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The Drake Oak Brook, Autograph Collection - Oak Brook, IL [Master Thread]

The Drake Oak Brook, Autograph Collection - Oak Brook, IL [Master Thread]

Old Feb 6, 2019, 2:12 pm
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The Drake Oak Brook, Autograph Collection - Oak Brook, IL [Master Thread]

Opening June '19. Cat 4. Hotel website:

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...ph-collection/

"The Drake Oak Brook cordially invites you to rediscover the glamorous history and ambiance with its unique location that can cater to your special experience. This is your very own elegant playground and social club where your imagination and style crafts your perfect tale. The fine balance of grandeur and intimacy gives a fresh spin on old-world traditions and newfound rituals. Let the spirit of celebration guide you. This is where you want to see and be seen.

;;;The hotel sits in the prominent town of Oak Brook nestled next to Butler National Golf Course and major corporate headquarters. There is easy access to all major expressways and public transportation to Chicago's downtown area."

Says newly-renovated. Was this a resort or something before Marriott took it over? Mentions Polo Lounge, Sinatra Lounge, Club Room in photos on the website.

Last edited by SkiAdcock; Apr 13, 2019 at 4:51 pm
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 3:40 pm
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Originally Posted by SkiAdcock
...
Says newly-renovated. Was this a resort or something before Marriott took it over? Mentions Polo Lounge, Sinatra Lounge, Club Room in photos on the website.
Sharon,

The Drake Oak Brook (early 1960s) was originally a hotel located more-or-less in the middle of nowhere, when Paul Butler's development of Oak Brook was just getting off the ground.

An actual resort in the Oak Brook area is the former Marriott Oak Brook Hills Resort (mid-1980s, although not originally a Marriott), which is now the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center. We discussed it here: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=30747427

At the end of the thread above, in a post in 2014, I brought up The Drake Oak Brook. I wrote, "I'll be interested to see what branding The Drake Oak Brook Hotel gets when it finally reopens this year after being closed for five years. (It was the Wyndham Drake Hotel when it closed). It's being refurbished, apparently back to its 1961 glory. If they do a good job, it would make a perfect addition to The Autograph Collection by Marriott."

In another post in 2014, I wrote, "If there's no affiliation when the hotel reopens this Fall, I predict that will change within 12 months. Of course, I could be wrong. I hope it will join The Autograph Collection by Marriott."

The Drake Oak Brook finally reopened in mid-2015, without a brand affiliation. I was only wrong about the timing. It will now be 5 years, not 12 months.

The Polo Lounge at the hotel appears to be a reference to the nearby Oak Brook Polo Club, while evoking the name of the legendary Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Sinatra Lounge and Frank Sinatra Room seem to celebrate 1961-1962, when The Drake Oak Brook originally opened.

Last edited by Horace; Feb 6, 2019 at 4:32 pm
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 3:58 pm
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Thanks for the history, Horace! Pretty interesting. I lived in Oak Brook years ago & just couldn't remember it, although there was little niggling like I knew I should.

Last edited by SkiAdcock; Feb 6, 2019 at 4:15 pm
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 4:00 pm
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 4:02 pm
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 7:12 pm
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Stayed at this hotel for a wedding in December before it was Marriott. It is a dump and I didn't see any renovations happening . Avoid .
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 9:44 pm
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Originally Posted by consultant1987
Stayed at this hotel for a wedding in December before it was Marriott. It is a dump and I didn't see any renovations happening . Avoid .
I'm surprised to read that. The Drake Hotel Oak Brook is currently ranked as "#1 of 8 Hotels in Oak Brook" at TripAdvisor. It gets glowing reviews, including very recent ones.

Other Marriott properties in Oak Brook are much lower on TripAdvisor:
— Le Meridien Chicago Oakbrook Center is currently "#5 of 8 hotels in Oak Brook."
— Residence Inn Chicago Oak Brook is currently "#6 of 8 hotels in Oak Brook."
— Chicago Marriott Oak Brook is currently "#8 of 8 hotels in Oak Brook."

The Drake Oak Brook was thoroughly renovated before it reopened in 2015. According to a Chicago Tribune article in September 2018, "upgrades are being done on 158 guest rooms."

The Drake Oak Brook is open for business, but not yet as an Autograph Collection property. Marriott.com is now taking reservations for stays beginning June 9, 2019.
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Old Feb 6, 2019, 10:29 pm
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Originally Posted by consultant1987
Stayed at this hotel for a wedding in December before it was Marriott. It is a dump and I didn't see any renovations happening . Avoid .
Here's my take on all properties/brands. Could care less 'before it became Marriott'. DO care 'after it became Marriott'. So think the avoid is a bit silly based on 'before MAR', especially when the property is closed for months for renovation.

