W Chicago - City Center

I will preface this review by saying I am NOT a picky traveler. I have been all over the world and usually take the accomodations for what they are. The W claims to be a four star hotel with world class service and wonderful rooms. I beg to differ. I have stayed at hostels in developing countries that offer more comfortable surroundings. I will say, the staff is friendly, but that's where the positive comments end. We were first placed in a room on the 11th floor, right next to the fire escape. The lights in the room flickered, the bed was a full, it was dingy, and resembled a college dorm room (a bad one). All together disappointing. We called to the front desk to ask if they had something available that was slightly larger and less depressing. After 45 minutes, we got a call back from the front desk saying we were being moved to a "WONDERFUL king suite". We walked into our wonderful suite and couldn't help but laugh. The bed took up the entire room, and the bathroom was (and I'm not exaggerating) 4 x 6. Luckily, we are both small, because there is no possible way someone over 150lbs could fit in there. I struggled to walk in and close the door behind me. Honestly, I have never been so uncomfortable or felt more ripped off by a hotel. There are SO many better options in Chicago. Yes, the lobby is trendy and fun, but not worth it. Spend the extra $50 - $100 and stay elsewhere. You won't regret it.

When the porter brought my luggage to the room my wife was in the bathroom. To my dismay I found out you can not open the room door with the bathroom door closed. So for 5 minutes I had to talk to the guy through the door to tell him I couldn't open the door due to my wife in the bathroom. The conversation sounded like a comedy routine. I have never been in a room that did not have a closet or a dresser. Where are you supposed to store your clothes? The lobby is beautiful and very trendy but I don't sleep in the lobby. Due to this I would not return to this hotel.

The room and bathroom were uncomfortably small. It was hard to turn around in the bathroom and the room gave me claustrophobia. Also, the BIG flat screen TV was on the side wall and the only way to watch it was to twist your neck sideways or sit sideways on the bed.

For the money it wasn't worth it.

Clean but too expensive. Very small room and batchroom.

The price was fine. Location was perfect. Room was tiny and bathroom minute.

Very young professional oriented except for the cost. Small rooms but pet friendly. Expensive compared to other options nearby.

Nice staff, small rooms, 'trippy' atmosphere, very close the train - had a hard time with the noise.

I had a terrible time trying to access the free wireless in the lobby. Didn't work for me at all. Wound up having to pay from my room and even that was a more complicated process than it should of been. There was no dresser, and only a wee bit of closet space. We had a periodic loud bang in the bathroom that would wake you up. The staff was great, very attentive and eager to help. The housekeeping wasn't very thorough, they left half empty coffee cups in the room and soda cans. There was not enough space for 2 of us to eat in the room so room service was straight off the bed. I think this hotel is fine if you need a place to crash and party, but doesn't quite measure up for the business traveler.

Basically you get a dorm room with a miniature bathroom. If you are of a large body size, you would have trouble maneuvering inside the standard ("Wonderful") room. It is advertised as a Botique hotel, but I would say it is like being in a "constant beer commercial". The lobby is interesting (nice change from the usual) but is mainly for a younger crowd. Older folks need not come to this hotel unless they want to be frustrated by sensory overload from music, blacklights and nightclub layout (even at 10am!). City noise like from the train could be bothersome...for us it was "ok" and not a problem. The valet service was phenomenal (expeditious and courteous). For our stay it was ALWAYS hard to find staff in the lobby for things like check-in/out and other room requests. A much better idea is to call them instead, even if you're sitting in the lobby! The people are definitely nice when you are able to find them. The room was small and unimpressive. Basic except for the 42inch TV/DVD/Safe which were useful amenities. I guess it was good for the downtown chicago location; plenty of resturaunts nearby but I recommend going near the lake shore side near the pier for better tourist activity. A business traveler would like the city center location. Comparing W city center vs. Lakeshore location...I would pick city center b/c of hotel itself, the lakeshore location for...location. Compared to other trips we've taken, this hotel was slightly better than 3 stars, definitely NOT a 4 star like we had anticipated. Would we stay here again? Probably not. Sorry. Maybe if the rooms were nicer/larger and staff easier to find in person.