Conrad Chicago {US-IL}
Feb 6, 2018, 10:30 pm
#46
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
As I already mentioned in the Conrad stuffed toys thread, I did not receive anything at the Conrad Chicago.
Mar 5, 2018, 3:32 pm
#47
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: LAS ORD
Programs: AA Pro (mostly B6) OZ♦ (flying BR/UA), BA Silver Hyatt LT, Wynn Black, Cosmo Plat, Mlife Noir
Posts: 5,992
As I already mentioned in the Conrad stuffed toys thread, I did not receive anything at the Conrad Chicago.
Apr 18, 2018, 8:42 am
#50
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: Hilton Honors Lifetime Diamond, United Global Services
Posts: 159
I just finished a underwhelming stay at Conrad Chicago. I previously stayed at the former Conrad Chicago, and I absolutely prefer the former Conrad Chicago over the new one. I will say, many of my complaints stem from expecting a certain level of service from a Conrad, as I have stayed at many. Most guests would not have as many complaints.
Check-in:
Con-I booked an Michigan Ave room, and used OLCI. During OLCI I noticed that half of these rooms are bigger than the others, so I made sure to pick a larger room. GOt to the hotel, checked in, and when I was going to my room, I noticed my room was switched to a lower floor. When I opened the door I immediately noticed I was in a smaller room than OLCI. I went straight back to the desk, and asked to be put in my check in room. The girl said she couldn't and said that I has the last room. I mentioned it was smaller, and she denied this and argued with me on this. She then got out a map of the hotel, to try and prove me wrong, but then I proved her wrong. Indeed 4 of the 10 Michigan ave rooms on each floor are significantly smaller. She quietly went back to her manager, and they miraculously found me one of the larger rooms, although still on a lower floor than booked.
Amenities/Shampoo/Pillow menu:
Con-They did not have aromatherapy associates at this hotel, which bummed me out because I really really like that brand. Instead the standard in Shaghai Tang. When I asked about other options, I got a blank stare for everyone I asked, and said they only have Shanghai Tang.
Con-No Pillow menu????
Stuffed Toys:
Mixed review-Yes I did get one when I asked for one. However it is not branded anywhere as something special from Conrad. It can easily be purchased from Amazon for $15. I was happy I got one, but disappointed that it really wasn't anything special.
Bellman:
Con-On 4 of the 5 days there, the 3 guys working the 1st floor lobby never once opened the door for me. The only day that I was ever greeted at the door or had the door opened for me, was when there were 3 females working instead of the 3 guys. While normally I wouldn't care about a door being opened for me, it's just something you expect when staying at a Conrad.
Breakfast service:
Con-The slowest server ever works in the morning. He can not multitask. It was not busy at all and it took him between 5-10 minutes to greet me after I was seated. One morning the manager noticed I was sitting for a long time, and took my order. 5 minutes later, my server came to ask me if I would like anything to drink and if I was ready to place my order. It was impressive how bad he was.
Breakfast/Brunch/Dinner Food Quality:
Pro-Overall, I thought all the meals I had were very very good.
Con-The chef would randomly decide to change the food being delivered, without changing the menu or telling the customer. For example, during brunch I ordered the Bourbon Cheddar Chicken and Waffles. I was a bit confused when the food was delivered, it was chicken and waffles, but not what I was expecting. It did taste good, but again not what I thought I was getting. The chef then came out and asked me if I liked my food, I said yes. He said he decided to change things up this morning and do an Asian inspired chicken and waffles, instead of the standard. I was kinda annoyed by this. It wasn't the only time the menu was changed, as I liked the carrots and ordered them twice. Both days they were made COMPLETELY different.
Bartenders
Pro-They were all excellent. Super fast service and they are very skilled at making complicated drinks.
Noise Level in Room:
Con-I didn't mind the street noise, as I actually expected it. However, maintenance must do the work between 12-3 am, as every night I heard loud doors slamming and general maintenance noise coming from inside of the hotel. This is what kept me up all night. When a door would slam, it would trigger the lights to turn on in the closet, annoying.
Some other weird things I noticed-
-There is only one phone in the room, and it is placed in the very corner of the room, not close to the bed like 99.99 percent of all other hotels around the world.
