Radisson Blu Chicago - Master thread
 

The bonus point promotion lured me away from my normal Chicago choices of The Westin Michigan Avenue and The Park Hyatt. After one stay, the Radisson Blu Chicago has earned my business.

I have no status with Club Carlson, so I had no leverage for any kind of consideration in that regard. I think that's what impressed me the most.

After some travel upsets, I arrived in Chicago at 5AM on the day of my reservation. After some time in the United Club, I decided to make my way to the hotel and simply buy an additional night (as in, the night before) so I could make my way to my room for some much-needed sleep.

The cab driver didn't know the property, so I was glad I had the address handy. It's helpful to know that they hotel is part of a larger condo product called "Aqua". It's a brand new, beautiful building located behind the Hyatt, just south of East Wacker on N. Columbus.

Walking in was a sight. I'm not very good at describing decor, but it's very modern and very beautiful. I guess it should be, as a brand new property. The hotel, while modern, is still very warm.

Speaking of warm, I arrived at the front desk and was greeted by a delightful young lady. I told her my situation and that I'd like to add a night to my reservation and get into a room right away. She explained that the hotel had been sold out the night before, as it was this night, and there were no rooms ready. It surprised me, because I only paid $169 for my room; cheaper than the Westin MA, and most certainly cheaper than the PH. Nonetheless, there were no rooms. Keep in mind this was 6:15AM.

At that moment, a woman came and checked out. My agent told me that she was leaving a room that was the same type I reserved, and I could have it as soon as it was cleaned. The housekeeprs didn't come til 8, but she thought she could have a room for me at 9.

Oh - and by the way, she insisted that she would find a room for me; and that she didn't plan to charge me for a 2nd night. They wanted to ACCOMMODATE me. Wow.

I find it interesting that she made this commitment without calling anyone. Empowering a front desk agent to make decisions is smart on the hotel's part. Immediately, I'd gone from first-time customer to knowing I'd be back at some point.

I went and ate a delicious breakfast in Felini, their restaurant. The menu is very European. For example, no pancakes. No waffles. The waiter commented that they were discussing that, particularly for when children were there. The menu wasn't particularly kid friendly. I had perhaps the best French Toast OF MY LIFE, and OJ that tasted fresh squeezed, but I can't be sure. Entree, bacon, juice, coffee - $22. Reasonable, if not comparable to other hotels of the same level. The menu was expansive, inventive, and gave lots to try.

At lunch, Felini turns into its normal Italian restaurant. I ended up here for lunch on the second day with my business acquaintances who picked it without my knowledge or input. The meal with no booze for 4 was $130 with tip and worth every penny. Even my Chicago-native dining partners raved that it was on the "really good" list of restaurants for them. All of us had soupls and pastas, none of which were the standard spaghetti-and-meatballs fare. It was a rich, delicious menu that truly made decisions difficult. The restaurant gets an A from me, despite the aluminum chairs that were quite cold on the seat on a brisk Chicago Winter day.

As promised, at 9:15, my room was ready. I was put in a room on the 6th floor with a view of buildings, but not an unpleasant view. Again, having reserved their lowest-price King room, I wasn't expecting much. I was surprised. It was large by many standards, and at the risk of a backhanded compiment to Radisson, it was refreshing to be at one of their properties that wasn't worn down. It's brand new, after all. Like it's name, the Hotel has rooms that are based in blue - in many shades, and very tasteful. My room had a good size desk and work area, a chair with ottoman, and a very comfortable king bed. The bathroom was also above average in size with slate floors and shower, sink, and toilet all able to be separated by sliding doors. The shower was big enough for three. ;) and was one of those "right-over-the-top-of-your-head rain types. On the wall was a shower wand as well.

I was tempted into room service by the standard "special" they were offering, which they called "continental". For ONE, it was a basket of breads including a roll, pain au chocolat, a danish, a croissant, and some nut bread. It also came with a serving of yogurt with granola and a bowl of fruit, mostly berries; and a plate of ham and swiss cheese. Coffee and OJ were included. It was $20, if I remember. Truthfully, there was enough for two people to have dined. I ordered from the menu card the night before, and it arrived exactly as I had requested.

The hotel has a business center where internet and printing are free, and where there were 8 computers that I counted. It was an easy place to print a boarding pass.

There is a beautiful fitness center, steam, sauna, and an outdoor pool. All of this is shared with the condo residents. I didn't have time to experience any of these facilities, but they looked great.

After 13 years on the road, I'm not concerned with suites or gigantic rooms like I used to be, unless my other half is with me and we are on a multi-night stay. That said, I was impressed with the type of standard room I received as a no-status CC member.

