Tag: Chicago Hotel Reviews View All Tags
Tags: Hotel Maven Reviews / Chicago Hotel Reviews / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
A Hotel Maven's Featured Review: The James Chicago
We always appreciate it when Hotel Mavens send us reviews of their recent hotel stays but when a Hotel Maven writes in a review and drops in pictures to the HotelChatter Flickr Pool, well that's a near-perfect storm for us. (Perfect=Plus Video.)
That's what Hotel Maven Jasmine did for us about her stay at the James Hotel Chicago back in January.
$159 got me a night in a double room at The James, thanks to a promotion via Travel Zoo. It would have been $129, but there were three of us scheduled to have a girls' night in when I booked. A friend ended up getting sick, so it was just me and another gal pal for a chill night of watching our 42" plasma screen tv, marvelling over the threadcount, and fighting over who got the Kiehl's products (I won).
The review continues, with pictures, after the jump.
Tags: Hotel Restaurants / Chicago Hotel Reviews / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
Hotel Restaurant Food Porn: Palmer House Hilton
The Palmer House Hilton's new restaurant is finally ready, and will open with lunch and dinner service Monday, November 19. While the menu makes it sound like an expense-account paradise, we're considering it now that we've drooled over some food porn shots of Chef Phillip Foss' grub.
The presentation is a lot more artful than we originally suspected, with foams and sauces dabbed and dolloped on entrees like the Surf, Turf and Turf, a plate full of lobster, spare ribs and steak. Also looking good is the Faux Gras. We'll take two, please.
Related Stories:
· New Restaurant Coming to Palmer House Hilton [HotelChatter]
· Hotel Restaurants coverage [HotelChatter]
· Chicago Hotels [HotelChatter]
Tags: Chicago Hotel Reviews / Hilton Hotels / Honeymoon Hotels / → All Tags
Why It Pays To Save Your Hotel Receipt
The Palmer House in Chicago gives a discount to its return customers. But there's a catch -- you're only shot at nabbing the deal is if you visited back when the hotel housed WWII vets returning home to their sweeties. One-time guests who visited more than 50 years ago can stay for the price of their original visit as long as they can provide the original receipt.
Last week, 81-year-olds Larry and Mariam Orenstein stayed in the hotel's $1,600-a-night suite for $10 -- the price they paid when they honeymooned in the room in 1947. And actually, they didn't even have to pay the $10 as their grandson Ze graciously paid the bill.
The hotel, which first opened in the 1800s, started offering the deal in 1925. But customers have taken advantage of the offer fewer than 10 times over the last 25 years, said hotel spokesman Ken Price.
[Photo: Chicago Sun-Times]
Related Stories:
· Former Guests Get Discount [Associated Press]
· Hilton Hotel News [HotelChatter]
Tags: Chicago Hotel Reviews / Sofitel Hotels / → All Tags
The Windy City's Best: Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
Chicago's got a lot of swanky hotels, so when we saw that reviews on TripAdvisor were singing the praises of the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, we had to wonder why. There's so many places to choose from in the Windy City, that this place had to be a reason for being number one.
Turns out? A lot of it's got to do with location--the Water Tower has views of Lake Michigan and sits in the heart of downtown. The decor is standard Sofitel with a hint of European flair. And with 415 rooms, there's enough space for everyone. Plus customer service ranks supreme here too:
My husband and I spent Labor Day weekend at the hotel and from the minute we pulled up to valet (word of caution, it's $40 per day) until we checked out, we were delighted by the experience. We were upgraded to an upper level room that directly faced the Hancock Building...fabulous view!
Wow, it must be that good if you can overlook the $40 parking fee and still love the place.
Related Stories:
· Best Hotels for Fireworks in Chicago [HotelChatter]
· Sofitel Chicago reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotel Construction / Chicago Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
The Dana Hotel: In With the New in Chicago
We know preservationists, hard as they try, can't prevent every teardown that makes way for a new hotel. And we don't believe every single old building should be spared. Yet we feel especially wistful when a teardown involves an old hotel. In this instance, preservationists lost the battle to save the Dana Hotel, built in 1891 as the Erie Hotel.
Before the five-and-a-half story Queen Anne-style building closed in 2005, it had been the longest continually operating hotel building in all Chicago. The River North neighborhood, once in decline, is now prime for development. After some last-ditch efforts to spare the building from the wrecking ball, the hotel was demolished this summer.
Replacing the old Dana Hotel will be the new Dana Hotel. Same name, new look: the 26-story, 216-room property that, judging from the architect's rendering, was no candidate for a "facadomy," which spares the distinctive front wall of a building and incorporates the wall, and the old look, into the new design.
Tags: Fairmont Hotels / Hotel Amenities / Chicago Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Fairmont Chicago Now Offers Swanky Nespresso Coffee
The race amongst luxury hotels to offer the best in-room amenities has just been kicked up a notch.
The Fairmont Chicago hotel has begun offering guests the use of Nespresso coffee machines in all of its 687 guestrooms. If you don't know what Nespresso is, it is one of the greatest coffee and espresso makers ever. We can say that because we own one, although it's an older model and not the cool new ones.
The machine operates off of tiny little capsules of premium coffee or espresso. The capsules come in all different flavors and blends along with a helpful "strong" rating, meaning an 8 (on a scale of 1 to 10) will certainly get you cranking for the day.
Once you have decided which flavor suits you, then you simply plop the capsule into the machine, press a button and out comes a piping hot cup of coffee or espresso. It's that easy.
