Miesque

London House is good and has a great location. Personally I am partial to the Drake (fabulous views of Lake Michigan) and the Waldorf

arlflyer

Red259

Trying to decide best hilton to stay at in Chicago on points on a Sunday night. I have diamond status. Flying out of ORD. Looking to do tourist things since it will be my first visit to Chicago outside of the airport. Waldorf wants 95k points and the reviews of it don't seem to justify that many points. Considering the london house for 70k points. Conrad is 69k. Any thoughts?

whimsey21

Depends on how much location matters to you. Londonhouse will be somewhat closer (about a 10 minute walk) to many of the tourist sites than the Conrad, but I personally prefer the Conrad quite a bit for my stays. I found LondonHouse to be a zoo when I stayed there; the room was very nice, but I wasn't thrilled with the service or the time it took me to get to/from my room via the elevators (which were both very crowded and very inefficient). While the Conrad isn't up to the standard of Conrads outside of the US, it is a modern and quiet, with a bit more of a private feel. There's lots of detailed discussion earlier in this thread, and many people are fans of the Londonhouse. In terms of Diamond benefits, I've always received a one category upgrade at the Conrad (never more than one category, and always been upgraded at time of checkin). Londonhouse also gave me an upgrade (2 categories I think), but I've only stayed there the one time. Currently the Conrad provides a $15pp/night F&B credit for Diamonds, which is enough for a drink at night or a skimpy breakfast in the restaurant in the morning. I don't recall what the credit was at the Londonhouse, but I'm sure someone will chime in.

sol95

A quick question for those who are familiar with both the LondonHouse and the Conrad in Chicago. Which would you recommend?

It's for a 4 night stay with my wife. It's her first time in Chicago, and while I've been to Chicago a few times, I've never really done anything touristy.

Any suggestions would be recommended. Thanks in advance.

shmom

I really liked LondonHouse when we stayed, great location and room was very nice. The only thing I didn't like was the breakfast set up - the restaurant was run by a different operation and as a Gold (then) we got some sad credit towards our breakfast. This was 2 years ago so things may have changed. I also felt the hotel was a bit on the trendy side which works great in some circumstances. However, when I was booking a room for my parents last week, who do travel a lot, I booked for them at the Conrad. I felt it was more their speed and they wouldn't get frazzled by the necessity of swiping your room card every time you get on the elevator like at LondonHouse.

MissJ

Though it is really easy to go the wrong was on the elevator in the Conrad.

Personally, I prefer the Conrad. I liked the old one better, like most people, but I still prefer the new one to most other hotels. London House is trendier and must busier. If the weather is good and the roof is open, it creates a ton of traffic. The Conrad is more of a quiet oasis in the city. I like the style of the London House and we did have some great food and beers there, but the Conrad was a most relaxing stay for sure. Of course the better location depends on what you are planning to do. We don't mind walking so it's really no big deal doe us. Both were perfectly convenient.

arlflyer

Lots of existing threads on this...

rrrrrich

I've stayed at these two a lot over the past couple of years and I'd go with LondonHouse as my preference. Views from rooms are typically much better whichever way you end up facing out, the rooms are really well appointed and stylish, they are pretty generous with upgrades for Diamonds, it has an excellent rooftop bar with fantastic views and breakfast has been improved. Overall I prefer the boutique hotel feel relative to the Conrad. Conrad is nice but service can be hit or miss, little status recognition (ok, I did get upgraded to the Presidential Suite on a one night stay so need to watch what I say!), breakfast discount doesnt get you anywhere and rooms aren't that special for the price. Location wise there's little difference unless you are looking out down the river in which case, LH is better than the Mag Mile.

sol95

I guess the general feel is that there's not a huge difference with one property over another to make it a must stay. Thanks all

arlflyer

You're right. There is no single consensus answer as to a "best" Honors property in Chicago. It is largely personal preference. Some like the high-end finishes of the WA, others like the modern style of the Conrad, the Michigan Ave. location of the LondonHouse, or the timeless appeal of the Palmer House. And there is also often significant rate variation in cash or points between properties which can change the calculus - e.g. the WA often likes to command several hundred dollars per night more than others, which in my opinion I don't consider to be worth it.

MissJ

I agree. The WA is my favorite in the city, but the rates rarely are justified. It's nice, but it's not like a humongous difference over the others. If it's at a good rate, I go for it, but if not I grab one of the others and don't regret it.

MasterGeek

• I'm Diamond and breakfast/lounge benefits are important to me
• Closeness to main attractions and ease of commuting from the airport also important.
• Visiting Chicago for the first time, during a weekend.
• Visiting as a family of 3 people.

Is there anything better than the LondonHouse in my case ?

idkmybffjill

I’m 28 and taking my 15 year old half-brother with me on a short vacation trip to Chicago over Thanksgiving break (leaving the Friday before and coming back Thanksgiving Eve). We will primarily be doing the attractions on the CityPass.

I have 1.2 million Hilton points and 3 weekend night certs to use.

I stayed at the Waldorf on a job when I was 22 years old (very impressed with the hotel at that time) and again 6 years later this past June (Gold Coast suite, which is bigger than my apartment and the 2nd highest option available) and not so impressed sadly....but after staying at many 5-stars for work, maybe it just didn't seem as cool as it did when I was younger. I have no exposure to the Conrad (any Conrad actually).

Which of these 2 hotels would you recommend?

With a 5 night stay using points, I'll get 1 night free at both the Conrad & the Waldford, and being a Diamond member, hopefully a nice room upgrade.

I'm not sure whether I should just use all 3 weekend night certs and then use points for the last 2 nights.....or pay for all 5 nights with points (so 4 nights paid, 1 free). If I don't use the weekend certs now, the only other thing I can use them for before they expire next year will be ski season in early 2020.

Also not sure which of these 2 we would be most likely to get a nice room upgrade (since I'll be getting a standard room regardless of whether I use the weekend certs or use points for 4 nights + 5th night free). The other alternative is to make a cash booking via FHR on the AMEX Platinum (on the Waldorf).

Does either one offer free breakfast w/ Diamond status?

k_sheep

Possibly daft question - I'm looking at early May, and I can not see a single available bed in any of the hotels on even a single night stay. I'm assuming this is some IT bug over the weekend?! Surely that can't be true ....

Edit: conrad at least is bookable on OTAs. But super annoying I can't just see the list of hotels and prices. Hopefully this sorts itself out over next few days.

Final edit: Looks like bookings everywhere are down. I'll show myself out ....