Checkout was smooth as could be. Truth be told, I was sad to leave.

The hotel is obviously brand new. It's easy to love something so new and beautiful. But what I really loved was the friendliness of the staff. The air of the hotel is what I always wished the W brand were like.....fashionable and modern, but with ZERO attitude. I tell people I'm not fabulous enough to stay at W properties, even though I do sometime. The brand experience at Radisson Blu Chicago had what I believe W has always gone for.....chic, modern, elegant, stylish; but I didn't have to endure the phoniness of "welcome to whatever whenever what is your wish?".

The hotel was just friendly people doing friendly business. And they won my frequent business in Chicago.

Give this place a try!

Thanks for the great review!

Glad you had a great time! My wife and I stayed there at the beginning of Jan and were disappointed with the service but really enjoyed the room. It was beautiful, modern, and had a fantastic view of the park. I'm really glad you had a great front desk agent. Ours was very flustered, and seemed very bothered to check us in, while we were the only ones there. Additionally, our status wasn't acknowledged (which isnt a huge issue, but is nice) until i asked about the lounge and was told it was only for people who had status within their company, which is when I had to point out my status and she looked again and responded "oh you do have status." We probably wont go back because of the poor service, but again the rooms were beautiful and the I'm glad you enjoyed your stay!

Many thanks for the review! I was considering a weekend stay, and your review means that I almost certainly will.

This point in particular won me over:

Thanks for the great review!

Is French Toast European because it's from France? Of course, in France, they just call it "toast." ;) :D

Mike

Radisson Blu Chicago review
 

We just got back home from the Radisson. This place is just awesome.

Parking is underground, as with most of Chicago's hotel, it is $43 daily and does not offer in/out privilege. :mad: Valet parking is $53 daily. A bit high in my opinion and unfortunately I will not get CC points for parking as it appears that it is being handled by another entity. The underground parking was a bit of a maze, :confused: as it handles more than just the Radisson, and depending on where you are parked, you may not be close to the elevators that are for the Radisson, otherwise you come out from the side and have to walk around the building.

The lobby was beautiful, nice fresh light brown/cream color, the lighting was soft, not overpowering. From the lobby you have access to Filini restaurant and bar. It seems that it was always busy with people walking in and out all the time. The bar was all white, with all sorts of bottles throughout the wall. I did not have a chance to try the bar or restaurant. Check in was fast and quick, I was greeted by my name and thanked for being a CC member. I was asked if I have stayed before at Radisson, which I haven't. The check in area was lightly colored and very bright lighting. I booked a executive/business room package, which allowed me early check in, I actually checked in @ 11am. ^ Our room was on the 17th floor with lounge access. The common hallways where light green/gray in color with soft lighting. I got 2 queen beds, overlooking Chicago River and navy Pier. Room decor was modern, European style, carpeting on the bedroom was actually light blue, also the comforter. It took me some time to get used to the color, but it was not bad at all. Bed was comfortable, 2 plushy pillows per bed, with 2 extras on the closet. The mini bar was completely full with amenities and the prices I found them to be reasonable. The mini bottles were around $5-$6, soda $3. My only complaint is that they did not give you any room to cool a bottle of water or can of soda. The bathroom was very spacious, the shower and toilet where side by side, like in a closet, sharing a glass sliding door. The shower is similar to those of Aloft hotels by Sheraton, with a rainshower head, and a shower wand. This hotel does not skimp on towels, we got 4 each, large, medium & small. They were very soft and heavy. The whole bathroom floor was dark with glass crystals that gave different colors as the light shined. My wife was very pleased with the amenities kit in the bathroom, though I forgot the brand name. The coffee machine was a Nespresso and it came with 6 pods of coffee.

The lounge was in the 17th floor also, by the elevator area, overlooking Millennium park, it also has a deck too. It was also lightly colored with blue chairs. It is open from 6am-10pm. You need room key for access to it. It is unmanned between 10am-4:30pm. They have a wide selection of magazines and a tv viewing area. You can rent out free of charge an ipad if you have a business package. Breakfast is from 6am-10am, it consisted of oatmeal, plantains, hard boiled eggs, pastries and fruits. Refreshment had juice, soda, water (gas and no gas) a coffee and tea area. Lounge is still open after breakfast, except they only leave the tea, coffee (Nespresso machine), soda water and the fruit tray. From 4:30pm they have a welcome reception with wine, champagne and beer. They also had some chips, crackers and nuts. Beer was Bud, Bud light, Stella, Lagunita, and 2 local Chicago craft beer from Argus Brewery.