More about Nespresso from the hotel:
Dubbed, the ultimate coffee experience, Nespresso was recently featured in the Financial Times and their impressive growth model. The Fairmont Chicago is one of the first US hotels to feature the sleek, avant-garde espresso machines as a complimentary in-room premium-quality coffee service.
One more thing--Regular and decaf coffee capsules are complimentary but the espresso choices are part of the mini-bar offerings.
Tags: Hotel Packages / Sheraton Hotels / Chicago Hotel Reviews / Family Friendly / → All Tags
Tweens, Karaoke and Sheraton Chicago
Tweens, Chicago and Radio Disney. Did someone say Pajamarama?
Probably not. But still, the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers have come up with an interesting draw to lure families in for the end of the summer: a 90-minute "back to school blowout" bash with Radio Disney.
Similar to the High School Musical package they ran in January, the hotel is running a promo for $179 per night for a family of four ($159 if you stay two nights) for August 24th and 25th and they're calling it a weekend "sleepover party" (hehe.)
Tags: Fourth of July Hotels / Chicago Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Best Hotels for Fireworks in Chicago
Fourth of July is just a week away so in case you are headed to a big city for some fireworks fun, we'll be taking a look at hotels with prime fireworks views. Have a favorite hotel for gawking at bombs bursting in air? Send it our way.
The fireworks in Chi-town are set to go off at the city's Navy Pier at 9pm and a good place to watch the show would be from the Omni Chicago on nearby Michigan Avenue. The all-suite hotel is offering a Definite Stay promotion--which means what it says and requires full prepayment--for $199 a night on July 3 and July 4. Not a bad deal and you know those Omni Hotels, they are soo good for you.
Tags: Chicago Hotel Reviews / Sheraton Hotels / Hotel Packages / Father's Day Hotels / → All Tags
Take Dad Out to the Ball Game
[UPDATE: This package offers free valet parking at the hotel (not the game) and is now offering two hours of food and beverage at the game instead of 90 minutes.]
We normally think of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers as a big, bad convention hotel. (You have signed up for September's Valvular Heart Disease conclave, haven't you?) But even road dogs and salarymen need some time off, which is why the Sheraton has a Father's Day package that should excite the Cubs fan--and dad--in your life.
The package includes accommodations, free valet parking at the game and a 90-minute snack bar bonanza at the Cubs-Padres game on June 16. The seats could be better than the bleachers, but then again, that's where the home run action happens. (If you're lucky enough to see two National League teams hit home runs, that is.)
You'll end up paying $400 for the whole schebang, but you can get two nights for $600. Plain old room rates for the same weekend are starting at $200 a night, so you're going to have to choke down a lot of hot dogs to get your money's worth. Then again, isn't your dad worth it?
[Photo: Wallyg]
Tags: Hotel Restaurants / Chicago Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Hotel Chefs Are Becoming More Involved in the Hotel Experience
Hotels and their in-house restaurants and chefs keep getting closer and closer.
Just like the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, the Fairmont Chicago is offering a day with the hotel restaurant's aria chef where guests can learn not only how to cook certain dishes but how to pick out the freshest produce and the best ingredients for the meals.
Chef Noah Bekofsky, executive chef of aria is taking both experienced and novice food lovers on a culinary adventure in a summer-long program dubbed Shop with the Chef.
Each month, Bekofsky will accompany a small group to the Chicago Green City Market. Participants will shop with Chef Noah, participate in cooking demonstrations from some of Chicago's most famous chefs, and meet the finest producers of fresh, sustainably raised produce and products.
The program is offered on the last Wednesday of the month from now through September and costs $100, plus gratuity. You can book the event by calling 312- 444-9494.
Related Stories:
· Fairmont Chicago reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Weekend Hotel Happening: Chef's Table at The Avalon Hotel [HotelChatter]
Tags: Chicago Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Chicago Hotel Scene Round-Up: The Peninsula
In concluding our week of Chicago hotels, we give you this snapshot of a bathroom with a view from the Peninsula Chicago. There's really not much to say about this hotel since the Peninsula name pretty much says it all. However, two people have recommended this hotel for those visiting Chicago, so it does live up to the name. Just remember to bring some extra cash as one reviewer said parking was $40 a night.
One more hotel in Chicago to checkout is the Hotel Burnham, another Kimpton Hotel. This also has a couple of caveats. The rooms are smallish so if you can, pay a little extra to upgrade to a suite room, as Business 2.0 recommended a while back. The other thing as Hotel Maven and Chicago resident Langtry notes is that:
there is a massive construction project taking place directly accross the street from the hotel, so views overlooking Washington Street are likely to be noisy during the day and less-than-"view-licious" in the evening.
Good to know. For the rest of our Chicago hotel write-ups, click here. But we've barely scratched the surface on the Chicago hotel scene and we promise to do more on the Windy City in the future. As always, your recommendations are greatly appreciated, so drop us a line about what's hot and what's not.
[Photo: Phototram]
Related Stories:
· Peninsula Chicago reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Anti-View / Chicago Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Room with an Anti-View: Club Quarters Strikes Again
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
Since we're talking about Chicago hotels this week, this anti-view is especially appropriate. This is the view from the city's Club Quarters hotel taken by JazzLovr who wrote:
The Club Quarters hotel was great. Good location, nice room, comfortable bed, fabulous service... But apparently the view was so bad that they had blocked off the bottom half of the window to spare us from seeing it!
This is the second time a Club Quarters hotel (which is a private sort of hotel for business travelers) has had a crappy view or in this case, no view at all.
Related Stories:
· JazzLovr's photostream [Flickr]
· Club Quarters Chicago Hotel reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Room with an Anti-View: Club Quarters Philly [HotelChatter]
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
