One of Chicago's best
I've stayed at several hotels in Chicago, and I think this just may be my favorite so far. It's location -- between Rush Street, Michigan Avenue, Grand Avenue and Illinois Avenue is perfect for those visiting Chicago for leisure. The rooms are a bit small, but in immaculate condition and well-appointed. The service and other amenities are top notch. The elevator service was the most significant complaint, but still wasn't horrible. More on all these things to come...
The doormen and bell hops at the Rush Street entrance lobby were always totally on top of things. The front desk staff were professional and helpful, as was housekeeping (the room was not made up one day after leaving at noon and arrive back at 6 p.m. but with a call it was quickly taken care of in an awesome way).
A nice little touch was the complimentary coffee and hot tea at the bottom of the elevators in the 5th floor lobby every morning...and the pineapple-infused water along with fresh cut pineapple and/or melon that awaited there in the afternoon.
The rooms have great views with large windows. The air-conditioning worked quietly and flawlessly. The bathrooms are immense with a large glass shower stall, an open tub, sink with an enormous counter-top, and a separate room for the commode. In contrast, the room was quite compact, but very well appointed. The king size bed had five pillows, excellent linens and a comfy douvet that insured a great night's sleep. The oversize flat-screen television was connected to a Bose surround sound system, that could also be used for radio. An adapter there leads me to believe that it could also be used for other guest-provided inputs, perhaps for both audio and video. Aromatherapy Associates toiletries were top notch. A selection of different glasses including tall drinking glasses was a welcome addition (though the mini bar was oddly not stocked). Internet access was free as it should be, though unusual for such a high-end downtown hotel. Kudos to The Conrad for this.
Elevators may be the biggest problem at the hotel, though it's reasonably minor. The 5th floor lobby requires that you take two elevators to get to your room (unless you're staying on the 5th floor). Late nigh or when the hotel isn't busy, this isn't a problem, but at prime time, there could be a little wait. There are two elevators to get you from the ground level to the lobby, which are affected by the fact that those to lifts also service five higher floors with meeting rooms and offices. Three elevators service floors five and up, but that's not enough to serve 12 floors.
The outdoor 5th floor terrace is awesome in the warm weather months for lunch, dinner or drinks.. Drinks there are very expensive ($6 for domestic beers, $7 for premium, more for other things), though that's not unusual for high-end Chicago hotels. The service at the bar there was friendly and professional.
Pay close attention to your bill at checkout, as mine included two $1.50 phone charges for outside calls, when the only two calls that I made from the room phone were transferred to the concierge or front desk. Upon checkout, the front clerk cheerfully took them off the bill. At least they don't attempt to charge you for the safe.