Great luxury stay in comfortable and chic junior suites

100   Recommended
Junior Suite
December 20, 2017 by EXPERT

 Map | 2 Reviews | 50% Recommended
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The Gwen, Luxury Collection, Chicago
 Map | 2 Reviews | 50% Recommended

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Junior Suite

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Junior Suite

My husband and I met in Chicago while he had business meetings in early December. We were supposed to be there just a single night, but ended up extending for a second night. I had applied 1 SNA for our first night and was upgraded to a junior suite, and the hotel graciously extended a complimentary suite upgrade to a different junior suite for our second night. 

This was our first stay at the Gwen and only our second stay in about 5 years in Chicago. Previously, we had stayed at the Waldorf Astoria (and the Elysian before that). The Gwen is the former Conrad, but it was remodeled extensively in its public spaces and refreshed significantly in its guest rooms and suites about a year ago.

We really enjoyed the Gwen. It is a proper luxury hotel, something that Starwood really lacked in Chicago beforehand. The lobby bar and public spaces were beautifully chic and plush in their new Art Deco style (my favorite), and the whole hotel felt luxurious and swank. The service was absolutely luxury level. And the hotel always felt very comfortable and inviting.

The lobby was beautifully decorated for Christmas:

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The bar was a very popular place to spend time, as well. We really appreciate a nice hotel bar and lounge:

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Check In

Check in was quick and easy and very friendly. I was recognized as a Platinum Ambassador guest, and was just as quickly given the room keys and explained about the hotel facilities and offerings. The front desk attendant really made us feel special. She noted that we had been upgraded to a junior suite, and said it was a particularly nice view. 

Room

FIRST NIGHT JUNIOR SUITE

Our first night (which we had expected to be our only night here) was in an upgraded Junior Suite. While the view was nice and there was a beautiful and spacious terrace outside, it was so dark and cold that that it didn't really matter much.

Walking in there was a small seating area with couch and chair in a niche to the left, the bathroom to the right, and the TV, desk and bedroom area in front:

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The terrace was outside the bedroom area, though it was so cold I didn't bother to take a photo.

It was tricky to take a photo of the seating area, but you can see the door to the bathroom:

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A little bar area:

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The bathroom was a bit small for a junior suite, but was very well appointed:

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It was a nice view, but forgot to get a photo again. Sorry!

SECOND JUNIOR SUITE:

After deciding to change our plans and stay for a second night, the front desk agent kindly tried to move us to the Presidential Suite--but it wasn't available until 7 pm. Since we could stay in our current suite only until 4 pm (it was previously assigned to someone for our second night), we decided to just take another junior suite. 

The second junior suite was a bit more spacious but had less of a view.

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The bathroom was pretty much identical.

Overall, both junior suites were pretty spacious and very comfortable for the two of us, though the bathrooms were a bit on the small side and there were not enough plugs by the bedsides--which should be an easy fix, especially for upgraded rooms and suites IMO.

The rooms were both very well appointed and furnished, and everything felt modern, fresh, chic, and new. Shower pressure was great, and the lighting controls were excellent. The air conditioning also worked very well, something that was a problem for us in the Waldorf Astoria/Elysian from time to time.

Service

Service was extremely good. From check in to the concierge to the bar and restaurant, everyone was friendly, welcoming, and accommodating.

The front desk couldn't have been more helpful in adding our second night at the 11th hour, even trying to upgrade us to the Presidential Suite. The attendant also managed to honor our first night's paid rate for our second night, even though the going rate on spg.com was higher. Very impressive, and very appreciated.

The concierge was actually very helpful in recommending some local restaurants for my husband to meet up with his clients. We didn't want to go far since it was so cold outside, and the concierge easily suggested several options for us that turned out to be excellent.

Bar and restaurant service was great, too. We really had some fun with the bar staff. 

Very impressive service for a wonderfully impressive team.

Dining

We only had breakfast and bar snacks here at the hotel. Both were excellent. While I read elsewhere about greasy food, we had great egg dishes for both mornings. Coffee and tea and juice were included and we didn't seem to get charged extra. We got the Platinum $14 credit applied for each of us, so our total charges for each morning's breakfast were a mere $2-5, as I recall. Not the most generous Platinum breakfast benefit, but a fine benefit, regardless. 

All in all, the breakfast seemed great. Bar food was nice. 

Location

The location is excellent, sitting on top of the Nordstrom mall and within easy reach of most of the city. There were numerous restaurants and bars within easy walking distance of the hotel. It was a 45 min L ride and 30 min Uber ride to O'Hare, as well.

Overall

Since our last stay in Chicago was at the Waldorf Astoria, I can say that The Gwen measured up quite well. Other than the bathroom being small in our junior suites and there not being plentiful plugs by the bedside, everything else was quite comparable in terms of luxury appointments, service, facilities, and even location. The air con worked much better in the Gwen, as even despite the cold weather outside I like my room quite cold. And the new Art Deco design of the Gwen is particularly appealing, chic, and still very comfortable and inviting.

We look forward to future stays here at the Gwen. In the absence of a St Regis in Chicago, this is likely to be our favored hotel in the city.

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