Wait until construction is complete
This was an overflow hotel for a conference I attended in Chicago in March 2012. The staff was excellent and the location was fine but the hotel itself is under construction, making this the worst business stay I've ever had. The lobby was non existent and lacked basic amenites you don't think about until you don't have them, like chairs in which to sit and gather your thoughts and paperwork before you head out for your day, no free Internet in the lobby or a place to even stand; no other guests in sight, no house phones in site, no views, no parking lot or driveway, and hidden restaurants that have been relocated during construction to the basement concourse level. My first attempt, I went down to the basement as instructed and found myself in a construction zone, came up above ground and was told I took the wrong elevator -- the elevator which was in the lobby. Turns out I was supposed to have taken a second bank of elevators that were down a narrow temporary hallway. I went down again, found the restaurant, saw that it was empty as well as overpriced, and left the hotel in search of breakfast. The hotel felt deserted; the experience made me feel isolated and on my own. Here's another example. When I asked for directions to the Business Center to pick up a Fed Ex box, the receptionist told me that she wasn't permitted to tell me what floor it was on but that all I needed to do was get into the elevator and press "business center." Huh?
I picked this hotel because it was terrific three years ago, before construction started. I also selected this hotel because of flattering reviews on TripAdvisor, but now I notice I was reading outdated reviews. Final note, I've been home for a week and have yet to receive one of those electronic "tell us how your stay was" emails. Two very bright notes: excellent, polite, professional staff, and the bed and temperature in the room was very comfortable. But this was the hotel stay that made me appreciate for the first time how important the common areas of a hotel are.