which was a very dark room. No attempt to compensate for the lack of natural light with additional artificial lighting had been made. There is a $12.95 per diem charge for in-room Wi-Fi internet service, the hallmark of which was marginal and dreadfully slow connectivity. Dial-up should come to mind. Perhaps this was a function of the room’s interior location; however, to extend a per diem charge for what was effectively an undeliverable is a bit cheeky.
The in-room décor was of a contemporary design which is in contrast to the Beaux-Arts design of the hotel’s exterior and interior common areas. The dark wood paneling and gold leaf lobby décor is striking and evocative of fine hotels of days past.
The hotel has a small business center, shop for newspapers and magazines and a health center that we did not take advantage of. The concierge was very helpful in arranging airport transportation. The dining venue is a Spanish tapas restaurant, Mercat a la Planxa, where a full breakfast commands a price point of $22.00 inclusive of gratuity. A Starbucks is located on the street level of South Michigan Avenue and there was what I believe to be recently opened take out venue associated with Mercat located directly across from Starbucks.
The hotel’s location is its hallmark as it sits across from Grant Park and within close walking distance of Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, Buckingham Fountain, the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium
Finally, I required an envelope to keep some receipts in and discovered there was no stationery in the room; therefore, I went both to the front desk and concierge only to be advised envelopes don’t exist! One can only assume the individual responsible for bathroom soap also has responsibility for stationery and envelopes. Yes, I am being petty; however, it is indicative of this hotel’s service and quality deficiencies. A multi-million dollar renovation does not, in and of itself, make a fine hotel. If you elect to stay here, I recommend you to ask all of the right questions to insure your accommodation meets your expectations. Secondly, I would recommend incurring the additional expense for a room overlooking Grant Park and Lake Michigan beyond.
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