-The room seemed to try and cram a lot in, with little space. The desk/table was very awkward and didn't really fit in the room.
-It took me to my 3rd day at the hotel to figure out how the light switches worked in the bathroom, and I am still not convinced I fully understand it MOA.
-Lobby was nothing special, I felt it was a bit cramped and not welcoming
Check-in:
Con-I booked an Michigan Ave room, and used OLCI. During OLCI I noticed that half of these rooms are bigger than the others, so I made sure to pick a larger room. GOt to the hotel, checked in, and when I was going to my room, I noticed my room was switched to a lower floor. When I opened the door I immediately noticed I was in a smaller room than OLCI. I went straight back to the desk, and asked to be put in my check in room. The girl said she couldn't and said that I has the last room. I mentioned it was smaller, and she denied this and argued with me on this. She then got out a map of the hotel, to try and prove me wrong, but then I proved her wrong. Indeed 4 of the 10 Michigan ave rooms on each floor are significantly smaller. She quietly went back to her manager, and they miraculously found me one of the larger rooms, although still on a lower floor than booked.
Amenities/Shampoo/Pillow menu:
Con-They did not have aromatherapy associates at this hotel, which bummed me out because I really really like that brand. Instead the standard in Shaghai Tang. When I asked about other options, I got a blank stare for everyone I asked, and said they only have Shanghai Tang.
Con-No Pillow menu????
Stuffed Toys:
Mixed review-Yes I did get one when I asked for one. However it is not branded anywhere as something special from Conrad. It can easily be purchased from Amazon for $15. I was happy I got one, but disappointed that it really wasn't anything special.
Bellman:
Con-On 4 of the 5 days there, the 3 guys working the 1st floor lobby never once opened the door for me. The only day that I was ever greeted at the door or had the door opened for me, was when there were 3 females working instead of the 3 guys. While normally I wouldn't care about a door being opened for me, it's just something you expect when staying at a Conrad.
Breakfast service:
Con-The slowest server ever works in the morning. He can not multitask. It was not busy at all and it took him between 5-10 minutes to greet me after I was seated. One morning the manager noticed I was sitting for a long time, and took my order. 5 minutes later, my server came to ask me if I would like anything to drink and if I was ready to place my order. It was impressive how bad he was.
Breakfast/Brunch/Dinner Food Quality:
Pro-Overall, I thought all the meals I had were very very good.
Con-The chef would randomly decide to change the food being delivered, without changing the menu or telling the customer. For example, during brunch I ordered the Bourbon Cheddar Chicken and Waffles. I was a bit confused when the food was delivered, it was chicken and waffles, but not what I was expecting. It did taste good, but again not what I thought I was getting. The chef then came out and asked me if I liked my food, I said yes. He said he decided to change things up this morning and do an Asian inspired chicken and waffles, instead of the standard. I was kinda annoyed by this. It wasn't the only time the menu was changed, as I liked the carrots and ordered them twice. Both days they were made COMPLETELY different.
Bartenders
Pro-They were all excellent. Super fast service and they are very skilled at making complicated drinks.
Noise Level in Room:
Con-I didn't mind the street noise, as I actually expected it. However, maintenance must do the work between 12-3 am, as every night I heard loud doors slamming and general maintenance noise coming from inside of the hotel. This is what kept me up all night. When a door would slam, it would trigger the lights to turn on in the closet, annoying.
Some other weird things I noticed-
-There is only one phone in the room, and it is placed in the very corner of the room, not close to the bed like 99.99 percent of all other hotels around the world.
-The room seemed to try and cram a lot in, with little space. The desk/table was very awkward and didn't really fit in the room.
-It took me to my 3rd day at the hotel to figure out how the light switches worked in the bathroom, and I am still not convinced I fully understand it MOA.
-Lobby was nothing special, I felt it was a bit cramped and not welcoming
Jul 31, 2018, 11:05 am
#51
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 349
Base Room?
