Renaissance O'Hare Suites Hotel (Chicago, IL) [Master Thread]
 

I stayed here on August 25th for 1-night using a Cat 1-4 cert. I had a nice stay & will certainly stay here again. Previously I've stayed at the Springhill Suites (which is across the freeway from the Ren) when near ORD.

PARKING:

The hotel has on-site parking at $24/day. Some FTers have mentioned in the generic ORD-area hotels thread that they've parked in the office outdoor parking lots directly across from the front of the hotel/entry to hotel parking lot. I saw some hotel guests do this during my stay. I think there's probably less of a problem using the outdoor lot if you're parking in the evening/out before work hours or if you're parking on the weekend.

I actually found parking on the street directly behind the hotel (ie, go past the entrance to the hotel on Bryn Mawr to the next street/light, Delphia) & turn right. There's a short block w/ parking on one side only. While other streets surrounding the hotel are permit only, this small street (which is also next to an office building parking lot) is not, so no worries on parking on it if you can find a space.

Please note the large office building parking lot next to this street says violators will be towed. However, I didn't notice that sign on the office parking lot in front of the Renaissance.

CHECK-IN:

Check-in was fast and friendly. They asked if I wanted points or the amenity gift. Since I was going to be there for less than 24 hours I took the points. They mentioned the exec lounge was closed, but that I would get 2 free breakfasts in the restaurant, plus 1 free appetizer in the bar.

LOBBY/MISC:

Next to the check-in desk is a "Fresh To Go" which has snacks/sodas you can buy. To the left of that is a Starbucks counter, with coffee/food.

The lobby is quite large, recently renovated, and quite modern in decor. There are many seating areas.

BAR:

The bar area is off of the lobby, and is also quite large. It's modern and has a number of seating areas, along w/ one flat screen tv at the end (sound off).

I was meeting an FTer for a quick lunch, but because it was later in the afternoon the restaurant was closed. The FDC mentioned that they did serve food in the bar.

So we went there, and I asked the bartender about the free appetizer. She said it applied to anything on the menu, so I ordered a turkey club sandwich. They ask for your room number to confirm you're elite/take the appetizer off the bill. So I only had to pay for the glass of wine. I left a tip based on what the bill would have been if the item hadn't been taken off.

Later in the evening, after an FT event, I had a drink in the bar w/ 2 other FTers. The bar was actually quite busy, but not noisy. Again, there are many seating areas.

RESTAURANT:

The restaurant is called 'FRESH'. I had breakfast there the next morning before check-out.

The free breakfast for elites is the buffet. It has made to order omelettes & waffles. There was oatmeal & cream of wheat. Granola, cereal, yogurt, fresh cut fruit, whole fruit, muffins, bagels, eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon.

The server brings you juice, water, coffee/tea, toast/english muffins.

You don't have to sign a check. The server just asks for your room number & checks it against a list. I left a tip because the server was very helpful & friendly.

There appears to be a room near the back of the restaurant that has doors so if you wanted to have a private breakfast or dinner meeting you could do so.

ROOM:

This hotel is all suites. I was in room 1522, which is an exec level room. You need to insert your key in the elevator to access the exec level rooms.

While the lobby is renovated, the room decor doesn't seem to be. It was ok.

The main room had a desk, sofa and coffee table. There were some a/v hook-ups to the tv for those who might want to hook up their computers I guess. There was also a coffee pot/tea maker, and a small bottled water.

There is both wifi & ethernet internet in the room. You have to accept the charge, but it's taken off the bill for Gold/Plats.

I don't know if it was my room or all rooms, but the bathroom did not have a bathtub. However, it had a huge walk-in shower that would fit 2-3 people! Plus the shower head was set up quite high, so it would be good for taller people. The bathroom is a good size.

The bathroom toiletries were Aveda, and there was also a tube of toothpaste. It also had a toothbrush stand, in addition to the usual toilet paper container & soap stand. There are a lot of towels. The blow-dryer is on an open shelf underneath the sink.

The bedroom in my room wasn't huge. Enough room for bed, end tables & tv; a tad tight. I don't know if this is the norm or other suite rooms are larger. Because it's a suite & there's the main room, it didn't bother me.

Both the main room & the bedroom have sheer curtains. They also have black-out curtains which work really well. I love black-out curtains.

* Trivia - the office building I looked out at from my room is one I worked at when I used to live in Chicago!

MISC:

I looked at a few weekends & it appears the weekend rate is often $99; AAA rate is $89. Obviously it's a bit higher during the week, but still less than the FS Marriott, etc. A FTer said that he's stayed at this property on a park-n-fly rate that's pretty good.

On previous weekend stays I stayed at the Springhill Suites, but if the rates are the same in future, this would be the property I'd stay at as the SHS is one of the old configurations (although the staff there are really nice & it would be my back-up).

If you want to eat outside the hotel, there is a Bennigan's in the office complex in front of the hotel.

The "Blue Line" public transport into the city is a 2-3 minute walk from the hotel. You can see the stop (Cumberland) from the hotel. You walk out the front door, make a left & go to the sidewalk, make a right & follow the sidewalk to the entrance to the skywalk over the freeway to the train stop.

PICTURES:

I took a # of pictures of the property & will post them in the next few days. The reason I can't post them now is I forgot my digital camera. So I bought a disposable one for the FT event I was attending/take pics of the property. Now I have to get them developed/burned to a CD, so I can upload them to my photo website. Once I've done that I'll come back & post a link.

