Just returned from a 3 day/2 night stay at The Ritz Carlton in Chicago (To those of you who don't know, this is a Four Seasons property which I think is really weird, but I digress...)
I preface by saying that for this particular trip I was lucky to even get a room (busy weekend in Chicago, all hotels in the city fully booked), it was a last minute event/business trip and I literally still had AMEX Plat Travel on the phone as I went into the hotel, thus I admittedly lowered my expectations and standards somewhat, if you have read my previous threads on this board, you can notice that i have pretty high expectations when it comes to luxury properties (more so those that charge $675 a night--which was my rate at the RC Chicago).
The hotel was only able to confirm 1 of the 2 nights I needed at check in, and told me I would have to call back very early Saturday morning to see if there had been any cancellations. Like I said, since I felt lucky to have even gotten a room, I was satisfied with this and thought nothing of it. (The next morning they were able to confirm the room available to me for that night as well).

I was given a room on the 25th floor. The room itself was, IMHO, totally sub-standard for a luxury property. I suspected this, being the last room available, was the ¨forgotten stepchild¨.
It reaked of cigarette smoke a la cheap old hotel. (I later learned at check out that I was on a ¨smoking optional¨ floor, however, no mention of this was made at check in at all, and no ash trays were in the room suggesting this)
On a positive note, it had breathtaking Chicago views and it was very spacious for a guest room, however, for the vast amounts of space, it was VERY sparcely furnished with huge gaps and corners throughout. It honestly looked like when someone has gotten a large new home and does not yet have all their furniture in place. It looked like atleast 3 pieces of large furnture had been removed. It had a queen sized bed, 2 night tables, a tiny blue velvet loveseat that looked like it had seen better days, a floor lamp, and a desk and chair. I know this is petty, but I do know these luxury hotels invest a fortune in making sure the room is aesthically beautiful and feng shui'd nicely. The electronic applicances were mismatched and looked like they hadn't been replaced since the late 80's.
The bathroom was very small especially the shower/toilet area but did have double sink/vanity, a bare minimum offering of low quality towels (those ¨bristley¨ ones, not the soft fluffy Egyptian ones most RC and Four Seasons use) and L'Occitane bath amenities only in the shower (no lotions or mouth wash in sink area). The bathrobes offered are very nice, however. (Nicer than RC)

Service wise, the concierge at the hotel was magnificent and la creme de la creme.
A staff of knowledgable, savvy ¨Clefs d'Or¨ profoessionals who really not only know their stuff, but understand what one expects of luxury hotels.
Because of work and meetings, I was not able to experience dining at this hotel, aside from a decent ¨Midwestern¨ Breakfast ($33 with 20 percent tip) in the Cafe'. I did get charged $6.50 for a miniature bottle of Ginger Ale from the mini bar though.
Housekeeping attention was bare bones minimum. I returned to my room at 4 PM and found that only the bed had been made and nothing else. Used towels not picked up from the floor nor replenished, trash not picked up, etc. I called the front desk who unapologetically guessed out loud that perhaps they were still in the process of cleaning it (?) (there was no trace of this, no cart nearby, etc) I did get a phenomenal turn down/late afternoon second housekeeper who, like the phenomenal concierge, was someone who ¨gets it¨ and provided phenomenal service.
The front desk staff was marginal and somewhat amateur, more of a match for a Marriott or Hilton perhaps.
What really takes the prize in faulty service though was when I called down today to see about my 4 PM AMEX check out, it was not available but they were able to allow me to stay till 1 PM, which was fine, however, when the young lady asked me about my stay because it turns out she was the front desk manager, I shared with her my feedback regarding the room/housekeeping issue, etc.
She honestly reacted as though no one had ever complained to her before. She did not know what to say to me at first, and then asked to take down my name and address (?) without explaining why.
At check out, the guy checking me out asked me again how my visit was and I discreetly told him there were some issues, but that ¨manager's name¨ had asked for my address. A woman who I assume was said manager, interupted him, and said, ¨I am talking to the housekeeping director on this.¨

I really feel like overall it was NOT a good stay and MOST CERTAINLY NOT worth $675 per day. (plus $43 a day to park) I do realize and acknowledge the last minute booking, however I feel this is no excuse, as a LUXURY property needs to represent itself well no matter when you chose to book and arrive.

Any thoughts?