THE MIDLAND HOTEL, Chicago, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel — Hotel in Chicago

After staying at other top SPG hotels including one other W Hotel my experience at this location was pretty disappointing. It was our wedding anniversary and I while I appreciate the room upgrade we received (and we did tip the concierge handsomely for this), I'm afraid that's where any sort of customer service stopped. When we checked in the doorman was awesome with helping us with our bags and opening the door but we never saw him again and that was the last time anyone opened a door for us and yes we did tip. The door staff were more concerned with hailing cabs for people and in my perception catering to the bar patrons. I don't expect anyone to open a door for me but when my hands are full it's a good gesture. I would do it for someone else even if I wasn't working there. I can't tell you how many times we struggled with bags to open the front doors. On top of that when asking for directions, we explained we wanted to walk and were told exaggerated walk times and cabs were always suggested. Do your staff get tips from cab drivers or something? As far as the concierge staff goes I felt like I was being solicited to book events and/or couples massages and when we cancelled a reservation due to the marathon making it difficult to keep, I felt pressured to book another time. It made me wonder what the motivation is to constantly want to book us for events and call us cabs. I don't want to be hustled on a vacation. I'm almost embarrassed to bring this one up...upon check in, we were promised champagne and chocolate covered strawberries (because of our anniversary) and we received neither. I don't need these items from your hotel but the gesture did make my wife feel special and as you can imagine, unimpressed when the promise wasn't fulfilled. The check out procedure was what put me over the edge though...the promotional rate I was promised at booking was not applied and our bill had a significant discrepancy. I brought this up upon check out and quite frankly it was like I was inconveniencing your front desk staff. There was a line up starting behind me and I did not want to be standing in the cramped lobby either but I wanted it resolved so as not to have to call from home later. I was being rushed and I did not appreciate it. After reading my print out in the Living Room I came back again and stood at the SPG desk for a good 5 minutes before anyone asked to help me. I remained calm and eventually the lady who did help was great but even she was unsure as to why my balance still seemed off. I sensed it was going no where so we left it with me looking into it later when I get my visa bill. I would have preferred to have a manager come out and help rectify it there on the spot. Positives were the housekeeping staff, bed and shower, towels -...

I had to go to Chicago for the National Restaurant Association's annual tradeshow, but I could only stay one night, a Saturday night, for I had to be home on Friday and Monday for business. I booked the W because it was convenient to places in The Loop and McCormick convention center, to these degrees, it worked very well.

When I arrived at the hotel after attending the show on Saturday I was greeted by the bellman who handled my bags with a smile and directed me inside. The lobby took me back, I could see it was an older, elegant structure redone anew with a whimsical, edgy sense of style that respected the original architecture, I was delighted by the space. I checked in and sent my bags up to my room and went to the bar for some refreshments. The interior music set a perfect mood for the late afternoon moment and the beer was cold, I enjoyed 2 rounds and went to me room to freshen up.

I chose a Spectacular room and found it to be just as described, spacious, open and well appointed; the tech hook-ups were excellent and the iPod interface on the bedside radio was of outstanding quality and audio clarity. The bathroom was very nice and modern, the hot water got hot quickly and the lavatory flushed without laziness, 2 things not always found in older buildings in Chicago. The TV looked nice and modern, but admittedly, I never used it. The bed, yes, the bad, it was awesome! I had a very comfortable king with what appeared to be feather pillows (if they were't feather, I couldn't tell) and the sheets and bedding were of high quality. The step-in closet was illuminated and had just the right amount of room for 2 people's clothing and bags, the safe was a nice tough as well as the hanging organizer. Lighting in the room was well thought out, I was especially fancied by the low-level illumination under the bed and left it on all night as a nightlight. There was a desk, a desk chair and a side chair, both chairs were leather clad. Overall, I was very pleased by the room's layout, appointments and style.

I went out to dinner that night with some clients and upon returning to the hotel the atmosphere had changed. Two disco balls were sparking the lobby and the music was bumpin'. There was a party going on in the ballroom that had spilled out into the lobby area. It was a fun moment and I settled at the bar to take it in, one drink later I adjourned to my room for a restful sleep. The next morning I went down to the lobby for some coffee and sat in the comfortable lobby area and gathered my thoughts for the day ahead. Checkout was a snap and I left The W satisfied with my stay and knowing that I...

This hotel could train their staff better for a more pleasant customer service approach. For instance, when I requested a late check out, I was told that there would be an extra charge because of the reservation type that I had made. My reservation type was a senior citizen discount, made through my Bonvoy App. I asked the front desk if this applies to Bonvoy titanium members, because I thought late checkouts are a benefit for Marriott titanium members, when available. So, the front desk asked me what time did I want to check out & I told her & she just hung up the phone on me. I wasn’t informed if there would indeed be a late checkout charge or not, even after I was told there would be a charge for my late checkout. Also, we received 2 complementary breakfasts each morning. But we were not allowed to receive juice & coffee with our complementary breakfast. We were entitled to either juice or either coffee, but not both. So, I thought this was chintzy & definitely substandard for Marrriott. For my Bonvoy loyalty, either offer me a pleasant complementary breakfast or don’t! I shouldn’t be made to feel like I’m charity, especially since I’ve given Marrriott hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. The carpet in the room needs to be stretched because it’s buckling up & bumpy. It was also frayed & sloppy looking, going into the bathroom. The room was decorated kinda like a boudoir, like something I’d imagine you’d see in a “cat house.” I wouldn’t bring a date here because it seemed cheap & I would not want to insult my date. When I checked out, the front desk told me that they would email me my bill because their printer was not working. When I looked at my email, I noticed that I was charged $44 for breakfast. I had left a $4 tip on the first day because it was just me dining for our complementary breakfast. The second day there were two of us & so I left an $8 tip for our two complementary breakfasts. The $8 tip showed up on my bill, but the $4 tip did not. However, a $44 charge did show up on my bill. I disputed this charge & it was refunded. It was just an unpleasant experience, dealing with the staff at this hotel. They seem like they really want to nickel and dime a guest to death here. I didn’t feel very welcome either. One good thing about this hotel though, is the location. But there are lots of hotels to choose from, all around this area of Chicago. I won’t...