Cheers.

Thanks for the report Sharon.

Is there anything around the hotel that is easy walking distance that you noticed (i.e. restaurants, movie theater, etc.)?

There's a Bennigan's restaurant located in the office building in front of the Renaissance. Where the Ren is located is basically a combo of office bldgs/residential.

I think on the other side of the freeway there might be a couple of restaurants, but I didn't pay that much attention. To get to the other side you'd follow the walking directions for the Blue Line but keep walking to the other side of the freeway through the skywalk. I know there's a large Dominick's grocery store as that's where I bought the disposable camera, and I 'think' there might be a couple small restaurants/take-out places in strip mall. Inbetween the Cumberland exit & the SHS I think there's a Hooters. There's also an Outback Steakhouse attached to the SHS. So the other side is probably between a 10-12 minute walk to stuff.

Cheers.

Is Bennigan's open again? I know the whole chain went bankrupt a while back, and that particular restaurant was locked up tight last time I was in the vicinity.

Bruce

Actually I don't know. I saw the sign out front so just assumed it was still open. If it's not open it's a bit weird they haven't taken down the sign, especially if the chain went bankrupt a while back. The FDC could tell someone though.

If it's not open though, the nearest restaurants are across the freeway via the skywalk that I mention above.

Cheers.

I love this hotel. Last time I was there with 3 other folks they ended up upgrading us all to corner rooms, those big gigantic ones with the dining tables. They're also very nice and cordial. I was on a govt rate so parking was free.

Sharon one time I got the exact room type here but mine was very close to the lounge. It was awesome as I could go get food and come back to the room for privacy and go back for more. The shower was amazing!

I can't speak to that particular location, but I know that other Bennigan's in the Chicagoland area have reopened. There's one on Michigan Ave across from the Art Institute.

I remembered reading somewhere that some of the suites were quite large, but I couldn't remember which ones to ask for & I figured that since I was going to be in the hotel room on this trip so little & it was a fast trip anyway I'd take whatever they gave me.

Do the corner suites have the big showers? I loved that shower!

If I get time I'll call the Ren & ask them if they know if it's open. I ate lunch at the Bennigan's many a time in front of the Ren when I used to work in that offfice bldg.

On a dif note - I finally found a place that can take the disposable film & put it on CD. I should get it back this weekend, so will upload photos of the property then.

Cheers.

Great review. This hotel has become my default ORD-missed-my-connection-or-I'm-just-too-tired-to-keep-going hotel after I got sick of all the renovations at the FS hotel.

The big plus here is that you can walk to the blue line much easier than the FS across the freeway and ride straight in to O'hare. Except for overnight, I've found the train to almost always be faster than taking the shuttle, especially when you factor in the fact that one must walk FURTHER to get to the hotel shuttle area than to the train station at ORD.

Good point & thanks for the tip!

Cheers.

When I stayed in this hotel last year, I took the sky bridge over the freeway and turned left to Gino's East, which is located in the office park next to the FS Marriott. Deep-dish pizza in a comfortable atmosphere. Great for dinner. About a ten-minute brisk walk -- but allow fifteen on the return trip, to allow for being full.

I've also eaten there many times and never had a bad meal.

Bruce

Sharon mentioned the lounge being closed when she wa there. Has it reopened? Are there particular nights of the week it is open? What kind of offerings does it have?

The hotel is considerably more expensive this month than noted above. It's $169 on the weekend and $179 weekdays. At least a Cat 1-5 free night cert can be used here.

I am staying here tonight and wanted to update on a few things.

The lounge has indeed reopened (though the referencing post is a few years old) however, I found the offerings to be pretty subpar. Granted that I arrived with only 10 minutes left of the hor d'ouevres presentation, they consisted of cold cut sliders, some weird relish type dish (that was almost empty), some sad looking boiled macaroni that had obviously been sitting out for hours, and some veggies.

I asked for an appetizer coupon from the front desk since I arrived at the very end of the service and the offerings were obviously not fresh, but was refused (yes, I'm aware that this is not a common thing, but it didn't hurt to ask).

There is still limited free parking on Delphia Ave behind the hotel and I had no problem finding a spot to park when returning tonight around 10:45 PM. Otherwise parking is now $30/day in the attached garage.

The suite is nicely decorated HOWEVER housekeeping is a bit subpar here. There is trash, crumbs, and filth underneath both the bed and the sofabed.

Additionally the televisions were not updated during the renovation which means a 32 inch television in the living room and a 26 (yes 26) inch television in the bedroom :eek:

I was here this week. A solid ORD-area option, would stay here again. I like this over the Marriott Suites in that they have a lounge, though I agree that the offerings are a bit weak. Also, the morning I went in for breakfast, the attendant seemed not capable of keeping up - first they were out of coffee, then they were out of creamer, etc.

But, overall, like the spaciousness of the suite, desk provides a good work area. I also was kind of shocked by the tiny TV in the bedroom. Staff was very friendly, and yes, access to the Blue Line is easy (I took an Uber from O'Hare, but had I know just how close this was to the Cumberland stop, train would have been a no-brainer).

Lastly, rates were significantly lower than at the Marriott or the Marriott Suites (not really sure why).