Worst Ritz-Carlton stay of my life. Don't go.

1   Not Recommended
Lakeside Suite
April 21, 2019 by EXPERT

 Map | 7 Reviews | 43% Recommended
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The Ritz-Carlton Chicago
 Map | 7 Reviews | 43% Recommended

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Lakeside Suite

Liked:
Location
Service
Food
Amenities
Room
Stats
Room
Lakeside Suite

After completing my almost 4 weeks of business travel, I stopped through Chicago on the way home to do a few more campus visits and see some former students. I decided to give the RC Chicago a try after enjoying a previous stay at the Gwen. I think I'll return to the Gwen or try the Peninsula or Park Hyatt next time.

The Ritz-Carlton public spaces look lovely...and that's where it ends for me. 

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The entry lobby/reception:

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The lobby lounge/bar and cafe areas:

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The main restaurant off the lounge:

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The bar area:

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The cafe:

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Check In

Check in was friendly and welcoming. The FDA didn't mention my Ambassador status but mentioned I'd been upgraded from my booked Executive Suite to a Lakeside Suite.

I had booked the Executive Suite at an outstanding AAA rate of $367 many months before, so the upgrade wasn't as important for me as a single traveler. I had noticed that I'd been pre-upgraded to the Lakeside Suite almost a week before my arrival. 

I'd heard that the rooms here were a bit disappointing and dated, but that the suites were nicer. That's part of the reason I booked the suite. I shouldn't have bothered, though I can only imagine what the rooms look like.

Room

The Lakeside Suite was huge...and still quite disappointing. Ironically, the air con was preset to 65 F and actually was close to that on my arrival. The one thing I say I want most was actually done...and yet I still wasn't fond of the suite.

The suite had an odd entry with the hotel door on the left, and the bedroom door opening on the right of the photo.

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There was a luggage cart with extra water for me in the hallway. A very odd place to leave it in my opinion. And it was still wrapped in its plastic--tacky!

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The nice powder bath was in the hallway leading to the dining room/living room:

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The living room/dining room was spacious...but felt flat. It just didn't feel luxurious to me in the slightest. It felt dated and very uninspired.

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The bedroom was really uninspired and looked almost spartan...and a bit dreary.

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The small dresser and way too small TV didn't help much. There being nothing on the wall but that horrible wallpaper also wasn't too nice. Not successful at all. The designer should never design again.

The closet:

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The master bath was the only element of the suite, aside from the powder bath, that looked at all modern and inspiring.

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The nighttime views were nice looking out onto Navy Pier:

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The daytime views were nice, at least looking out onto Navy Pier.

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The lovely welcome amenity was left without any note--a little disappointing.

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The suite was large and spacious but felt vacuous, both in the living room with the dated furnishings that didn't quite match or fill the space and in the bedroom with the sad looking bed and dresser/TV that also didn't remotely complete the space in a satisfying manner. 

Very disappointing.

When I wrote to the Director of Operations to complain, he informed me of his disappointment as the suites had been renovated in the last few years. The rooms were to begin renovation soon. I don't expect much from fhe rooms with on the suite renovations looking as tired and uninspired as this!

Service

Service? What service?

No HBO despite it being advertised (and for the GoT premier, no less)—even with HBO showing in the channel list despite it actually being Showtime. When I called to complain, the operator lied and said they had HBO on Channel 37--even as I lated discovered they knew that DISH network had a contract dispute with HBO and that HBO wasn't provided. I had made sure they had HBO since I knew the GoT premier was that Sunday. I was furious.

The hotel claims that it did get HBO restored before the GoT premier...and that I was supposed to be called about it. No one ever called me. Not impressive again.

Calls to the operator and front desk repeatedly ringing more than 10-15 times on numerous occasions was infuriating. Unlike the RC Georgetown that tried to find ways to improve that, this team seemed to think it wasn't a problem in the first place. It was endemic. Almost every time I tried to call. It became a comedy of errors whenever anything went wrong. 

At 8:30 am my final morning, someone rang my doorbell and opened the door to leave the bill. Waking me up for some ungodly reason that no one can figure. Did I mention the Do Not Disturb was hanging on the door? Even were it not, why would anyone ring the doorbell and open the door at 8:30 am for that purpose?

Only two towels were placed in the master bathroom despite repeated requests for more. It became a comedy of errors to me, as well. Were they short on towels? Wildly unimpressive. Despite 2 calls to get that changed and to ask for more towels. All they gave me was this:

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I finally had to ask a housekeeper at turndown the last night for extra towels. She gave me one extra towel.

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I had asked housekeeping and the front office manager to make sure to keep the bedroom door closed to maintain the air con in the bedroom. Nope, it was always left open.

No turndown on either of my first two nights.

Even asking for a corrected hotel bill before my departure was an act of futility. After waiting 20 minutes, I finally had to go to the front desk where I learned they were having printing issues—but it would be emailed in a minute or two. Yet no one even had thought to call to tell me in my room that my waiting was completely unnecessary.

Of course, that final bill/folio never did arrive in my email as promised. That I again had to call the hotel an hour later from the airport to still get the emailed folio was representative of all the incompetent interactions and poor service I had at the hotel all weekend. 

Mediocre room service. I mean it had to be the worst club sandwich I'd ever had. 

Disinterested and lackluster management. Even the Director of Operations' response to my complaint and follow up email was disappointing. 

The standard at this hotel doesn’t exactly equate to luxury in my book. I don't plan to ever return. 

Dining

Room service was disappointing to mediocre.

They missed the egg white detail in my breakfast room service order.

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This was the worst club sandwich I've had in a long time.

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My experience at the bar, however, was lovely. Great friendly service. My first Manhattan was weak, so it was quickly replaced by a wonderful Old Fashioned. Or two. :)

 

Location

The hotel is nicely located. But it isn't a good luxury hotel.

Overall

Way too many issues and way too disappointing a hard product--and that's even after recent refurbishment!

I won't be returning. 

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