Andy Crosby
Google
I've now stayed at this hotel on two different occasions. The first time I had a rough stay due to some HVAC issues (notably because the window unit blasts directly into the face of one of the beds in a double queen room). That said, there were good elements of the hotel (more on that soon) and I thought I'd give the location another try. I have to admit I'm really disappointed...again.
First, let me start by saying this hotel has a good location. It's in Rosemont near a free shuttle to the Blue Line and other nearby destinations. It also has a youthful, fun feeling. But boy, this place is just not good at being an actual hotel.
I reserved a king room and was first checked into a room that turned out to be a handicap accessible room with a roll-in shower. Not ideal, but fine. Then I noticed a very large crack in the bathroom mirror (see photo). I am not sure how this ended up being missed during cleaning, but there it was. Not wanting to be charged for this crack, I went back down to the front desk to let the hotel know the crack was there. Not a deal breaker, and I explained I would be fine staying in the room. The desk clerk asked me to get my bags, return to the lobby, and change rooms - honestly, a completely reasonable request.
When I returned to the lobby, the desk clerk explained that the hotel was out of king rooms, and so I ended up in a room with two queen beds on the second floor. The only request that I made was to be away from the elevator.
If you like feeling like you are sleeping directly next to a highway, my second room is for you. Traffic noise is loud and constant due to the freeway being both nearby and near O'Hare, and insulation is poor. Still, I figured I could surely sleep through the noise.
I probably could have slept through the traffic noise, but then I heard what sounded like thumping bass from what I thought was the room next door. Since this was now 1:30am, I figured I might need to let the front desk know about the issue. I got dressed again and looked next door to see what room might be playing the thumping music. It turned out that the offender was...the lobby. Turns out that the hotel plays thumping bass music in the lobby at all hours of the night in the lobby and the second floor has an open staircase to the lobby to pipe that thumping bass music directly into hotel rooms. So much for being away from the elevator. Neat.
It is now 2:00am on the first night of my two-night stay and I wish I could report things have improved, but I might still need to request a third room for the evening. Bottom line: if you're a Marriott loyalist, there are several other Marriott branded properties in close proximity that will deliver a much better experience. If you're simply hoping to stay in Rosemont or near O'Hare, there are multiple properties by other brands in the same general location as this hotel that deliver a far better experience (I've stayed at some of them).