JW Marriott Chicago

Absolutely amazing hotel. Booked a room about a month ago and was blown away on how good it was. Coming in, staff greet you and help you. If you have any special requests, they take care of that. The rooms are amazing and the washrooms were extremely nice. The facilities and pool are very nice and clean. I especially loved the eucalyptus towels in the gym. The views were not great but considering that were downtown and not the tallest building around, it is understandable. Additionally, the hotel is extremely close to the elevated trains and bus stops which is very nice. Would come back again.

The hotel itself is ok and has a good location, but unfortunately, our experience at JW Marriott Chicago was disappointing in several ways. When we booked, our rate included a $15 daily credit for food and beverages. We stayed for three nights, so we expected to receive the $15 credit for each of the three days. However, when we had breakfast on the last day, the hotel refused to apply the $15 credit, explaining that we were supposed to use it on the day we checked in. This makes absolutely no sense. We had a three-night reservation, and the credit was clearly advertised as a daily benefit. They applied it twice but simply did not apply it for the third day. What difference does it make whether the credit is used on the day of arrival or the day of departure? We were also surprised that there was no late check-out option at all. Check-out was strictly at 12:00 PM, with no flexibility offered, though we mentioned our Bonvoy gold status, no difference… There were also some basic housekeeping issues. Our room did not have bathrobes or slippers, and we had to call and ask for them to be brought up. On one occasion, our room was not serviced at all. Overall, for a JW Marriott, we expected a much higher level of attention to detail and customer service. The small things matter, especially when you are paying for a premium hotel experience. Unfortunately, Marriott hotels have been disappointing us more and more lately. What makes it even more frustrating is that the price of a stay at JW Marriott is now almost comparable to Four Seasons, while the level of service and the overall attitude toward guests clearly do not come close to the Four Seasons standard. For this price point, we simply expected much more.

I wanted to share my experience simply because of the service alone. We stayed here for Lollapalooza and we definitely want to come back! While we did have an issue with our room, the team members were quick to help us do what they could to make our stay enjoyable. I also wanted to highlight Melissa, who was helping check in guests at the Executive Lounge. She was so friendly, kind, and welcoming. She made our stay ten times better with her joyful and positive spirit! And I thank Debra as well for greeting and chatting with us on our way out. She made the place feel like home! As for the location, they do have off-site valet parking but we parked closer to the festival grounds since it was more convenient. However, the hotel was about a 20-minute walk from the festival so it wasn’t too bad. Just made sure you wear some good shoes!