Does anyone know what the base (lowest-category) room is for the Conrad Chicago? In my limited research on the website, it seems like the "Superior" category is the basic room, but I know that some other properties use terms such as "Deluxe." I actually do see a "Deluxe" room at Conrad Chicago but in this case I think it is a level above Superior since those rooms seem to be more expensive and also reference "Studio" in the name.
At some point I'm going to be using a free weekend night certificate and I know that you need to have the most-basic room available in order to use the cert.
At some point I'm going to be using a free weekend night certificate and I know that you need to have the most-basic room available in order to use the cert.
Jul 31, 2018, 11:56 am
#52
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
From the property website, I would agree that the "Superior" room is the base room category, based upon 1) its placement in the list, 2) its square footage, and 3) its lack of other notable "premium features" (namely, they break out the Michigan Ave. rooms as their own thing). The "Deluxe" room you mention is an extra 200 ft2 in area, so certainly not base-level.
The only wild card is the accessible rooms - I have seen properties sometimes play games with only releasing these in certain price buckets, such as for government rates and sometimes awards.
Why not just search award availability now?
The only wild card is the accessible rooms - I have seen properties sometimes play games with only releasing these in certain price buckets, such as for government rates and sometimes awards.
Why not just search award availability now?
Jul 31, 2018, 7:24 pm
#53
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 349
From the property website, I would agree that the "Superior" room is the base room category, based upon 1) its placement in the list, 2) its square footage, and 3) its lack of other notable "premium features" (namely, they break out the Michigan Ave. rooms as their own thing). The "Deluxe" room you mention is an extra 200 ft2 in area, so certainly not base-level.
The only wild card is the accessible rooms - I have seen properties sometimes play games with only releasing these in certain price buckets, such as for government rates and sometimes awards.
Why not just search award availability now?
The only wild card is the accessible rooms - I have seen properties sometimes play games with only releasing these in certain price buckets, such as for government rates and sometimes awards.
Why not just search award availability now?
Jul 31, 2018, 7:30 pm
#54
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 231
For the weekend certs you have to call in to book. I have had other scenarios pop up where I thought the base room was available (and thus I could use the cert) but then when I call in it turns out I was incorrect, the base room was something else. In this case, I'm not quite ready to call in since I don't know my exact date yet, I am just searching to see which weekend days might be available at this point.
I've only used 2 certs myself so far, but have 5 to use in next 12 months.
Aug 1, 2018, 5:50 am
#55
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
I have assumed it would work when the website shows standard room reward as a points payment option for the booking. Do you mean you thought it was available based on the Room NAME or you saw rooms with standard awards (vs Premium Room Reward) on the website available and then the certificate was invalid?
I've only used 2 certs myself so far, but have 5 to use in next 12 months.
I've only used 2 certs myself so far, but have 5 to use in next 12 months.
Aug 1, 2018, 1:17 pm
#56
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 349
Mar 14, 2019, 6:23 am
#58
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: DCA
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, UA Silver
Posts: 1,366
Just finished my first (one night) stay at the Conrad Chicago and am leaving happy. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’ve never stayed at a Conrad outside of Europe and Asia, but I had a nice stay. Having read this thread in advance of my stay, I want to update a few points. The food and beverage credit is up to $30 per day for diamond members ($60 if two people in the room)’and can be used at any time. The $30 will easily cover any of the entrees from the breakfast menu as well as a beverage; I wanted to get some extra sleep, so used it in the bar at night for a nightcap. I appreciated their flexibility in providing the option to use the credit whenever. The room was stocked with Shanghai Tang, but the app did give me the option to order refinery or aromatherapy associates products, both of which I prefer. I also asked for a signature animal for my kids and the desk agent happily retrieved a couple of bears.
The room was comfortable with great climate control and a nespresso machinr. I’m not a fan or the red decor, but overall everything was tasteful and comfortable and very much up to Conrad standards. I had booked a superior room and was upgraded at checkin to a Michigan Avenue room. My only complaint (there has to be one!) is that the soundproofing was terrible. Lots of street noise, which I actually don’t mind so much), but also quite a bit of noise from the hallway. I noticed a fairly large gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, which was the likely culprit. I generally favor Conrad’s in part because the rooms are very quiet (and I’m a light sleeper), so this was a bit disappointing. All in all, though, I’ll stay here happily when next in town.
