The hotel is a mixed bag of good points and many poor ones. I just returned from a convention at the hotel. The ballrooms and meeting rooms are lovely. The hotel services were very poor indeed, with very rude hotel workers who had little to no interest in doing anything outside of the minimum possible standards of service. This is NOT a desirable attitude in a $300+ night hotel. The restaurants are adequate - but very over-priced for the ambiance and quality. The breakfast buffet was very nice - but at $22 per person I do expect something better than an open to the lobby restaurant. The $7 half litre bottle of Evian was just the beginning of the nickel and dime behavior of this 'flagship' hotel of the Hilton chain. $3 for a 20oz soft drink is the standard. The cost of the wi-fi in the hotel was atrocious. We were relieved to discover a coffee shop a quick walk away from the hotel with FREE wi-fi. The rooms were nice - but $300 per night should be better than a 'nice' hotel room. The 2 bath room was wonderful - but the fact that neither of them had any ventilation was highly disappointing. For all of the Hilton's much touted "be hospitable" marketing - in this hotel; it is non-existent. Not one employee could have been described as going one inch to be helpful when very simple matters (key cards not working, etc) occurred. Just from when the airport shuttle dropping off passengers at other hotels and the complete lack of welcome we saw at the Hilton, there are several more hotels in the Chicago area that seem much more willing and eager to make sure that you will have a better experience than the Chicago Hilton. I would suggest trying one of them before settling on the Hilton.

I stayed at the Chicago Hilton for a training in August 2008. I was not impressed with this Hilton at all and the staff acted as though all of their customers were a burden.

My trip was not off to a great start when I called from the airport to let them know that I would need late check in (as in 8pm) and was informed by the snooty Hilton rep that she would put in that request. Fortunately, when I arrived they had a room available. I found out the next day that several of my colleagues' reservations were cancelled and they were told to find lodging elsewhere.

When I got to my room, the "dead bolt" on my door did not work. I called the lobby and told them about it. The woman asked me in a very frustrated tone what a dead bolt was and once I referred to it as a privacy lock, she said she would send up an engineer and hung up on me without saying anything further. This was eventually resolved.

Although I requested a King bed, I was given a room with 2 double beds and 2 bathrooms. I found out that this was common in the hotel. The bathrooms were very clean. However, the rug in my room was very worn out and at times my feet stuck to the carpet. The beds were soft and felt worn out. They squeaked every time you moved. The pillows were comfortable and the linens seemed clean. The A/C was very old fashioned and did not work. My room was probably 80 degrees at its coolest. There were several amenities in the room but most were available at an additional cost- $7 bottle of Evian, $3.50 for 1 hour of wireless internt, a mini bar where you could buy $3 candy or $7 beer. You are even charged for 800 numbers.

When I woke up the next morning to iron my clothes, I discovered that the ironing board had blood all over it and the iron did not work. I managed to iron my clothes without any blood transfer but I called to ask for a replacement ironing board and iron (keep in mind I just asked for it to be delivered at some point that day). Again, I was greeted by an annoyed Hilton rep who sighed and said he would see what he could do. Fortunately, it was replaced. (A colleague of mine told me that she discovered a large roach in her bathrub when she first checked in).

Even though I was able to secure a group rate, I felt that this hotel was not worth the money. Although it is historical and decorated purposely in an old fashioned style, the hotel still comes across as worn out. The rugs need replacement and they need to make it a little brigther. Perhaps I would have had a more positive outlook if they actually believed in customer service. This probably wouldn't be a bad hotel for one night but I stayed for 4 and I couldn't wait to check out.

I stayed at the Hilton a few weeks ago, although judging by the decor it could have been 25 years ago. We had a suit with a tiny bathroom and small living area. The room felt dark and depressing. The breakfast was a buffet style and was okay.

The hotel is quite big so if you are looking for somewhere that will make your stay feel special and intimate then this isn't it. There were all sorts of groups staying at the time. The oddest was what seemed to be some sort of Harry Potter event. I wouldn't have minded but it meant that the hotels factitlies where all overused. It would, more often than not, take at least ten minuest to wait for a lift and the pool was full of screaming kids.

The service was okay and the other reviewers who comment on the location are also right. This is definately not in the center of things. The last time I stayed in Chicago I stayed at the Four Seasons, which was much better and for the same price.

Very nice hotel...lovely entrance and reception...only slight drawback is the location....well down South Michigan ave from most points of interest for visitors to the city who chose to walk . There are some bars and restaurants in the nearby " loop " district but it is mostly commercial. Kitty O'Sheas bar / restaurant on site was good value serving a fair selection of meals .Our room had two bathrooms which was unusual but turned out to be quite convenient . I would say the room was starting to show it's age although there was no complaint about cleanliness or comfort. Overall we really enjoyed our stay in Chicago,and would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone.