Review: Trump Chicago
Introduction Chicago has featured prominently in trip reports this month so it seems opportune to add my recent experience at Trump Chicago, shamelessly plagiarising <strong>luxury </strong>s format. (Apologies in advance that this is so long; it seems with me it's all or nothing.<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif" style="margin-bottom:3px">) Booking I couldnt believe how badly they had handled this: where they started off with a delighted customer grateful for a confirmed upgrade they ended up with one totally ticked off. I was on the point of cancelling the reservation. I went onto Trip Advisor for reassurance and was further put off by all the naff personal responses that the GM makes to reviews. I was beginning to think this was all a horrible mistake. But when my partner asked if I would be satisfied if we got the room I wanted and I said yes, he persuaded me to confirm by telephone. Which I did and the charming res agent reassured me I was in the Executive Lake View. Then it all started to go wrong. My confirmation said I was booked into a Spa Executive King. Although the rate for this room is higher than for the Executive Lake View it was not what I wanted - it is smaller and does not have the kitchen. When queried Trump said they made a mistake and a Lake View room was not available. But it was available to book online!? My agent persisted and they finally relented and booked the agreed room. They promised a revised confirmation, but that never materialised. In the course of all this my 3 e-mails went unanswered. (I used the addresses given on the confirmations and got no bounce back so I assume they were received.) My booking was made through an extremely efficient and diligent Virtuoso agent. He managed to secure a confirmed upgrade from a Deluxe King to an Executive Lake View room. I was thrilled as this 900 sq. ft. room faces east and has great views of the Wrigley Building and Tribune Tower as well as the river and the lake. This persuaded me to give up my own booking for a superior room at $237 (bed only, much smaller, no kitchen, city view) and fork out $395 for this and the other Virtuoso bennies. Arrival A bellboy was on hand to escort us to our room together with the luggage on a trolley. (I saw this several times during our stay and I suspect there is no service elevator.) He explained features of the room and answered questions very competently. Like most staff at Trump I felt I was dealing with someone well trained and confident in doing his job. I was attended to straight away at the front desk and efficiently processed. This included the words: We have upgraded you to and I held my breath half expecting them to backslide on the promised upgrade a one bedroom suite with a river view on our highest floor. I was so surprised I barely managed to mumble a thank you. (Later I calculated that this is 5 price levels up from what I paid for - they have many and confusing room categories - and is marketed at $695.)So, with some trepidation, I arrived at Trump at about 8pm. The doormen were very efficient in greeting us, whisking away the luggage and guiding us into the lobby. Yes, it is cramped for such an establishment and surely a big headache for the branding people but during our 4 days there it seemed quite functional and I never saw queues. It tends to look very untidy if a handful of people are hanging about and it is not a space that invites you to linger or provides any quiet nooks in which to wait for someone, say. Room The bathroom was also very spacious with a deep, but rather short, bath and separate, large shower. Double vanities but not a lot of space for ones toiletries. The hotel toiletries are Trump branded (as were the bottles of water and the chocolates you got with your coffee) which in my mind manages to say cheapskate and self-aggrandising at the same time. If that isn't enough, the plastic containers have a shape that militates against dispensing the contents. Basically, apart from the soap, I was irritated every time I used them. Very nice towels and bath robes 4 of them! (Two were in the hall closet presumably for use when 4 people occupy the suite and some make use of the shower in the guest bathroom.) Which brings me to the views - and what views they are! Floor to ceiling windows look out onto the river below and the wonderful architecture along its banks and beyond. Off to the side is the Navy Pier and Lake Michigan. Trump Tower is uniquely situated because it is on a bend in the river and consequently has stunning views towards the lake. My biggest gripe was the noisy aircon intake. This is in the foyer area and even with the fan set to low made far too much noise. There also did not seem to be any way to get fresh air into the system - it was just recycling air from the suite. We were eventually able to dispense with it after getting maintenance to unlock some of the small lower windows which we then opened for ventilation. The fittings are top notch from the exceptionally well appointed kitchen through to the electrics. Much is made of the in-mirror TV in the bathroom. As gimmicks go I liked it: I found it useful for keeping half an eye on the news or weather while shaving. There is no bidet which is surprising given the amount of space available. (Does the US really do bidets?) The lights are excellent with most lights on dimmers. Reading lights were adequate. I do have some small criticisms of the dcor and furnishings: Most importantly the