Originally Posted by
italdesign
Stayed here over the weekend. Impressive, but the lack of upgrade was disappointing.
Pros
-Location. One of the best in Chicago.
-New and stylish.
-Lots of free facilities - gym, sauna, steam, pool, basketball court, outdoor terrace, running track?
-Bathroom ledge/bar. More space to put things.
-Comfortable bedding.
-Generous bottled waters for Gold members.
Cons
-Lack of upgrade. Gold member here, only upgraded to better view, same room type. No lounge access (and no free breakfast). I can understand no room upgrade when hotel is full, but no lounge/breakfast is disappointing coming from Marriott.
-Valet is $63/day, self parking $49. Did not see any "overnight free" meter nearby.
-Useless welcome gift - a pack of gummy bears.
-Incredibly cheap toilet paper.
-Drape not fully closable (light will come in morning).
Hard to believe we splurged on the valet. Felt very un-travel hacker-ish. Traveling with parent does that to you.
But that location is really something.
I was at the hotel the same weekend as you. I was also disappointed at the lack of upgrade. Was really hoping for a balcony room at least. However, the Lollapalooza festival had this place sold out. I had contacted the hotel in advance inquiring about a business class room and they quoted me $160/nt for the upgrade. We declined.
The welcome gift gummy bears went to good use since we had a bottle of vodka on hand for pre-Lollapalooza cocktails. Poured some vodka in with the gummy bears and put them in the cooler. The gummies soaked up the vodka and were pretty delicious afterward.
Overall, I really liked the hotel and am glad I have two more award weekends booked prior to the recent devaluations (50k vs. 140k for 2 nights). It's a great location and that pool deck is tough to beat in downtown Chicago!