Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel

“The "unwritten" details....”

Cons: Read the VERY FINE print when booking your room....it's easy to miss. Many hotels are price gouging their guests with additional daily resort/destination fees, and this hotel is no exception. They charge an additional daily $25 "Destination Fee" to your daily room rate, and then tax that... more

Cons: Read the VERY FINE print when booking your room....it's easy to miss. Many hotels are price gouging their guests with additional daily resort/destination fees, and this hotel is no exception. They charge an additional daily $25 "Destination Fee" to your daily room rate, and then tax that which comes out to almost $30 daily. This charge CAN BE applied to their bar and restaurant, thankfully; but... What they didn't clarify at check in is that this daily charge begins on check-in day, meaning if you don't use the restaurant or bar on a daily basis applying it to your room (tab always exceeds the daily $25 with tax, tip, etc.), you will still be charged (and you cannot roll over your charges if for example, two days not drinking or eating there, on the third, you haven't accumulated a total $75 credit to use because the fee is applied to your hotel bill daily--even if unused it cannot be applied for another day). If you have other plans or business and are eating or drinking out, you are still paying for this daily charge on your hotel bill. Basically, they're charging/forcing? you to eat or drink there, even though Chicago is FULL of great restaurants and bars. And if you have your daily breakfast there to use the credit, the coffee is an additional $5.00! Also, in your room prominently displayed on a tray are two bottles of "Lifewtr Whole Body Hydration" water, with a price tag of $6 each. I was shocked seeing this as in almost all the hotels I've stayed at (even internationally), bottled water was always included free daily (although this was a higher-end water?). What they don't tell you at check-in (at least not to me) was that IF YOU ASKED, the front desk will hand you a bottle of regular bottled water--I didn't know this until the 5th day I was there when I saw someone ask at the front desk, and they gave them one. I was refilling my travel water bottle every day in the lobby from a water carafe and would run out while I was out & about, looking for places to refill it. The $6 water bottles they prominently display in your room (instead of just putting them in the refrigerator) is another way to squeeze money from you if you didn't know better. Therefore, I felt I was "nickeled & dimed" and wouldn't stay there again. Pros: The service staff at the hotel restaurant are very attentive. Great location--public transportation..both underground and the El, plus buses going everywhere are right next to hotel and the Riverwalk is across the street. Can walk everywhere, plus you're right next to the theater district. Great river view rooms. I happen to PREFER shower curtains and tubs which they have (not half glass shower stall partitions, etc.); great shower/water pressure and temps; and the mattress, and especially the pillows!! were the most comfortable I've experienced. Bathroom was clean, plenty of towels, lighted makeup mirror, etc.

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“It's fine”

It has all the amenities you'd want and expect in a Renaissance. The club is nice, and there's better-than-average food (particularly in the evening) in it, relative to other clubs. Good location for business down town, or sight-seeing. I've stayed here twice now and both times the air conditio... more

It has all the amenities you'd want and expect in a Renaissance. The club is nice, and there's better-than-average food (particularly in the evening) in it, relative to other clubs. Good location for business down town, or sight-seeing. I've stayed here twice now and both times the air conditioning vent has made a distracting amount of noise. I was able to jury rig a partial fix in one of the rooms, but that didn't fix the whole problem. Not a deal-breaker, but a minor nuisance. Friendly staff. I'm a Lifetime Platinum Marriott Bonvoy member.

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