Never Again
Let me say this was our first trip to Chicago, just 2 of us.Upon Arrival we were informed they upgraded are room, wow if this was an upgrade I hate to see the other. We were given a Lake View, problem was it was a inside corner room, so the building (how it sticks out)blocked any view to the right & the center was blocked by a bigger building, so yes you could see the lake to the left if you stood at a certain point.
The room, bathroom was very small & tub was slow draining so during shower it would fill with water, then wait for next person to shower. We had 2 double beds, while sitting on 1 I looked down to see all along the bottom of the other bed (the skirt around the bed) someone had apparently thrownup ( I kid you not) during their stay & it had since dried & never cleaned, truly unbelievable.
I don't think this Hotel is for the normal working class such as myself, I don't consider myself cheap & usually on vacation I will splurge on items so to speak but this Hotel was ridiculous. Bring your own drinks, the room is stocked but it will CO$T you big time. Theres a Walgreens & Store just a block away. Want to use the internet, $12.00 a day. Want to use the Pool, $12.00 a day. Want room service, how about a $16.00 hamburger or a $15.00 dollar waffle. We ate breakfast at the Cafe on lower level, buffet style, food was.....not good, not good at all, price ..$52.00 tip included. We would have like to eat at Shulas, but I can only imagine the price.
Frontdoor man was very nice as well as the conceirce person, recommended a Pizza place for us, deliverved to our room late one night, Large Pizza 14", sausage pepporoni, $38.00 plus tip. & it was horrible, give me a frozen Red Baron over this ANYTIME.
Actual location of the Hotel is good. Just blocks away from everything, Mag Mile, Shopping, Navy Pier, we even walked to Sears Tower & back from the Theater after seeing Wicked. Both of those were quite a walk for myself but it wasnt to bad.
This was our first trip to Chicago, my advice is plan well before going. Know what you want to see & where it is located. Cabs will cost you, they have Buses & Trolleys for much much lesser. We even took the L (Green Line) up to Oak Park to Hemingways birthplace (which is just 4 blocks from where you get off L at Oak Park). Cost us $4 to use L, verses $40 for a cab. Also, everyone said to eat at Bubba Shrimp at Pier...We Did, to me....overpriced, glamourized Long John Silvers...cost $48.00. The waitress was extremely nice though, I like to think she was hitting on me rather than my son...lol. The only food place I can truly recommend was at Benningans on Mich. Ave. , Great Steak & Grilled Chicken...$35.00.
Back to the Hotel, like I said it is centrally located which was nice, but I would not stay there again due to pricing $220 a night, overpriced resturaunts, & overpriced amenities which I just assumed were included in the 220...pool, gym, internet etc. I'm willing to pay the $220 or even a little more but I expect alot more at that price.
My advice & our next stay will be at the Hyatt, just around te corner & down a couple blocks or most likely Embassy Suites. Embassy is located directly across from Sheraton one open area block. Views of the Lake & City would be just as good, just make sure & specify as I learned later from a Chicago traveler that you want an unobstructed view. They have free Breakfast buffet & a Happy Hour from 530 to 7 for drinks.
Like I stated before this was our first trip to Chicago, I expected alot more from the Hotel based on what I read on their site as well as here, I was truly dissapointed. Also, like I said, the prices I quoted were all Total Bill for just the 2 of us. We were there 3 days, 2nights. Also, ask if their having a conference when/if you stay, Hotel was packed with somesort of Conference, which wasnt to bad because most those people were nice, just alot of people.
