December 2019, Weekdays (holiday week), 2-nights, King club lounge guestroom 3433
Arrival, check-in, platinum perks
A guestroom was ready when we arrived late morning, although I had not received a text notification via the app. When we stayed at the Westin down the road last year, I had received a notification at 7:30 AM! We received an upgrade to a top floor guestroom with club access, and late checkout.
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View from guestroom 3433 by desk area.
View to the left was a rooftop and taller building (not visible in this photo). |
Guestroom 3433
This guestroom is at the end of the hall on the SE corner, with a partial view of the river and lake. The view was partially obstructed because many buildings around the hotel are taller than this building. There is a hallway door outside this guestroom that can also be closed to reduce hallway noise. We appreciated this, because the hotel was very full during our stay.
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Guestroom 3433 from bathroom entrance.
Desk area and mini-bar (not visible) located to the right. |
Our guestroom contained a minibar, desk with chair, soft chair, end table, king size bed, and nightstands. The bed, sheets, and pillows were all super comfy and plush. We loved the upgrade and view, although we were disappointed there was only one sitting chair and no sofa in the guestroom. Apparently, the photos I had seen with a sofa in the room are King Grand and Family guestrooms. The large closet across from the bathroom contained a robe and wall safe, along with the usual items, like hangers and iron. The bathroom contained a tub/shower combination, and it was not very big. The vanity counter was sufficient; just the room itself was small. The bathroom door needed to be shut to get in and out of the shower.
A coffeemaker with supplies was provided near the minibar, and two bottles of complimentary water were provided in the bathroom. The bottles of Fiji water in the minibar cost $14.95 each. We apparently bumped them when getting the coffeemaker out because we had a charge for this when I received the folio. Staff immediately corrected this when I called. After we checked in, I requested a fridge for the room. When we returned to the guestroom five hours later with a few food items, the fridge had not been delivered. We received it right away after I called again, and the $10 fee was waived for the inconvenience. I had also requested turndown service, which we did not receive either night. I did not ask about that again.
Food & Beverage
The only foods we had in the hotel were in the club lounge. Chicago Burger Company is seasonal, and CHI Bar was closed during our stay. 😢
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| View looking west from the Sheraton Grand club lounge. |
Club lounge
We went to check out the lounge after we got settled, and were surprised to see what a mess it was after breakfast. Food and trash all over the floors and tables. When we saw the chaos in the club lounge that evening, we understood why. I do not think I have ever been to a club lounge with more than 10 guests waiting in the food line immediately after it opened at 5PM. The second evening, things were not set up yet at 5:00, and a guest walked through the lounge knocking on all the employee doors (including the bathroom door!), so he could ask the attendant as soon as he found him, if there was going to be any food soon. We also observed people sneaking in behind other guests, and we observed people meeting up with guests who had lounge access, and then going to the room with that person. The elevator in this hotel does not require a key card to access guestroom floors, or the club floor.
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| View from the top floor of the Sheraton Grand club lounge. |
Other than the busyness of the club lounge, the atmosphere was pleasant. It is two levels, and the view is fabulous. There is a business center on the top floor. We had to come down one floor from our guestroom to enter the lounge with our key, and we could exit through the door on floor 34. Morning foods included scrambled eggs, breads, fruits, cereals, and yogurt. Evening foods included a couple of small hot foods, cheese, and veggies with dip. Alcoholic beverages were available for purchase. I wanted to purchase a glass of sparkling wine; however, that was not available.
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| View looking south from the Sheraton Grand club lounge. |
Pool area and fitness center
We visited the pool and sauna area, although we did not end up using the facilities. The area looked comfortable.
Misc. and overall
This was a pleasant stay, although I am not sure we would choose this hotel again at this time of year. We did not experience this type of chaos when we stayed at the Westin during the holidays a year earlier. Additionally, the food offerings in the executive lounge at the Westin were superior. There definitely seemed to be more guests in the Sheraton than staff could keep up with. I do not mean only in the club lounge; I waited in line several minutes every time I went to the front desk (both lines always had a wait), and several times when I tried to call for something, the telephone was not answered, or things were not followed through on.
I will have another Chicago post out soon with information about some new sites we visited in the area. Feel free to share this, and let me know if you have any questions!
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