jamesteroh

There is but it isn't staffed all the time. If you are coming in at night it won't be staffed and I don't think it's staffed on weekends or if it is it's only a few hours during the day Saturday.

It's a small area behind the large check in counter on the side nearer the elevators and usually only one person is working it and I think they only have one employee. She's great though, she used to be the dragon on the Exec Lounge when they had a desk and employee to help guests on the exec level.

as219

Great info, many thanks!

molarbear

Some TripAdvisor reviews are indicating that the lounge was recently closed. Is this a temporary closure for renovations or a permanent closure like the Hilton?

jamesteroh

I was there this weekend and the lounge was open this morning.

corporate-wage-slave

I've just had my first visit to this hotel. I had no idea of its fascinating history until I got here, for many years this was the largest hotel in the world, the number of bedrooms here is amazing, 1,639 of them, compared to just over 1,000 for the Metropole in London (which I think is a pretty big hotel!). On previous visits I've stayed either at the Conrad, which is North Side or the ORD airport Hilton.

Anyway just some updates reflecting on other recent comments
- coffee machines are available on request. They are delivered in the afternoon to rooms, so the best thing is to add a specific request on the booking and be prepared to chase up on check-in. They are the usual Cusinart brew ones, with the 1 / 2 cup switch and a coffee pouch tray.
- digital check-in and digital key worked fine. The elevator key seems only needed for access to the executive lounge on floor 23 but that worked automatically and without issue.
- I selected a room which I thought would be quiet (16269) based on location, floor layout and experience, and it was. This was a King room so a one or two step upgrade on what was booked. The rooms is fairly large and comfortable, the bathroom is small but ok for my needs.
- I only made two brief visits to the lounge, it was a bit of a zoo when they had a limited selection of food out (bites and coleslaw items), but quiet when it was just coffee and drinks. Fruit and cereal bars were available both times.
- spa / gym - not needed for my visit - but the pool and whirlpool is out of action until October 2019. It only says this on some parts of the online booking system.
- I saw complaints upthread about lifts, I just didn't see any issue. The hotel looked fairly busy to me, but I doubt I waited more than a minute for one to arrive.
- breakfast still in Lockwoods and Continental breakfast remains the free option, but it's now an $8 uplift for a hot breakfast, which I elected to go for. The breakfast - either option - was about as good as I've had in any Hilton in the Americas, though still not a patch on the better European and Asian hotels. One oddity, though I'm not sure I believe it, was the honey apparently comes from hives on the rooftop. It is mentioned in the website sustainability section.
- and finally it remains location, location, location.

Overall very happy with this hotel and I would stay again.

arlflyer

serpens

On my first visit, I was in a tiny room, with almost no horizontal non-bed space above the floor for customer use. (What little space there was had the in-room vending stuff, which I thought added insult to injury.) On my second visit, I was in a much better room. At check-out, I mentioned it to the clerk, who said that a Hilton Honors member (of any status) should not have gotten the room I had the first time, but maybe there had been some special situation. He suggested that if it ever happened again, I should return immediately to the front desk and ask about getting a larger room.

It's a great location for someone on foot, which is why I had a second visit after the disappointing first visit.

Portolan

Stayed at the Palmer House for 4 nights this week. Had booked an AARP-rate "Hip & Historic - 2 Double Beds" since Ms. Portolan and I were traveling with our 6-year old Grandson. Was upgrade to an Executive floor 2 Double Beds and 2 Bathrooms (which turned out to be very handy with the child using one and we the other). Room was in pretty good condition...just a bit worn in places. The room had obviously been two rooms in an earlier life since it was symmetric with identical placement of bathroom and closet on each side, with one entrance door then removed (no sign of it) and half the room set up as a living area with settee and desk. The Lounge was busy but had enough space so we were always able to get a table. Breakfast was simple. Besides fruit, cereal, coffee and juices, there were scrambled eggs and either pancakes or waffles each day. Evening h'orderves were not really appetizers but more reminiscent of a Homewood Suites with salad and a hot entrée (lasagna one night, meatballs another). So, dinner if you want, but not very good for pre-dinner.

Overall, a good experience and value, and a great location. Bus stop 1 block away has bus routes directly to all the major the museums which was our focus.

Truffles

If you want to know more about its history, there are architectural tours once a month. I want on one last year and it was fascinating. Book here. https://www.architecture.org/tours/d...r-house-hotel/

jamesteroh

Stayed there two weekends ago.

Lounge is now closed after breakfast for the entire afternoon. I miss being able to go in to grab a diet coke or use the coffee machine in the afternoon.

Seems like they have the same thing and don't swap out their menu for appetizers. Last four times we've stayed there they have had lettuce wraps and Potato salad on friday nights and coleslaw and bbq pork and chicken sliders on Saturdays. Friday night they were out of the potato salad and the lettuce for the wraps 25 minutes before happy hour ended and only had the wrap filling and we were told that since it was so close to ending time they weren't refilling the dishes

Something weird they are now doing at breakfast in the restaurants is putting this cheap diamond looking piece of plastic on top of the chips for for diamonds. We were hoping it meant diamonds now get the full breakfast and we were told it was the same benefit as golds but they were doing it because a couple diamonds complained about no recognition and it was so the server knew the guests are diamonds. It's DYWIA behavior to me and I'd hope the server would treal all guests the same.

The pool is still closed. Who knows when that will finally reopen.

michaelr

I called the hotel today to ask about the lounge. The lounge is currently closed due to 'construction' with no known reopening date. Does anyone know, if it will be permanently closed or is the intention a renovation? The hotel employee on the other end did not know and/or care much.

jamesteroh

They've already done closed it two times in the last ten years. Breakfast in the restaurant is a zoo as it is some mornings, going to be a lot worse now that the lougne is closed.

I wonder if they are offering appetizers and a free soft drink druing happy hours at Potters like they did when it was closed new years weekend.

Eujeanie

When we were there the lounge was open in the evening, but not for breakfast. Breakfast was served downstairs, not in the full-service restaurant, but rather set up as a buffet just for Golds and Diamonds, I don't recall the name of the room, but it was very un-zoo-like, quite quiet in fact. It has a big bar where most of the stuff was set up, and I recall steps and columns. I'm sure one of the regulars knows what I'm talking about.

And our lounge food was Greek one night - salad and gyros one night...and chicken wings the other.

jamesteroh

Probably potter's The lounge was closed for happy hour on 12/30 and 31 so you have a voucher for Poptters for a managers choice of appetizers and one softdrink. I liked it better than the lounge in a way because you didn't have all the crowding since guests couldn't bring in large groups of family or friends for free but we were forced to tso that was a trade off. We prefer to have breakfast at Lockwoods and they used to give diamonds the access of eating down there and hope that doesn't change.

zachary

I'm staying here now. For Diamonds, while the lounge is closed (whether or not it will reopen seems unclear), breakfast is in Lockwood. Continental is free. $14.95 upcharge for hot items. On Sunday morning at 9:30, we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. When we left at 10:15, the line was considerably longer.

We were given certificates for a manager's choice of appetizers and one non-alcoholic beverage per night at Lockwood (not Potters). Good from 5-7 p.m. In addition, the certificate says that you get 20% off your dining check. It's not clear to me whether that's good only between 5 and 7 or anytime.