The third floor gives you access to the indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, exercise room, and an outdoor recreation area with a park like setting. Nicely landscape with a .5 mile softly padded exercise track that goes around the hotel, and pool area. There are some bbq grills throughout the area for the residents, cabanas, and benches all around.

Second floor gives you access to the restaurant.

We were very pleased with this stay, the hotel is beautiful, fresh, crisp and hip. I will certainly recommend it to anyone. it is within walking distance to Millennium Park, Michigan Ave, and State St. ^^^^^^^^^

Thanks for the review:-:^:-:highway robbery:td::(so a guest could grill out?? Pretty amazing for a city location of a hotel.Plaintains??!! wow, I would have never guessed plaintains to be served at a Chicago hotel, San Juan sure, but not Chicago.

Where would be a better place to park for 3 days (Thurs- Sunday) if you didn't plan on using your vehicle after driving downtown?

Staying at the hotel tomorrow night and looking forward to it. Bummer about the very high parking rates...but you are in the city I guess. Any favorite spots to eat a fairly casual dinner within walking distance? Nothing real fancy (read: no tablecloths), just trying to keep it under $50 or so for a table for two. Heck, I'm happy with a burgers, chicken, and salad type place even.

I rarely eat in this area as the property is located in the heart of over-priced/iffy quality restaurants, the cheapest eats have to be from the African food truck that normally sits on the corner of Columbus & Randolph (just south of the Blu). Don't get me wrong, there are some very good restaurants in the area, just not cheap ones.

One can get pricey to go &/or food items at the market www.fox-obel.com which is 1/2 mile away and has a bistro/cafe besides the grocery area.

I'd personally take public transportation (or a quick cab ride) & get out of the nearby vacinity if looking for reasonable dining but I'm very picky when it comes to shelling out $ for dining, if I'm paying some top dollar for food I know I can get cheaper elsewhere, it better be worth it, mediocre to high dollar paid doesn't cut it for me.

A nearby, recent pricey (in my opinion) restaurant that made the grade with me was Henri www.henrichicago.com but you will be well north of your $50 mark.

I love Fox & Obel. Forgot that was an option...thanks!!

NYT review of the Radisson Blu Chicago: http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/06/17...-chicago.html?

Any have any more input on the beds? Just wondering if they are sleep number beds or not - I don't really care for them.

No, no sleep number
 

Just regular beds. No sleep #. Very comfortable.

agreed, the comfort of the beds/linens & bright/clean look & smell to the room was the highlight of our recent stay at the Radisson Blu Chicago.

We had some issues with our stay:
1) room AC goes only to 65 degrees, at which point the AC & fan shuts off, I woke in a pool of sweat in the middle of the night, crappy AC system.

2) signage from the car garage to the lobby is spotty at best, there should be very bold & clear signage & there is not.

3) no pay per view/movie selection

For someone making use of activites/attractions in the Loop/N Michigan Ave area/Millennium & Grant Park, this property has a great location.

The outdoor common areas are very inviting (however not during the recent 100+ degree days and very warm nights). As a Gold we ended up with a corner room w/a nice wrap balcony, but no chairs on the balcony:confused:

For water, booze & other food items, one block away is a grocery market open 7 days a week, 7am to midnight, on the corner of North Stetson & South Water: www.bockwinkels.com

For a low priced sandwich/burger/bar option, 3 blocks away on Michigan Ave is SweetWater Tavern & Grill. www.sweetwatertavernandgrille.com For brunch they serve a killer mushroom hash & eggs.

Any reports from CC Gold members re upgrades, etc?

I guess I should have been more clear in my post above, as a gold member we were upgraded to a corner room w/wrap around balcony (but as mentioned, each balcony including ours did not have any chairs, I'm hoping someone had chairs on their balcony & I just didn't see it)

I always marvel that people think parking in a major city is over priced and in most cases should be included in the room price. Considering one is paying $300+ for a 400+ sqft room, and a car occupies perhaps 60 sqft, parking charges are not out of line. If one is local and leaving a car for the weekend, why not just take a cab to the hotel, it's going to be cheaper. Same goes if just flying into the city and renting a car: take taxis and save money!

I agree. I've never gotten a car for weekends in Chicago - or Boston or Seattle or NYC or etc. It just doesn't make sense for a number of reasons, esp financial.

I'm local to the area.
 

this stay was a weekend get away for us. Public transportation from the suburbs to downtown is about 2+ hour long with numerous transfers, for what should be a 25 minute car ride.
My complaint about parking is mostly on the how it is applied. I do not mind paying, however I would like to get some in/out privilege. there are numerous hotel in this city, from other brands that DO NOT charge for parking, or they offer it as part of a combined package. La Quinta and Best Western come to mind, not also here, but in other cities. this is not necessarily a Club Carlson issue, as I have had the same with Hilton and Sheraton.
I do not expect to have the parking included as part of the stay, as that is not fair to those who are not parking the car, however, I would not mind a "park-n-stay' rate that will include the parking at a discounted rate and I could get some points for this.

