FLYGVA
May 23, 10, 10:30 am
The Intercontinental Chicago was on my wish list for a long times, especially due to the nice 25 m lap pool which was the first not in the basement of a building but on a high floor.
I stayed there back in 2009 (but finally found the time to finish the stay report and upload it on my homepage (www.hotels-and-travel.de)). At this time, I hold Royal Ambassador Status. I had booked the cheapest available room. Here is the report.
I arrived at the hotel around noon on a Saturday and had to wait because a number of people were checking out and in and five people were queuing in front of me. Unfortunately the Ambassador Desk was not manned. But the agents were working fast and so the waiting time was not that long. The agent greeted and welcomed me in the hotel. I was addressed by name and the procedure was quite fast. However, no explanation of location of pool and gym were made and also not of the times breakfast is served.
My room was a Junior Suite on the 26th floor in the new tower. The suite consists of a living and a separate bedroom. After entering the suite one was right in the living room, there was no hallway. On the left was the closet with ironing board and iron and on the right side was the entrance to the bathroom.
The bathroom had a bath, sink and a separate shower and the toilet separated by a door from the main bathroom. At the sink was the coffee machine. A make-up mirror and hair-dryer were wall mounted. Towels were provided for three guests, they came in big, medium and small size. Two bathrobes and slippers were provided for the use by the guest as well.
The room had a comfortable sofa and lounge chair as well as a lounge table. At the left wall was the minibar while on the other side was the entrance to the bedroom. In front of the window were a desk with phone, telefax and LAN connection. A lamp was there as well and the desk was big enough for working on a laptop. A few more power outlets would have been nice.
The bedroom was smaller than the living room and had a king bed with two bedside table with lamps and on one of them a phone while a Bose Wave Radio with CD Player on the other. A lounge chair was placed in front if the window and a big flat TV was on a sideboard in the bedroom. The bedroom is really packed and I think it would have been better not to put a lounge chair in the room. I would have preferred to have the closet in the bedroom rather than in the living room, but I have to admit, that it would have been impossible to put a closet in the bedroom due to limited size of the room.
The decoration of the room was with brown and warm colors and the furniture in good shape, however some scratches and some stains in the carpets were visible.
The heating was very powerful and one could not really cool the room down a bit (it was too warm) if one did not open the window.
The attendant at the gym was not the friendliest one. I was arriving in proper training outfit (running gear and sport shoes) and enforced to use the changing room. My only question is, into which clothes I should have changed? Stupid behavior ...
Check out was fast and friendly. The fee for the use of the gym was taken off the bill, because the use is free for Royal Ambassador Members. I was asked I was satisfied with the stay, which I was.
A nice change from the not so nice stay in on of the other landmark hotels in downtown Chicago, The Drake. Staff was friendly and helpful and the rooms are nice, despite the fact of lacking some charm, especially in the modern tower. To me, the pool is the absolute highlight of this hotel. Swimming in this nice ambiance in the first pool on a higher floor built in the late 1920ies was a dream of me for a long time and I am more than happy that I made this dream come true and it will not be my last stay in this hotel.
Pictures and the report are as usual posted on my homepage (Pictures and report on my homepage (http://www.hotels-and-travel.de/hotelberichte/ihg/hotel_chi_ic.htm))
Sorry for the delay in posting the reports, but the writing took longer than I have originally had expected
I stayed there back in 2009 (but finally found the time to finish the stay report and upload it on my homepage (www.hotels-and-travel.de)). At this time, I hold Royal Ambassador Status. I had booked the cheapest available room. Here is the report.
I arrived at the hotel around noon on a Saturday and had to wait because a number of people were checking out and in and five people were queuing in front of me. Unfortunately the Ambassador Desk was not manned. But the agents were working fast and so the waiting time was not that long. The agent greeted and welcomed me in the hotel. I was addressed by name and the procedure was quite fast. However, no explanation of location of pool and gym were made and also not of the times breakfast is served.
My room was a Junior Suite on the 26th floor in the new tower. The suite consists of a living and a separate bedroom. After entering the suite one was right in the living room, there was no hallway. On the left was the closet with ironing board and iron and on the right side was the entrance to the bathroom.
The bathroom had a bath, sink and a separate shower and the toilet separated by a door from the main bathroom. At the sink was the coffee machine. A make-up mirror and hair-dryer were wall mounted. Towels were provided for three guests, they came in big, medium and small size. Two bathrobes and slippers were provided for the use by the guest as well.
The room had a comfortable sofa and lounge chair as well as a lounge table. At the left wall was the minibar while on the other side was the entrance to the bedroom. In front of the window were a desk with phone, telefax and LAN connection. A lamp was there as well and the desk was big enough for working on a laptop. A few more power outlets would have been nice.
The bedroom was smaller than the living room and had a king bed with two bedside table with lamps and on one of them a phone while a Bose Wave Radio with CD Player on the other. A lounge chair was placed in front if the window and a big flat TV was on a sideboard in the bedroom. The bedroom is really packed and I think it would have been better not to put a lounge chair in the room. I would have preferred to have the closet in the bedroom rather than in the living room, but I have to admit, that it would have been impossible to put a closet in the bedroom due to limited size of the room.
The decoration of the room was with brown and warm colors and the furniture in good shape, however some scratches and some stains in the carpets were visible.
The heating was very powerful and one could not really cool the room down a bit (it was too warm) if one did not open the window.
The attendant at the gym was not the friendliest one. I was arriving in proper training outfit (running gear and sport shoes) and enforced to use the changing room. My only question is, into which clothes I should have changed? Stupid behavior ...
Check out was fast and friendly. The fee for the use of the gym was taken off the bill, because the use is free for Royal Ambassador Members. I was asked I was satisfied with the stay, which I was.
A nice change from the not so nice stay in on of the other landmark hotels in downtown Chicago, The Drake. Staff was friendly and helpful and the rooms are nice, despite the fact of lacking some charm, especially in the modern tower. To me, the pool is the absolute highlight of this hotel. Swimming in this nice ambiance in the first pool on a higher floor built in the late 1920ies was a dream of me for a long time and I am more than happy that I made this dream come true and it will not be my last stay in this hotel.
Pictures and the report are as usual posted on my homepage (Pictures and report on my homepage (http://www.hotels-and-travel.de/hotelberichte/ihg/hotel_chi_ic.htm))
Sorry for the delay in posting the reports, but the writing took longer than I have originally had expected