Chicago's Essex Inn, Chicago

We stayed there for New Yr eve night till January 4..We thought we were in Third Wolrd Hotel..Nothing is good in that Hotel(?) esp. the lady in front desk...

I wouldn't have given it ANY stars, but i had to choose at least one to post this. We stayed here for the saturday night and sunday night of the chicago marathon weekend. WORST MONEY SPENT EVER! The location was the only positive point. We wanted to be right across from the start/finish of the race and we were. BUT, the room view was awful - looked directly into a room in the building across the street...no privacy, even though we were 12 stories up! We were charged $299 and $359 for the saturday and sunday nights. The heating/cooling system had only one option - on or off. The hotel chose whether hot or cold air came out of the system (based on the season). SO, after my husband ran 26.2 miles, we had no way to cool down the room for him because they had heat on....the only option we had was to turn the knob to OFF. The windows are a serious hazard! Our toddlers were able to pull the handle and open the window, which was only one pane thick and was floor to ceiling....a nice feature if the windows weren't 50 years old! The handle didn't lock. I don't see how they pass any inspections. Also, the elevators...only 2 for all the floors of the building...ran ridiculously slow. We never encountered anyone else on the elevators but we had to wait literally 5-7 minutes every time we wanted to leave our floor! They didn't have the sunday paper available. The coffee in the room was gross. The bath towels had yellow/brown stains on them. There was no portfolio for the hotel that had a map or information on the restaurant in the hotel. We had to call down to the front desk and have them bring up a menu for the restaurant....and they didn't even bring up a menu, they photocopied the pages of it and brought up the loose copy pages. No free breakfast for the price of the room. A less than cold refrigerator in the room. The pool closed from 6-6:30 every night for housekeeping to clean....not sure what they cleaned, because NO ONE was in there every time we went by. THe water was cold and had spiders in it. The sauna had someone's shorts sitting in there....both days! So, I think the cleaning that they are allegedly doing is a lie! The only other positive point (aside from location) was the bellman that assisted us to and from our room....he was very nice and helpful. But, oddly, he seemed to be the ONLY bellman working every time we were in the lobby. Weird. The parking charge is ridiculous. $37/night. BUT the valet parking is the ONLY option...there are no other places to park nearby. We, curiously, walked next door to the Hilton to see what their rates were....$269/night starting!!! That was a better rate than either night at the Essex. So, we are booking our room now for next year's marathon...AT THE HILTON!

What I did like about the Essex inn was the location! I purchased an over night stay with a "room with a view" package.That included two free tickets to the sears tower.we were told check in was at 4pm but they would hold our luggage until then,since we got into town at 11am. so we arrive and I asked if we could check our luggage and have our free tickets. we were looked at like...what tickets??? Then told to come back later and get them but the good news was the room was ready! OK,the room was not a room of any view but of the side of another building!! When we called down to the office we were rudely told we didnt have to give you a room until 4pm!! I asked if we could possibly get a discount since we got a tiny room and no free tickets to the sears tower? I was told NO!!! We could leave and come back at 4pm.so we lugged all our luggage down and checked them and asked if he could manage to get us our tickets since we have to wait til 4pm. he gave them to us. so we went out and came back at 4pm and the room indeed was very pretty with a gorgeous view of lake Michigan and grant park,navy pier...just beautiful. However, the air conditioner didnt work worth a damn and we just didnt have it in us to change rooms again and get another round of rude treatment. so we suffered in heat with a room with a view. Never again. We should have been compensated somewhat??? They didn't care and so we won't care to stay there again.Also the bathroom was so tiny with a tiny sink and cheap shampoo and soaps products

The staff was very friendly and helpful. This is the first hotel I've stayed in that had a fee to use the internet. It was $5.99 for 24 hours of use! In addition, the room was small (double) and the bathroom was not clean at all. Hair on the towels, floor, and bath tub. Depending on which room you stay in, you will hear the train. I stayed on the12th floor facing the Hilton (I think) and I heard the train every day. It wasnt annoying, but I heard it. This was my first visit to Chicago and it was nice, but I probably will not choose to stay at the Essex Inn again

the hotel was bad. there was no heat or a/c in the hotel. the cleaning service came to early. rooms were too noisy. you could hear tv from the other room. i wouldn't stay here again.

We loved the location and the price of our room! The cleanliness of the room and bath was one of the first things I noticed. The bed's comfort was heavenly! We were within walking distance of Lake Michigan, the Sears Tower and Union Station. Our breakfast at the Savoy restaurant located inside the building was delicious and ample and the price was ideal. Breakfast is served very early for those who must leave early. We would stay here again without giving it a second thought. I think the $89 room rate is a thing of the past, so that price may need to be updated on this site! Overall we couldn't have been more pleased.

The staff were knowledgeable, professional and made the visit. We stayed two nights, ate in the restaurant and swam in the pool. The hotel was clean. It was definitely an inner city hotel where real estate is at a premium. Rooms were on the small size. Valet parking was not cheap, $36. But the location and atmosphere made this a good value and we will be back.

We transferred our hotel reservations from a very pricey upscale hotel in downtown Chicago to the Essex in order to save some money. I was hesitant at first because of the luxury and convenience the the first hotel offered. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that we not only ended up saving over $200 on lodging, but we enjoyed a clean, bright, comfortable stay in a hotel right in the heart of the Chicago action. The staff at the Essex was very friendly and accommodating. Our housekeeper offered lots of advice on local areas to explore. We were in walking distance of the Taste of Chicago, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, Art Museum and numerous restaurants and bars. Short cab rides took us to other destinations such as Navy Pier and Rush Street. The entire building has been remodeled with all of the rooms having new beds, tvs, carpeting, bathroom facilities...EVERYTHING! All in all, the Essex offers a wonderful downtown Chicago experience for a very reasonable amount of money. We will definitely be staying there again.

the location was great, across from grant park. rooms had just been remodeled but are small and half the lights wouldnt work, seemed to be electrical problems. had to take dirty dingy stairway to get to the pool because that floor was closed for remodeling. water in pool was cold. there was a restaurant downstairs i would compare to a dennys but higher prices. servers were friendly and efficient, food wasnt bad, i just didnt like the atmosphere of the place. no room service or valet parking or any extras at the essex inn either. paid over $300 a night for one room at this average at best hotel.

The Hotel is a little distance from shopping the Mile, but within walking distance (4 blocks) to the Shed, Adler Observ, Field Museum & Soldier Field. To get to the Museum of Science and Indust, walk one block north and catch the east bound stop "Bus #10" to the Museum and go the west bound stop, Bus #10 or #146 to the magic mile for a 10 minute ride to both destinations. The hotel provides a shuttle bus to and from the Navy Pier at the top of every hour. However, if your looking for an extravigant hotel stay keep looking, but then expect to pay for it. If you planning on a budget or dont plan on staying in your room during the entire trip this is the steal of Chicago. It's close to everything & has public transportation within a block (North) of the front door. After reading some of the poor reviews from earlier in the year, I would have to say they have definetly cleaned things up! Staff was very friendly, Room was not luxurious, but was clean and had new comfortable pillow top mattres and a new flat screen TV with cable. The attached Savoy Resturant had great breakfast. If your looking for nearby steak house hit the "Fire House," front desk staff will give you directions. Luxury its not, but a fantastic value it is! I would definetly stay here again! Jody & Sharon Green Bay, WI.