W Chicago - City Center Review

100   Recommended
Room 2209
May 24, 2022 by

 Map | 3 Reviews | 67% Recommended
Share
Save
Liked:
Location
 
Service
 
Food
 
Amenities
 
Room
 

{{ oRightNav.heading }}

W Chicago City Center
 Map | 3 Reviews | 67% Recommended

Save

Share

Room 2209

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
Stats

I stayed here one night this past weekend. I decided after many years to give this hotel another chance. I will not return. Not because it is so horrible, but there are just so many better Marriott properties available.

Warning.

I must pre-empt my review with a statement that I generally view W Hotels in the US as being pretentious, soulless places for people that have more money than sense. Internationally, I like W Hotels more, but still think their actual target audience are people trying to be something they are not. This hotel particularly falls into the former category.

Check In

I had booked with points and used an SNA for the upgrade, which was confirmed several days before arrival. The fairly inattentive woman at reception told me that they were giving me a complimentary upgrade to a Mega Room (or something like that....I have little interest in their stupid room names).

I pointed out that I had a confirmed advance upgrade through an SNA: She did not understand that at all.

She informed us that the as a platinum I would get a 10 USD discount per person off breakfast. I do not understand how this fulfills the brand requirements. I never have this issue outside the US.

In any case the check in area was a zoo and poorly organized because several parties arrived at the same time. Not a premium experience.

Room

Good

  • We had two comfortable double beds
  • There were USB-A ports available for charging
  • The water pressure in the bathroom was good and the bathroom was spacious

Bad

  • They continue to use single-use toiletries.
  • There were no USB-C ports available for charging
  • The sliding bathroom door does not lock
  • The room has no coffee machine

70D0C9C2-2711-48DF-BD80-BD321FDAD464.jpeg6635380A-B31F-4295-AA4A-FEF77287DF98.jpeg5BA8F0A2-E4D7-4638-8695-E582D940D645.jpegAB953AC7-F16C-4BEE-9E4A-20B5B1A76FB8.jpeg

Dining

It was a Saturday night stay and the bar was quite full. I remember during a stay at the JW Marriott I came across the street to this bar, because it was livelier than the offering at JW:

0C799B7C-E0B5-4DA6-AF73-8852BF84C20B.jpeg

 

After looking at the breakfast menu, I understood why no one was sitting in the breakfast restaurant in the morning. There are too many outside breakfast options nearby with a much better value proposition. I did not try their food, but I would not expect it to be worth the price.

Location

The location is definitely central. The parking is 75 USD per night ++. I like to walk. Perhaps this price will convert others to this stance. :) Kidding aside, use SpotHero or other similar services to find much cheaper parking nearby. We had something a 3 minute walk away for 20 USD per night.

We walked everywhere from this hotel. There are also subway stations nearby.

Overall

I just do not get the vibe of this hotel. It is fine if you want the location.

If you are a big W fan, you will like it. I struggle with the brand in general. To me it is Moxy with rooms that have weird names..

Otherwise go across the street or choose another Marriott option.

170 Comments

This review lives in the W Chicago City Center, Chicago, IL [Master Thread] thread.
170 comments and Y review
Comment In Thread

Hotels you may also be interested in