Taking a Peek Around the Public Areas of the JW Marriott Chicago

March 25, 2011 at 5:18 PM | by JetSetCD | Comments (0)

The Burnham ballroom

In case you missed our look inside the rooms of the JW Marriott Chicago, get up to speed here and continue on...

The very first thing we noticed—hotel dorks as we are—is that the W Chicago-City Center sits directly across the street. it's so close that at night, the W's purple-lit facade glows into the lobby of the JW Marriott, and you can almost feel the hotel tension in the air. Happily the properties cater to two difference sorts of business and leisure travelers, although each probably wishes they have both.

There's the pretty blatant line drawn, however: do you prefer modern, yet conservative luxury or something a bit up tempo? The first is the JW and the latter would be the W. The JW versus the W—how funny.

Something the J-dub has going for it is massive conference space. We're talking impressive for a historic downtown hotel. The lobby is open and massive enough to accommodate arriving guests for their several ballrooms, the best of which is absolutely the 6,000-square-foot Burnham ballroom. The ribs of the ceiling, which once supported a ginormous skylight over what once was an equally ginormous atrium back in the day, are now preserved and incorporated into the design, even though floors have been added below it. Chicago architecture fans will have conniptions (the good sort) walking in here.

While the ballrooms and formality are upstairs, the fitness center and sweaty times are downstairs. The JW manages to have an impressively spacious gym, plus a stretching area and an entire studio, in which Vince Vaughn's mom teaches classes. Yes, you can attend!

We don't know about you, but we always go on trips with the thought that we'll use the hotel gyms. We pack sport shoes, workout clothes and whatnot, only to end up spending "gym time" in the room, vegging out and watching TV. Maybe at the JW, though, we could be coerced into a spa appointment at least. Reports from those who've experienced the radiant heat "belly stone" in the Valeo Spa's "Clarity Chamber," declare it a place you never ever want to leave, and a feeling so relaxed and all-over warm that maybe it's a grown-up substitute for hanging out in a womb.

If working out or maybe trying the unique infrared sauna isn't up your alley, then there's always the hotel's Italian restaurant, The Florentine, for ingesting some squid ink pasta, polenta and far far too much wine. It's a slippery slope; that's all we'll say.

One that last thing of note: although WiFi in the hotel rooms costs a whopping $14.95 per day, the WiFi in the lobby is free...if you can get a seat (we recommend the bar-height tables with built-in outlets). The place gets quite crowded during the after-work cocktail hour and other times it's not the most cozy area, so perhaps don't place all your marbles in this basket for getting things done online.

[Photos: Cynthia Drescher for HotelChatter]

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