Convenient but overpriced
I don't have anything REALLY bad to say about the hotel, but for $250+ a night, I ought to have more good things to say. While the entrance to the hotel is inconvenient (you have to take an elevator two floors up to the lobby and then cross the lobby in order to take the elevator to the rooms) this is not something that can easily be fixed. The lobby itself is not conducive to gathering unless you are working at a table. The seating areas are few and small, however if you need to work or eat, the hotel is to be commended for having lots of room...unless you need to use wi-fi, in which case you're out of luck. No business centre either. You can get wi-fi in the room for a charge and there is a nice large desk, but wi-fi has become the checked luggage of the hotel industry, so listen up Hilton...if I have a choice, I will choose a hotel based on free Internet. There are three computers with limited Internet access in the lobby and a printer, so you can perform online check-in, look up a restaurant, etc. There is a concierge, which we used several times with good results.
The suites overall are tired and in desperate need of a reno. I am not the only reviewer to point this out and if I was the manager, I would be pointing THAT out to Corporate. If here had been more of us, I might have appreciated the "suite" portion of the room, but it was dark and as there were only two of us, we stuck to the bedroom with the great city view. I appreciated the sink outside the bathroom. Beds were okay. Housekeeping was very responsive, but again, the luggage rack they brought up looked like it had been pulled out of a dumpster.
Breakfast at an Embassy Suite is usually good and this one is no exception. There are enough choices that we never ate the same thing over a four night stay and there's a great buffet if you don't have time to stand in line for an omelet. Happy hour is okay. There's no variety to the menu and be prepared to have your drink poured into a streaming wet glass because of the rush. Some people don't know when to stop when the liquor is free, despite the Illinois law that patrons can only be handed one drink at a time, so we sometimes took our wine back to the room and just enjoyed the view.
The location is the best thing about this hotel. Two blocks from the river. Walking distance to many of the parks if you are a walker. We walked to Navy Pier and Northwestern University. Train is five blocks from the hotel and there's a large bus stop by the river. We were able to get around quite easily without a car.
I would stay here again if the hotel made some changes, the location is great and the staff mostly courteous and eagerly helpful. But I've stayed in much nicer Embassy Suites. This one is showing it's age and its public areas are scarcely decorated. For the price they are charging, it's not worth it when there are so many other options nearby.