Julie B.
Yelp
We were visiting Chicago with friends for an evening and they chose this hotel so we agreed to join. Having stayed at the Four Seasons earlier in the week, I admit we were spoiled by the excellent service and family friendly nature of that hotel, but we hoped for a similar experience here.
Arriving at 2 pm, we were told that our room was not yet ready so they would text us as soon as it was available. The check in person told my husband that we had a "fabulous room, one of the best in the hotel" so they wanted to make sure it was perfect for us. He double checked with them that the rollaway bed we went through herculean efforts to ensure would be there and set up for us was, and we were assured it would be (side note: the hotel does not have interconnecting rooms and also does not have rollaway beds unless you absolutely insist...kind of a problem if you have two kids who are too young to be in their own room and too squirrely to share a bed).
We were texted shortly after and returned promptly to the hotel. The hotel has 33 floors, and our "fabulous" room was on the 10th floor. When we walked in, the entire room overlooked the building mechanicals and the top of a parking garage. Oo la la. Fabulous. Not impressed by their fake enthusiasm, and frankly, they should just not say anything if the room has an awful view like ours.
Rollaway bed was set up in our bedroom, which we'd asked them not to do, and it was impossible to move. Couch bed was not set up. We had to call them 3 times to get it all done and done right.
So, that was check in. Our friends' rooms weren't ready when they checked in at 3. One wasn't ready until 4 and they gave her 1 drink coupon. Our other friend's was done at 430 and they gave him 2 drink coupons AND a $100 credit to the hotel. Woman versus man? Extra 30 minutes? Not sure, but if your room is delayed, ask for 2 drink coupons and a $100 credit! They apparently will offer that if pressed to do so.
Location is good. Beds are comfortable on their own but the air conditioning was like a jet engine blowing directly at your face on both sides of the bed. Absolutely arresting and needs to be fixed to enjoy a comfortable sleep.
Not a family friendly hotel. No little niceties for kids like other hotels. While breakfast was included for us, kids could only order from a very limited menu. Our kids wanted something from the main menu so we had to pay full price for them. I wish they would either allow parents to pay half price for those or just include it for the kids. If it's included for one, it should be for all.
Overall, we far preferred our stay at the Four Seasons. I definitely recommend it over the Sofitel both for the room comfort, the view (which was INCREDIBLE at the Four Seasons), the staff and the overall experience. I do appreciate that some of our breakfast at the Sofitel was included, but perhaps they could make a change on the menu pricing to acknowledge how hard it is for parents to travel with kids and make them feel more welcome. And don't be so stingy about rollaway beds! Surely we are not the first to ever request. And finally, make the checkin process better. We were a little early and both of our friends were right on time. That none of the rooms were available, 2 of which were made available very late, is not a great experience for your guests.