Palmer House a Hilton Hotel — Hotel in Chicago

Main points: Some rooms/hallways/etc. will show age. The hotel is over 100 years old. Food is pretty good just be aware of the price tag Some service individuals really made the experience positive Elevators have a specific system, there is signage that says which floors they stop at Hotel is conveniently located near various events/activities Public transit (redline) is steps outside the door Could be considered a little expensive compared to other hotels with newer construction/amenities Overall, positive stay and experience - just be aware of your preferences and see if this place fits the vibe for you

Review: The moment you walk into the lobby, there is a feeling of grandeur and awe. The dedication of keeping historic charms while trying to include modern amenities is truly something to appreciate.

Something to keep in mind - if your personal preference or taste is more modern or minimalist, then this probably isn’t the place for you. This particular hotel prides itself on its history and the staff love to give you a little bit of a summary when getting checked in.

My check-in experience was amazing. I mentioned to Ella that my husband and I were in town for twenty-sided tavern as an early anniversary gift to him. That he had also recently had a medical procedure and we needed something with a fridge if possible. I apologized for not making use of the upgrade feature in the app prior to check-in as we weren’t sure if we would still be attending.

Ella said that there weren’t many suites left but she thought they had one. After a brief moment she confirmed they had one left. She even threw a couple complimentary drink vouchers for the bar and a free brownie. And wished us a happy anniversary. She helped get our brief weekend in chicago to an amazing start.

Ella was kind, thoughtful, and funny. She really made us feel welcome and we briefly chatted while the PC system took its time updating our reservation.

Elevator system: The elevator system is to allow guests of specific floors to only use that wall of elevators. In theory to keep things moving quick. So, if someone went into the first available open elevator and didn’t see which floors it was assigned to on the signage, then they could easily get deposited on the wrong floor and have to go back to the lobby and try again. There is also an express elevator that goes only to specific executive suite floors.

We were given a suite with a connecting dining/living room that had a full sized fridge/freezer and microwave (kitchenette) and powder room. It was on the Wabash side so you could hear the sound of the train on occasion but honestly wasn’t that bad nor was it enough to even wake us.

The room itself had two walk-in closets, two full bathrooms, a couch, and writing desk. Etc

The rooms do look a bit rundown in some aspects. Paint cracking/chipping, furniture a bit worn, and just overall showing its age. However, it was clean, there was no smoke/mildew smell, and no evidence of any kind of pests. They have tried to modernize a little with smart TVs (streaming capabilities) and wireless phone chargers on the night stand.

The bathrooms are smaller and water pressure is just ok. But they are clean and no pipe issues at least for our room.

The pool was closed for maintenance - but we were aware of this prior to our stay.

The food from Lockwood was good. We just got the turkey sandwich and the burger - both come with fries. Then we doubled down with their truffle fries. We really enjoyed the ‘secret sauce’ that came on the burger.

If you are taking in a show or just simply want to stay in the loop, and you enjoy the charm of an older hotel. Then you might try giving Palmer...

What an unpleasant surprise it was to arrive at the hotel to find that the Standard Double Room shown on their website bore no resemblance to the room we received. The 360 degree photo on the Palmer House website under “Preview Room” shows a spacious room with two windows, a desk and an arm chair. What we received was an extremely cramped room with a single window and no place to sit other than a desk chair. This was a big deal as I was in the city for an event that had me spending a lot of time in my room while my child was in rehearsals, and having a comfortable place to sit was essential. I had called earlier in the week to look into upgrading my room, but after looking at the various marketing photos for the rooms on the Palmer House’s site decided that the Standard Double would be spacious enough and furnished in a way that would suit my needs. The small room we received wasn’t an oddity or outlier — our friends received an identical one.

When I spoke with the manager, his response was that the hotel is only obligated to provide a room with two double beds and avoided answering the question about why their website promises one thing when they are clearly providing something extremely different. I asked several times, and he suggested I wasn’t looking at official photos, even though I told him I was looking at the 360 photo on the Palmer House Hilton website. He went on to say that the hotel was sold out and stated that any larger rooms that had been available earlier that day had been “given to people who were happy to pay for upgrades.” After a long circular argument in which I refused to accept that I paid for a spacious room but would be staying in a cramped one, they found a new room for us that looked like what they advertised online. There was zero remorse for or acknowledgment of the misleading marketing of the rooms on their site and the room change was treated like a favor, rather than making right on something that was clearly wrong. No apology whatsoever.

I am sharing photos I took of the original room we received and the one we were moved to. Go to the website yourself to see how they market the Standard Double Room and don’t be surprised when you get the smaller of these two options upon your arrival. Know that you will be paying the same, regardless of which room they opt to give you.

I’ll also add that our original cramped room was in extremely poor condition, including broken tiles in the bathroom and the type of grime that only a renovation can address. The room we were moved to had a toilet that ran every 1-2 minutes. Other downsides were the “room service” which was packaged in takeout boxes and delivered like an UberEats order. Had we not been moved, we would have been eating in our beds in the previous room. I also had to wake up early to order our meal, as there was no option to schedule a delivery the evening before.

I will say I appreciated the attentive member of the housekeeping staff that worked in our hallway each day. She was lovely. And the front desk staff who accommodated my request for a late checkout on a very busy weekend was also appreciated.

The lobby, ballrooms and meeting rooms are stunning, but it appears the hotel is investing nothing in the upkeep of its guest rooms and the service feels in line with a budget hotel. The false advertising on the website, however, is the Palmer House’s greatest offense by far, and photos should be updated to reflect what guests are actually receiving. The large and small versions of the Standard Double Room should be labeled with different names and billed at different rates. They are not even...

I visited the Palmer House on a business trip with me and my team on March 26 - 30 for a corporate training seminar on AI and the RAFT method. Overall, the hotel was a positive experience with some minor points that are vital to touch on.

The Palmer House Chicago was a major improvement over my previous stay at the Palmer House Chester in Chester, Pennsylvania. The luggage service in Chicago is much better as the one in Chester relied on a local Dollar General shopping cart. The Chicago location does a much better job at providing a historic - feeling experience with quality amenities.

ROOMS Our room was well - organized and historically styled while maintaining modern standards. Our closet was very spacious and uniquely designed. The antique wallpaper was a nice touch, although we could tell the previously done replacement job was not the highest quality. The electrical systems in the room were also poor. Behind our TV stand was a 2 to 4 outlet extender that had very bent contacts and did not grip the wall outlet firmly. Our intern accidentally unplugged the TV and mini bar twice by pulling out the extender while trying to unplug his laptop. One of our other outlets in the room was askew and falling out of the wall. Our shower was odd because the water began to affect one of our peers' skin. We suspected it may have been hard, so visiting this hotel, make sure to wash your face after showering. Our view from our interior room was subpar, showing us an HVAC system and lots of other hotel windows. One other visitor kept constantly staring in our windows from their other room (picture included). One day after returning from a meeting, we found our previously placed Do not Disturb sign on the floor with fresh towels and serviced beds in our rooms. We're not sure if the staff was told to tend to our rooms anyway or if our sign may have fallen and not been seen, but we were confused at this.

LOCKWOOD EXPRESS Many of our mornings were early mornings in which we had little time to eat and prepare before attending our meetings. Luckily, we found a grab - n - go shop which we planned to eat at during our busy mornings. Our experience at Lockwood Express was very negative. The staff were nice but requested tips on the purchase of basic things like fruit cups and apple juice. Coffee was good, but the most negative part of our experience there was with the breakfast sandwiches, which were dry as a bone. One of the only things we would recommend would be their original, authentic brownies.

AMENITIES The gym was very well equipped, and the pool also seemed good, but I did not get to swim due to our tight schedule. Our floor was outfitted with a "Vending & Ice room", containing a small microwave and commercial ice machine. Upon entering the room for the first time during my stay, I very quickly became dizzy, fatigued, and out of breath, all symptoms of high carbon dioxide exposure. I don't know if other guests have had similar experiences with this room, but it may be hazardous to less physically tolerant individuals. The room also had exposed pipes and was not very inviting.

LOCATION The hotel is very centrally located and great for tourism, travel or business as it is in the Chicago Loop.

CONCLUSION In conclusion, The Palmer House Chicago is one of the best options for a stay. If you prefer a quick place to stay before venturing into the city or want to enjoy the amenities, this is the place for you. (Just don't go to Lockwood Express rather than dining in!) Some of our associates also stayed at the Chicago Marriot, but we will recommend them to stay at the Palmer House...