The room was comfortable with great climate control and a nespresso machinr. I’m not a fan or the red decor, but overall everything was tasteful and comfortable and very much up to Conrad standards. I had booked a superior room and was upgraded at checkin to a Michigan Avenue room. My only complaint (there has to be one!) is that the soundproofing was terrible. Lots of street noise, which I actually don’t mind so much), but also quite a bit of noise from the hallway. I noticed a fairly large gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, which was the likely culprit. I generally favor Conrad’s in part because the rooms are very quiet (and I’m a light sleeper), so this was a bit disappointing. All in all, though, I’ll stay here happily when next in town.
Mar 14, 2019, 12:22 pm
#59
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: San Diego,CA
Posts: 10,090
Just finished my first (one night) stay at the Conrad Chicago and am leaving happy. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’ve never stayed at a Conrad outside of Europe and Asia, but I had a nice stay. Having read this thread in advance of my stay, I want to update a few points. The food and beverage credit is up to $30 per day for diamond members ($60 if two people in the room)’and can be used at any time. The $30 will easily cover any of the entrees from the breakfast menu as well as a beverage; I wanted to get some extra sleep, so used it in the bar at night for a nightcap. I appreciated their flexibility in providing the option to use the credit whenever. The room was stocked with Shanghai Tang, but the app did give me the option to order refinery or aromatherapy associates products, both of which I prefer. I also asked for a signature animal for my kids and the desk agent happily retrieved a couple of bears.
The room was comfortable with great climate control and a nespresso machinr. I’m not a fan or the red decor, but overall everything was tasteful and comfortable and very much up to Conrad standards. I had booked a superior room and was upgraded at checkin to a Michigan Avenue room. My only complaint (there has to be one!) is that the soundproofing was terrible. Lots of street noise, which I actually don’t mind so much), but also quite a bit of noise from the hallway. I noticed a fairly large gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, which was the likely culprit. I generally favor Conrad’s in part because the rooms are very quiet (and I’m a light sleeper), so this was a bit disappointing. All in all, though, I’ll stay here happily when next in town.
The room was comfortable with great climate control and a nespresso machinr. I’m not a fan or the red decor, but overall everything was tasteful and comfortable and very much up to Conrad standards. I had booked a superior room and was upgraded at checkin to a Michigan Avenue room. My only complaint (there has to be one!) is that the soundproofing was terrible. Lots of street noise, which I actually don’t mind so much), but also quite a bit of noise from the hallway. I noticed a fairly large gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, which was the likely culprit. I generally favor Conrad’s in part because the rooms are very quiet (and I’m a light sleeper), so this was a bit disappointing. All in all, though, I’ll stay here happily when next in town.
Loved the old Conrad
Luxurious rooms and very quiet rooms
I called this hotel and they were honest of noise complaints and they shared to do not come here as a Diamond and expect any kind of a major upgrade as we don't do suites except rarely
Ended up at the Park Hyatt and loved it.
Killer clean suite upgrade good breakfast and more quite than home with a view!
Conrad not for me
Apr 1, 2019, 2:59 pm
#60
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Stay Report - 3/30 - 3/31
Location: A selling point of this hotel for me. I like being in the Mag Mile and it's near a lot of things that worked for my visit. Annoyingly though because the hotel is not originally a hotel there's very little room for vehicles to pull in in front of the hotel so be prepared to go out in the road to flag down your Uber. Speaking of, very easy to get Ubers here and ORD is a $30-35 ride away. You can also easily walk to the Grand/State CTA Red Line Station.
Hotel: Definitely strange and some aspects took some getting used to. The first floor has some employees, the valet, and bag storage plus a restaurant I'm not sure was open on the weekend. The lobby is on the 20th floor, the meeting space is on the 19th, rooms are 9-18 and there's a fitness center on 8. A few times I forgot and pushed down when I wanted to go to the lobby from my room. Just off the lobby is some lovely seating areas and a small bar and restaurant which has breakfast lunch and dinner. I was actually surprised to find the bar was pretty forgettable.
Check In: Usually I write one line here but this time I had some problems. A week in advance I emailed the hotel and asked about a Diamond upgrade and an early check in of 9 AM. I was told they would do their best. I arrived at 9:30 AM and the room wasn't ready. I said I'd requested an early check in and after some back and forth I was told "It will be ready in an hour to an hour and a half but that's I'm underpromising, it'll probably be ready sooner". It was not, it took two hours. Had I known this I would have gone and done something. Also, when I was texting from the 19th floor where they suggested I wait, I kept getting robotic responses from the staff. This is not what I expect at a hotel like this.
Room: As it was my upgraded room was nice. I was upgraded to a Deluxe Studio King from a Superior King while not a suite, is quite nice. There was a large bed, large TV, desk, couch and chair as well as nice views. Annoyingly my room was an accessible one so I had no tub, just a decent shower in a nice bathroom. Wifi worked well and there were electronic controls and outlets near the bed. The room itself was very impressive though soundproofing is awful. You can hear every word said by your neighbor, every siren outside etc.
Dining: Dining was less impressive. As a Diamond I was given a $30 credit per person in the room which can be used for breakfast, room service, drinks or dinner. At 5 PM Saturday I called for a room service delivery at 8 AM Sunday. At 8:25 AM after the food hadn't shown up I called to find out where it was. The waitress who brought my food at 8:30 had the audacity to ask "did you preorder this?" after I mentioned my displeasure at the wait. The food itself was pretty decent. The bar is well stocked and they make good cocktails but it feels very much like an afterthought.
Overall, I was disappointed. I love Conrads and was excited to try this one but I felt the service issues outweighed the good parts. I'm unlikely to come back.
Location: A selling point of this hotel for me. I like being in the Mag Mile and it's near a lot of things that worked for my visit. Annoyingly though because the hotel is not originally a hotel there's very little room for vehicles to pull in in front of the hotel so be prepared to go out in the road to flag down your Uber. Speaking of, very easy to get Ubers here and ORD is a $30-35 ride away. You can also easily walk to the Grand/State CTA Red Line Station.
Hotel: Definitely strange and some aspects took some getting used to. The first floor has some employees, the valet, and bag storage plus a restaurant I'm not sure was open on the weekend. The lobby is on the 20th floor, the meeting space is on the 19th, rooms are 9-18 and there's a fitness center on 8. A few times I forgot and pushed down when I wanted to go to the lobby from my room. Just off the lobby is some lovely seating areas and a small bar and restaurant which has breakfast lunch and dinner. I was actually surprised to find the bar was pretty forgettable.
Check In: Usually I write one line here but this time I had some problems. A week in advance I emailed the hotel and asked about a Diamond upgrade and an early check in of 9 AM. I was told they would do their best. I arrived at 9:30 AM and the room wasn't ready. I said I'd requested an early check in and after some back and forth I was told "It will be ready in an hour to an hour and a half but that's I'm underpromising, it'll probably be ready sooner". It was not, it took two hours. Had I known this I would have gone and done something. Also, when I was texting from the 19th floor where they suggested I wait, I kept getting robotic responses from the staff. This is not what I expect at a hotel like this.
Room: As it was my upgraded room was nice. I was upgraded to a Deluxe Studio King from a Superior King while not a suite, is quite nice. There was a large bed, large TV, desk, couch and chair as well as nice views. Annoyingly my room was an accessible one so I had no tub, just a decent shower in a nice bathroom. Wifi worked well and there were electronic controls and outlets near the bed. The room itself was very impressive though soundproofing is awful. You can hear every word said by your neighbor, every siren outside etc.
Dining: Dining was less impressive. As a Diamond I was given a $30 credit per person in the room which can be used for breakfast, room service, drinks or dinner. At 5 PM Saturday I called for a room service delivery at 8 AM Sunday. At 8:25 AM after the food hadn't shown up I called to find out where it was. The waitress who brought my food at 8:30 had the audacity to ask "did you preorder this?" after I mentioned my displeasure at the wait. The food itself was pretty decent. The bar is well stocked and they make good cocktails but it feels very much like an afterthought.
Overall, I was disappointed. I love Conrads and was excited to try this one but I felt the service issues outweighed the good parts. I'm unlikely to come back.