60603 Travel Guide
Tags: Hotel Renovations / W Hotels / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Inside the New Room at The W Chicago-City Center
Since the W considers itself the purveyor of cool, it makes sense that the chain would decide to redo the W Chicago-City Center. It was the first W hotel to come to the city in 2001 and it was looking a little shabby.
The $35 million makeover targeted the W Living Room, a.k.a. the lobby, and the hotel's 235 guestrooms and suites. What was hot back in '01, aside from 'N Sync, was dark decor with oversized furniture. The hotel tried to get away from that dated look throughout the hotel with bright, airy spaces.
Tags: Hotel Renovations / TripAdvisor / W Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Is W Chicago City Center's New Look Too Ikea-ish?
Ch-ch-check it out, Chi-town: W Chicago City Center just underwent a major, major reno (the first since its 2001 opening, obviously) that includes a redesign of the hotel's 235 guestrooms and suites, the W Living Room (goofy W lingo for "lobby," for those of you just tuning in), and a new brand new look for the meeting and event spaces throughout the hotel.
Warning: going over to TripAdvisor to check out reviews of this hotel may be a wee bit risky, as the reviews are about as all-over-the-place as they get. Here's one guest's take on the newly renovated rooms:
The renovated rooms look like a page out of an Ikea catalog. White, cheap furniture. I was reminded of the super-small rooms you get in European hotels where all the furniture is attached to the walls.
Whoops. Management responded to that comment, though, with this:
We ensure you that our furniture was created exclusively by the W Hotels Design team for the comfort of our guests. In implementing our recent 35 million dollar renovation our design team carefully thought of the guest experience – installing sound proof windows and creating more space by making it brighter and recessing furniture.
Probably a good thing that they're trying to make the rooms seem bigger and brighter, at least, since a couple other reviewers on TA complained of the small room size.
Rates here start around $199.
Tags: Hidden Hotel Fees / Hotel Fitness / Chicago Hotels / Hilton Hotels / Hotel Gyms / → All Tags
Is a Surprise Hotel Fitness Fee Worse Than a Steep WiFi Charge?
Just when we thought paying for WiFi to be the worst of hotel extra evils, a reader has reminded us of yet another devil in the details: additional charges for using the hotel's gym. Calling out Chicago's Palmer House Hilton in particular, our tipster uncovers more than just the fee, but also the lack of signage regarding it:
Just discovered -- the Palmer House charges $18 (!!) for guests to use their fitness center. I'm sure it's lovely, but at the news of $18 I turned around and left. Outrageous on several levels: the price (although I wouldn't pay anything) and the fact that there was absolutely no clue until I walked and found a front desk that there were any fees involved. Even then, nothing's posted.
Tags: HotelChatter Reader Deals / W Hotels / Hotel Deals / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
HotelChatter Reader Deals :: 15-20% Off at W Chicago City Center
W Hotel Chicago City Center Insider Discounts
15-20% Off Room Rates
If you're planning to check out Chicago in the fall or winter (gorgeous -- and a wee bit cold, depending on when you visit, but gorgeous nonetheless), check out the W Hotel City Center if you think you may be staying a while.
It's kinda hidden on the hotel's website, so here's the scoop: during select days through the end of the year, you can receive 15% off. Stay 4 nights, and score 20% off.
The valid dates are actually not too shabby at all:
· October 1-24, 29-31
· November 1-9, 12-29
· December 5-30
Ah, it's oh-so-nice to be able to relay a discount that does not involve waking up early and trying to beat other people to the deal -- and then getting shut out. Not naming any names, though.
Subscribe to HotelChatter Reader Deals
Have a hotel deal you think we should consider? Or have a destination and date where you want us to check for hotel rooms and rates for you? No guarantees on either, but you can try your luck by hitting us here: tips@hotelchatter.com. Please include "For Reader Deals" in the subject heading.
Tags: Anti-View / Hyatt Hotels / Chicago Hotels / → All Tags
Room With an Anti-View: Uninspiring at Palmer House Hilton Chicago
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.