I look forward to trip reports after the property has re-opened, whether they be good or bad. Moving on...

Cheers.
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Old Feb 7, 2019, 3:49 pm
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My issue with Autograph Collection is it's such a soft brand that it is inconsistent. Perhaps the most inconsistent of legacy Marriott's brands. There are legitimate 5-star hotels flagged under it and then there hotels that couldn't make it as independent hotels and only affiliated with Marriott because they need higher Revpar.

In this case, if the hotel was legitimately the number one hotel in the market it wouldn't need Marriott's Autograph Collection flag.

This property is managed by First Hospitality Group, which mostly manages limited-service properties. The only full-service Marriott properties it manages are the Renaissance Toledo, Marriot Peoria, Sheraton Suites Chicago–O'Hare and Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection. To me, this is a big red flag. You don't hire a management company with mostly limited-service experience for an upscale or luxury property. Period.

From the First Hospitality Group website:

Built in 1961, the Drake Oak Brook hotel has undergone an extensive renovation to return the hotel to its prior glory. Soon to reopen, this iconic boutique hotel offers classic beauty and rich history to its guests.

https://www.fhginc.com/portfolio
From the Chicago Tribune:

The hotel originally was launched in 1961 as an extension of the Drake Hotel along Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. Offering the same first class hospitality and timeless European style, some notable guests who have treated it as a second home (prized because of the close proximity to the Oak Brook Polo Club and Oak Brook Golf Course and Country Club) include England's Prince Charles, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Kennedy, Rock Hudson and golf legends Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

Millionaire playboy Michael Butler, 90, a member of the family credited as the founders of Oak Brook, also is credited for helping the hotel's elite reputation. Throughout the years, Butler, who as a Broadway producer backed the first theatrical run of "Hair," entertained his famous friends at the Drake Oak Brook. It was hotelier Gino DiRenzo who ran the property from 1962 until 2009 when, according to Nagle, the management fell prey to a Ponzi scheme and the hotel closed for several years.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...919-story.html
The Tribune article goes on to say a Chicago lawyer and investor bought it for $6.5 million in 2013. If you read between the lines, it seems like it was one part vanity and one part a fondness for the hotel's bygone era. You know, someone with money buying a hotel who knows nothing about the hotel industry.

And I quote:

The wallpaper, which the Nagles have restored in every detail, surrounds guests in the elegant Colonial Room, where high tea is served Friday and Saturday afternoons. The tradition of a Sunday champagne brunch is held weekly in the vast dining room which spills onto the Flower Terrace, which features a ceiling covered in illuminated floating glass flowers.

Nagle has worked with his executive chef to re-create the same traditional menu favorites that are also showcased at the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago, including Oysters Rockefeller and Bookbinders Soup.
Sounds great, but there's probably a very limited market for this kind of hotel. Thus the reason why it is flagging as Autograph Collection.

And then there's this from the hotel's sales director:

Q: What does the future look like for The Drake Oak Brook?

A: We are positioning ourselves to bring fresh energy and Instagrammable moments into indoor and outdoor spaces. Increasing the romance, aura of seclusion, and grand-estate-inspired vibe of the outdoor spaces.

In addition to being "the place" for special occasions of all kinds, the hotel should be known for elevated everyday experiences -- a place where even an overnight business trip or a casual drink at the bar promises something beyond the ordinary.

https://www.dhbusinessledger.com/art...ess/171009594/
In other words, they want the millennials and under-40s as well as business travelers because there just aren't enough old, rich fuddy duddies who play polo and want champagne brunches to keep the hotel profitable during the week.

I wish it luck, but I suspect we will see all the fat and luxury cut by the third-party management company to maximize profit.
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Old Feb 7, 2019, 5:27 pm
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Oh good grief - can we take the should it/would it stuff to a separate thread & focus THIS thread on real experiences after it re-opens in Nov '19. Who gives two patooties what it was like before it re-opened. Seriously. What's important is what it's like AFTER it re-opens, both in soft & hard services.

Cheers.
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Old Feb 7, 2019, 5:47 pm
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Originally Posted by SkiAdcock
Here's my take on all properties/brands. Could care less 'before it became Marriott'. DO care 'after it became Marriott'. So think the avoid is a bit silly based on 'before MAR', especially when the property is closed for months for renovation.

I look forward to trip reports after the property has re-opened, whether they be good or bad. Moving on...