As for public transportation, one has to consider how convenient and useful it is. Some are not 24hrs, so it is not helpful for late arrivals, taxis are not always there, etc. For me, a car is helpful.

This property is not comparable to a La Quinta or a Best Western, so one should not expect any similarity.

For my future visit:

Would it be cheaper to say, park at the airport long-term parking lot (if there's any in ORD) and take a free shuttle (does the hotel provide it?) or even a cab from the airport to avoid paying hotel parking charges?

Hello tsmith12
 

The hotel does not have a shuttle to the ORD airport, as they are away, however, your idea is not bad.
There is a remote parking at ORD, its called the F lot and it is $9 daily, from there take the shuttle bus to the parking area, then take the airtram to the airport. at the airport terminal on the lower levels you can access Chicago Public transportation, CTA Blue line to the city, from the CTA blue line you can transfer to the red line, which has a stop about 3 or 4 blocks away from the hotel, or take a bus that will drop you a little closer. Total time will be around 1 hour or so transit time. Cost is $9 daily for parking, and around $5 train/bus fare. More info here on the CTA link.
http://www.transitchicago.com/

Great info...Thanks! ^

Sure beats paying $43/day especially if you're not using the car daily.

Blu Chicago
 

I like this hotel a lot although I would prefer a location closer to restaurants and shopping etc. I'll check out Fox & Obel next time we are there as it looks great but there is also a very large Mariano's Fresh Market just around the corner where we went for a less expensive breakfast/lunch option and to stock up on wine, fresh sushi and other snacks (the wine department alone is larger than many grocery stores and seemed fairly priced). For dining we had an incredible lunch at the Gage Restaurant - I ordered Mussels Vindaloo for $14 which was very fresh and tasty and a huge portion, it must have taken me at least 20 minutes just to get all of the mussels out of their shells! My other lunch time favourite is David Burke's Primehouse for their shakenSteak lunch special but I see that the price for an appetizer, steak and side along with a Martini has gone up from an incredibly low $15.95 to now just over $20(Martini refrills were $5, not sure if this is the same); they also used to have various upgrades available at a very reasonable price, for example to a 10oz bone in filet, and other appetizers for just $5 like lobster soup, wedge salad etc. but I don't see any of these options listed on the new menu anymore.

I checked out the lobby last time I was in town and it looked great and now have booked for 10/24 to 10/26 to catch the Barbra concert. A balcony is a big selling point since the only other hotel that I know that has balconies is the Dana in its smallest rooms or suites. Hopefully someone bought the patio furniture by the time I check in or I'll be redecorating. I put in for upgrades, does anyone have experience with getting paid upgrades?

How is Filini's food and prices? I know there's a bunch of inexpensive restaurants on Hubbard and up State St about a 10-15 minute walk. I also recommend Flemings for HH and burgers at the bar at MJordan's rest in the Intercont. The atrium rest in the Hyatt is also good and reasonable.

My family and I stayed here on Thanksgiving Eve, and I highly recommend it. We were on a reward stay-50k points. I know it is not the best use of points, but I really wanted to check out this hotel for free. We are from suburban Chicago, so we drove in and had to pay for parking (about $46?)

As CC members, We were upgraded to a corner room on the 16th floor, with a patio - which was really impressive and different and windy! My kids (13, 12 and 9) loved the bathrobes, the funky lighting, the rain shower, and cool sliding doors in the bathrooms.

I loved the Euro feel of the lobby, bar, and hotel room. Since we were five in the room (!) one kid slept on the floor and in this case hardwood floors were not so great. Next time I would request a blue room with carpeting for a more cozy feel.

Fox and Obel was a highlight for breakfast after we did a Turkey Trot 5k. I highly recommend this fancy, old world grocery store as a good match for the Blu. It is an easy 4 block walk crossing the river.

:D^

Aww, you should've stayed at Fairmont across the street
I got TravelZoo rate $129/night for Nov 22-24 (2 nights)
I also used my FPC suite upgrades, and got Park View suite + Radisson-view suite

but Radisson Blue building looked much cooler than Fairmont for sure

This is in my hood:D. I was going to suggest Mariano's for quick, reasonable eats but 2cool beat me to it. Great entertainment to watch the doggies play below in their park while having lunch. I didn't see anyone mention the pedway that is right below the hotel. Lots of eating places all along the way. One of our favorites is Hannah's Bretzel. It's great for getting around in bad weather and just fun to explore. Oh and a favorite of our guests is Wildberry right next door to Mariano's.