And today's award for an unspectacular, dreary view out of a hotel room window goes to: Palmer House Hilton Chicago. A Flickr photographer who goes by the name of scaryspice was sarcastic enough to describe this view with the phrase "amazing isn't it ..." and we agree: amazing that the buildings here which actually are potentially quite beautiful just end up looking so drab when you see them up too close.
[Photo: scaryspice]
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: Hotel Restaurants / Chicago Hotels / Hilton Hotels / → All Tags
New Restaurant Coming to Palmer House Hilton
The Palmer House Hilton will soon have a shiny new restaurant to match its gleaming lobby. We're a little suspicious of the "November" opening date, but Lockwood Restaurant is scheduled to open soon, with French and Italian food perfect for the expense account crowd.
Executive Chef Phillip Foss will skirt Chicago's foie gras ban with "faux gras" (duck liver terrine) then follow it with entrees like osso bucco, pan roasted codfish and "surf, turf and turf," a combo of tenderloin, short ribs and lobster. Obviously, a lengthy list of wines will be on hand.
Dessert is more interesting than you might imagine. Chicago is the home of the brownie, and Lockwood will serve its version with milk mousse, shiraz-chocolate ice cream and an almond cookie.
Related Stories:
· Hotel Restaurants coverage [HotelChatter]
· Chicago Hotels [HotelChatter]
[Photo: 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]
Tags: Good Rate / Chicago Hotels / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Good Rate :: Solo 199 Dólares for W Chicago Latin Groove Package
[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which is better worth your hard-earned benjamins. The screenshot here was taken on August 15, 2006 and rates are subject to change.]
Get your Latin groove on at Grant Park during the day, then retire to the stylish W Chicago City Centernearby, for $199 to $259 per night.
The Viva! Chicago Latin music and culture festival takes place August 26 and 27 and you can still get a good room for a decent price.
According to the city:
"Chicago's Hispanic community boasts the largest Mexican population outside of Los Angeles, California and is home to Hispanics from around the globe including the Americas and the Caribbean. Chicago celebrates this diverse group of people through music, food, dance and art. Last year 170,000 people attended the festival."
We're a little worried about the double bed listed in this "wonderful room" rate at the W, so you may want to upgrade to one of the packages on the web site and pay $239 to $259. That way you won't get stuck with a closet and you can justify it by enjoying the free parking and/or welcome cocktails they throw in to sweeten the deal.
Related Stories:
· W Chicago City Center reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotel Hell / → All Tags
W's Window Watch
We're hoping that the reason a hotel window just up and fell off the 17th floor of Chicago's W Hotel City Center location, is a glamorous one. Like let's say, a reunion of 80s hair bands were in town and threw a rager.
Unfortunately, no details are to be found, just some mundane report:
Parts of LaSalle and Adams streets were closed after the window fell from the 172 W. Adams location of the W Hotel about 11:26 a.m., according to police News Affairs Officer Marcel Bright.
There were no injuries, Bright said, adding that a building inspector was on the scene investigating.
This is not what we expect from a W. Guests chucking those bulky ethernet cables out the window we would understand, but the actual window itself baffles us.
Perhaps it was a Whatever/Whenever request gone bad.
Related Stories:
· Window falls from 17th floor of W Hotel [CBS2Chicago]
· W Chicago City Center Reviews [Trip Advisor]
Tags: Hotel Hell / → All Tags
Catfight in the Windy City
Nothing like a good catfight.
Apparently, a Chicago resident, and blogger over at WindyCityFabulous, sauntered into the W on Adams for drinks with friends, and came away miffed at the staff.
Here is part of the interaction:
First, she was wearing an outfit that would put Courtney Peldon to shame -- slit up to there and hanging down to here. But the real kicker was -- we were paying the bill, and one of my friends asked how she should compute the tax on her drinks. I helpfully replied that the tax on drinks is close to 10%. Overhearing me, and misunderstanding me (she thought I was talking about her tip, I guess), Skanky Waitress snarked "Try 20%," complete with bitchy eye-rolling.
This patron went on to have an unpleasant encounter with the parking attendant as well.
Doesn't sound like this blogger stayed at the W, however, bad service, on any level, can leave you feeling terrible about a place, as we have explained here before. Hopefully, W Chicago - City Center will learn from this exchange.
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