Cheers.
I agree that what really matters — from the perspective of this forum — is whether it's a good place stay after Marriott officially signs off and it becomes an Autograph Collection property.

The Drake Oak Brook is not closed for renovation. It closed in 2009 under previous owners. It reopened in 2015 under the current owner after a major renovation/restoration, and it's been open ever since. It seems there's more to be done (or to be redone) before Marriott gives its blessing,

Of course, one thing that won't change is the location. The hotel is at Cermak Road (aka 22nd Street) and York Road, less than 2 miles west of Oakbrook Center shopping mall — where there are a lot of good restaurants. In comparison, the Chicago Marriott Oak Brook is across the street from Oakbrook Center, and Le Meridien Chicago Oakbrook Center is on that mall's parking lot.

The Drake Oak Brook consists of two separate buildings, connected by a covered porte cochere canopy. That means if your room is in the second building, you have to go outside to go to the main building with the lobby, restaurant, and lounges. You shouldn't get wet, because the canopy, but it could be very cold, briefly.

I'm a big fan of Marriott's Autograph Collection. It's nice to stay in a hotel with a personality and a local identity.

By joining Autograph Collection five years after reopening, The Drake Oak Brook seems to be admitting that it was a mistake to "go it alone." My guess is that they did well on weekends with weddings and other social events, but that they lost business travelers during the week, especially those who collect points and who have elite status.
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Last edited by Horace; Feb 7, 2019 at 5:59 pm
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Old Feb 7, 2019, 6:44 pm
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Originally Posted by Horace
The Drake Oak Brook consists of two separate buildings, connected by a covered porte cochere canopy. That means if your room is in the second building, you have to go outside to go to the main building with the lobby, restaurant, and lounges. You shouldn't get wet, because the canopy, but it could be very cold, briefly.
Aren't one of these buildings being turned into hotel condos? That's what it sounded like from one of the news reports.
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Old Feb 7, 2019, 6:57 pm
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Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
My issue with Autograph Collection is it's such a soft brand that it is inconsistent. Perhaps the most inconsistent of legacy Marriott's brands. There are legitimate 5-star hotels flagged under it and then there hotels that couldn't make it as independent hotels and only affiliated with Marriott because they need higher Revpar.

In this case, if the hotel was legitimately the number one hotel in the market it wouldn't need Marriott's Autograph Collection flag.

This property is managed by First Hospitality Group, which mostly manages limited-service properties. The only full-service Marriott properties it manages are the Renaissance Toledo, Marriot Peoria, Sheraton Suites Chicago–O'Hare and Hotel LeVeque, Autograph Collection. To me, this is a big red flag. You don't hire a management company with mostly limited-service experience for an upscale or luxury property. Period.

From the First Hospitality Group website:



From the Chicago Tribune:



The Tribune article goes on to say a Chicago lawyer and investor bought it for $6.5 million in 2013. If you read between the lines, it seems like it was one part vanity and one part a fondness for the hotel's bygone era. You know, someone with money buying a hotel who knows nothing about the hotel industry.

And I quote:



Sounds great, but there's probably a very limited market for this kind of hotel. Thus the reason why it is flagging as Autograph Collection.

And then there's this from the hotel's sales director:



In other words, they want the millennials and under-40s as well as business travelers because there just aren't enough old, rich fuddy duddies who play polo and want champagne brunches to keep the hotel profitable during the week.

I wish it luck, but I suspect we will see all the fat and luxury cut by the third-party management company to maximize profit.
Is the Bookbinders Soup a reference to the famous Philadelphia restaurant(s)?
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Old Feb 7, 2019, 7:34 pm
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Originally Posted by hockeyinsider
Aren't one of these buildings being turned into hotel condos? That's what it sounded like from one of the news reports.
The condos would be new construction, replacing the tennis courts. According to a Chicago Tribune article on September 11, 2018, Marriott and the Village of Oak Brook need to approve it: "The condos, along with upgrades to guest rooms, are part of an Autograph Collection designation by Marriott International for the most unique boutique hotels in the world."

https://www.chicagotribune.com/subur...913-story.html

Depending on approval and the timing of construction, early guests of The Drake Oak Brook, Autograph Collection (opening May or June 2019) might need to be aware of construction on the property.
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Old Feb 8, 2019, 6:18 pm
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I am just reporting my experience from mid December 2018. The bathrooms were nasty, the walls were paper thin, and the rooms were dated. The common areas also desperately needed a refresh. The staff were not very accommodating either - but that can be fixed.

No signs of renovation while we stayed there either.
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