Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel

The room was pretty standard, and the facilities were a bit old. There was no dinner service, so I ended up eating at a nearby breakfast spot. The biggest advantage, by far, is the location, location, location! It's right by the Chicago River, which makes getting around super convenient.

Overall, I was satisfied. Parking was directed by the hotel staff to a nearby lot, costing $65 per day. Valet parking was available for approximately $88.

The hotel's location is excellent. Even though I checked in late at night, they still gave me a room with a great view. The front desk service was mediocre. Upon check-in, they charge a deposit of over $300. There's also a daily $30 destination fee, which includes the early check-in deposit. The hotel's cleanliness was fair, especially the hairdryer, which had a greasy handle. Bottled water in the room costs $6 a bottle. The front desk didn't offer complimentary bottled water proactively, perhaps because I checked in late. Hotels in New York typically provide this. The room was spacious and generally met my travel needs. However, I found that I had to proactively request many things, and it felt like a certain level of English proficiency was expected from guests.

The hotel's location is pretty good, right near the city center. However, parking is quite inconvenient and they charge a fee, which is definitely different from back home. On the plus side, the hotel is large and very clean, which is something to appreciate.

Good value for money. They charged an extra city tax every day upon arrival, but part of it could be used at the hotel for coffee and breakfast.

I happened to be there for St. Patrick's Day, and this hotel had a relatively low room rate. The overall location is great, the room is spacious, and the bedding quality is excellent.