If you're part of the dining rewards network there's a burger place on Monroe just off Michigan. Rudy's. In the direction of the Trump Tower and Nordstrom's back door is Star or Siam. A bit off the beaten path but I've never been disappointed with the food or service.

Don't forget about the free lunchtime concerts in the Cultural Center.

For other parking options there's a thread in the Destinations/Chicago forum regarding Magnificent Mile parking. When we need extra local parking I use the garage under the Shoreham (north side of park adjacent to Radison).

Can't say I've seen any furniture on any of those balconies. Even the condos above have mostly bare balconies. Such a waste. We live on ours during the good weather but we're not as exposed as the ones around the Aqua. Form didn't follow function at the Aqua.

There's several more new eateries by Mariano's but we haven't gotten to them yet. I 'd like to hear impressions of these if others visit them.

Staying here next weekend. Coming from ORD and wondering if its easy enough to get to/from here, with luggage, via CTA - and if so what stops would you recommend (ideally with lifts)?

Also, would anyone recommend the in house restaurant (Fellini) or purchasing lounge access (we are Gold so perhaps this will be discounted).

Thanks!

http://www.radissonblu.com/aquahotel-chicago/location

I took Blue line from ORD, exit'ed at Clark/Lake station for my last ORD-Fairmont (right across Radisson) with carry-on luggage.
It has Elevator, while other closer stations don't @@
There's another 10 minute walk EAST after subway exit

Or, just use Google Maps, which says you can take M20 bus after to not walk so much
http://goo.gl/maps/aYz36

If you look at this map for the pedway: http://www.spiegl.org/pedway/pedway.html

you will see the Clark and Lake stop is very close to the State of Illinois entrance. If you are only rolling one manageable bag and you are a walker then I would say you could use the pedway to get you to the Radison. You can exit at the Fairmont and walk across the street to the Radison or keep going to the Aqua. You will see doors that lead to the Radison elevators. Otherwise, get a cab when you exit the subway. Then you can take your time and explore the pedway without the luggage burden.

We had a very nice meal at the Filini and would gladly return. Look at the menu and see if you like it.

As a gold last summer, I was upgraded to a business class room with no lounge access/discount, fwiw.
I found walking from the train not a big deal.

Great advice. We do have a bit of luggage although a walk along the River looks flat and manageable. Will check out the pedway when we are luggage free. Would be interested to hear if the Biz Lounge upgrade is worth it even at a 'non discounted to Elite's' surcharge. We are staying over a weekend.

Thanks!

Looking again at your first post you may already have checked in and paid for the lounge upgrade. I was going to suggest you think about what you're wanting from the lounge and compare it to what is offered right next door at Mariano's. They have a large variety of ready made food on the upper floor and a wine bar downstairs. You should definitely check it out.

No not here until next week! Despite trying to find out; I have no idea what the Biz Lounge costs and what it offers. I had read reviews that mentioned Mariano's and Fox & Otel for 'quick' eats, is their any difference between the two?

Thanks!

About 3/4 to 1 mile of walking. Fox & Obel was our go to spot when we lived on the other side of the river. Now Mariano's is right next door. Very convenient.

Have you called the hotel to ask about the lounge? I would ask what their average fare is. We recently spent 5 nights at another hotel with complimentary lounge. It was convenient but the food was on the high fat side. Lots of cheese and fried. The tomatoes and nice bits to the salad were generally picked off by the time we got there. Romaine lettuce again?? At Mariano's you will have a generous hot and salad bar plus a full deli case of already made entrees, pizza, coffee shop items, sorbet and gelato. It's a beautiful store. Outdoor patio for eating or if the weather is cool you can sit inside. Our favorite spot is the high counter overlooking the dog park and park.

And you'll probably want to experience one brunch at Wildberry: http://www.wildberrycafe.com

Is this the weekend you are here?

We ate at Eggys yesterday. Was pleasantly surprised at their choice of food suppliers. Local when possible. No antibiotics or hormones in eggs.

We're on our porch enjoying a sandwich and olives we got from Pastoral: http://www.pastoralartisan.com Love, love the place. It's not a far walk from Radisson.

Took the Metra from Olgilvie Station to Braeside station and then walked to Chicago Botanic Gardens. A weekend pass for unlimited rides was only $7 each.

The hotel is pretty underwhelming. Cool look on the outside, but nothing memorable. Love the shower and tub though. I had a Park view so my balcony was worthless.

But the Lou Malnati's on Wells delivers though!