Detailed pluses and minuses of this hotel are below, but the bottom line is that the paper thin walls and proximity to the L made it impossible for me to sleep well. That drawback was too important for me to rate this beautiful old hotel any higher than average.
Positives:
- Very convenient for business. I had meetings at the federal building on Dearborn and the Palmer House is a short walk from there and other businesses in the Loop. It was also close to shopping on State Street, and was about a 20 minute walk from the Magnificent Mile. I took the blue line train from O'Hare to the Monroe stop near the hotel, and never needed a cab or other transportation during my four day trip.
- Gorgeous building. The architectural details were amazing.
- Fitness center was very nice, with lots of Precor machines in good condition. (There was a charge if you weren't Hhonors silver member or above, though.)
- Service. Everyone I encountered was friendly and helpful.
Negatives:
-Noise level. I was booked on the executive floor and asked for a quiet room at check-in. The clerk said she would place me on the quiet side away from the train. She must have made a mistake - the noise from the L woke me early every morning and was noticeable throughout the day. To make matters worse, the walls were paper thin. Not only could I hear people talking in normal voices in the rooms next to me, I could understand every word they said as if they were in my room. I won't even detail the other late-night noises that made it impossible to sleep.
-Decor. The room was decorated with lots of gold leaf and faded tapestry bedspreads. It goes with the historical nature of the hotel, but just wasn't my taste. It made the room seem faded and worn. But that's just my personal preference and others may find it charming. The bathroom was very small, but I did like the granite sink and double rainfall showerhead.
So-so:
-Exec lounge. The lounge for Gold members and above was usually fairly crowded, and the food was very middle-of-the-road (potstickers, stuck-together pasta). I've seen better spreads at other Hilton properties. But, it was still nice to have free coffee and soda all day and the continental breakfast had a lot of choices available.
I'm returning to Chicago for business soon, but cancelled my next reservation at this hotel. I need to be able to sleep well, especially when traveling for work. If you are a heavy sleeper, there are a lot of positives to staying here, but if noise bothers you I wouldn't recommend it.
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