couches were not very comfortable for lounging on for any length of time. The wall pictures are rather nice but there are some large walls that were empty and looked bare. The dressing room area is large and rather sterile. And the ersatz fireplace does not appeal to my taste. The dcor is muted and the palette mainly features variations on taupe. This ranges freely from the brown to the grey side, which (together with occasional touches of muted purple and wood) provides enough contrast to prevent it being drab or uninteresting. For me the effect was very restful and welcoming. Even though I loved it I can see that this is not a scheme that would be to everyones taste and definitely not for those with an affinity for chintz, overstuffed sofas or faux Louis XIV chairs. Well suite, of course. Its 1220 sq. ft. incorporates a foyer, living/dining room/ kitchen, dressing room, main and guest bathroom and a bedroom. The web site pictures give an accurate impression of what you get and there are <a href="http://www.trumpchicagohotel.com/Accommodations/interactive_floor_plans.asp">excellent floor plans</a>. (We had a 36 room). Restaurant/bar We had a drink and some eats in Rebar the evening we arrived. The shrimp tempura was too oily but their strange take on miso soup (with shrimp and mushrooms) was rather nice. Service was very good. The place was busy and vibey without being unpleasantly noisy - and Im very picky about acoustics. Prices are apparently on the high side but when you convert to ZAR all prices are daunting so Im not a good judge. The restaurant has a wonderful setting with great views and a spacious patio. This is the first setback incorporated into the architectural design and was specifically put here to relate to the iconic skyline features of the clock on the Wrigley Building and the Tribune Tower. It also looks straight down the river to the lake. The patio was not in use - despite the unseasonably balmy November weather it was still a tad too windy to be pleasant. Everything is priced separately which is always alarming to me. I hate having to think about whether I really want a $6 glass of fresh (tasted just like Tropicana) juice. Our rate included continental breakfast but since no such thing exists on the menu I didnt know what I was going to pay for. The front desk said we could have anything which I rather doubted and in the end I paid something that I didnt quite understand but didnt query because it seemed like we got comped a fixed amount (maybe $50?) and that seemed quite reasonable to me. We only had breakfasts in the main restaurant, "16". They were very nice breakfasts with some unusual options. I particularly like the Texan truffle toast which seemed to be bread fried in truffle butter and topped with a tasty and succulent lobster concoction and a poached egg. The more mundane items were less successful - like an omelette (rather dry) and eggs Benedict (tasteless hollandaise). Service was fair to good on most days but on Sunday there were new staff and it suddenly took a bit of a dive. Probably a combination of more people at breakfast plus the kitchen and regular wait staff preparing for brunch. Service In general I was pleased with the service. Almost everyone I dealt with was friendly, helpful and competent. (And very young! Or am I just getting very old?) I didnt really have any strange or unusual requests but little things like some deliveries, replacing the Nespresso machine (I think I had just failed to refill it with water<img alt="" src="http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="margin-bottom:3px">), providing an adaptor plug etc. were all managed very smoothly. When we werent ready for the turndown service we were immediately asked what time housekeeping should return. There was the rather clueless waiter on the last day and the housekeeper really should have twigged that if I keep leaving a tip in an envelope the envelopes will need to be replenished. But in general I felt confident that when I approached staff for assistance I would get results. Spa & health club Even though I had a spa credit as my Virtuoso amenity I didnt have the time or inclination to use the spa. I did go down to the spa floor once to use the pool but only saw the locker rooms and the pool. Once again there are amazing views to be had. The locker rooms are well equipped: lockers with electronic locks, hairdryers (if only, sigh) spin dryer for bathing suits, sauna, steam room etc. There are only 4 showers that I could see, though. The place was not being kept immaculate so that there were occasional puddles of water around the floor. The pool is satisfyingly large and the pool area very nice with loungers and chairs all around. Verdict And I was very happy at Trump Chicago most especially with the suite. I felt that everyone is trying hard to maintain a high standard even if occasionally they arent quite getting there. It obviously doesn't have (and possibly never will have) that feeling of excellence, polished by decades of experience, that one finds at the great hotels. Nevertheless, I left with a very positive feeling about this new hotel. But I must confess that some of this may have been because I was so charmed and delighted by Chicago on my first visit. The location was fantastic for our needs as 1st time tourists, providing easy access to everything on both sides of the river. The building itself is magnificent and it gave us a big kick to be staying in one of Chicagos newest architectural landmarks.