Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile

We came here and stayed for a conference my honey was doing at the hotel. Once we arrived, the staff were very friendly, especially the valet. There was a ton of construction around the hotel but that didn’t hinder our experience. This hotel is located right smack near everything, and we had no problems getting to Navy Pier or any of the hot spots.
Once you walk in, the first thing you’ll notice is the bar area. It’s hard to miss and provides great atmosphere! We stopped by there one of our nights and enjoyed relaxing & not going far. They offer select menu items from their in-​house restaurant, which helped out as well! They also had lemon water at the front for guests (we utilized this a few times after our runs). There is a gift shop on the first floor (hit that up too) and Harvest (in-​house restaurant, wrote separate review for that) on the second floor.
The rooms are standard and nothing really to wow you. We did room service one night and the pizzas we ordered were not great at all. However, they were great about taking them off the bill.
The pool and weight room were not open and under construction, so that was a big letdown but can’t fault them for renovating them during our trip there.
Overall, a great first trip to Chicago and would recommend staying here, if you’re not looking for fancy rooms and access to everything else.

I wish I could give it 3.5 stars…
Been coming here for the last ten years, every year around Christmas time. This year some big changes were present. Marriott has decided to revamp the room into a more «modern» look. Plain colors, modern looking chairs and tables, etc. However, there are no dressers for clothes, no fan in the bathroom, the large flat screen TV has a huge lag when changing channels, an «open style closet», and a bathroom door that is a unique style, but consistently slides open (without a lock) when utilizing the bathroom. And unfortunately, due to the upgrades they have had issues with their water and it takes a good ten minutes to get hot water in the room.
Another huge disappointment this trip is that they have removed their beautiful pool and hot tub and have no plans to replace it. They are building a huge fitness studio which is going to be «state of the art.» I am sorry, but in my opinion (from coming here the last ten years) the majority of people are here on vacation… Yes, many like to workout on a daily basis– but honestly, a pool is much more of an amenity and a luxury when being on vacation.
The Lobby and overall «look» of the hotel as well as location is prime. I love Marriott hotels and have stayed at many but to be honest… I may have to check out another hotel in the future.
You won’t regret staying at this hotel if you haven’t visited in the past, I just believe they have made some changes to things that I was used to previously…

Great location but probably the worst Marriott I’ve stayed in. This hotel is in bad need of a renovation, it’s quite worn out. In the elevator there are signs saying that they’re renovating but didn’t quite make it to my floor yet (33). On the first morning it literally took 10 mins before the water in my shower got warm, but it never got hot. I called down to ask that they fix it and the following mornings it didn’t take as long for the water to heat up but again it never ever got hot. The best part of the hotel was the location, everything close walking distance. Didn’t need to take a taxi much most of the week I was there.

Not a great hotel. Prime location, decent amenities. In the grand scheme of things, not the worst place to stay. But that really is the extent of the positives I can share. If you are someone who frequents hotels you’ll quickly pick up on how dated many of the features of this hotel are, including the bathrooms, the tvs, the furniture, etc. This is a high volume hotel that caters to both tourists and business travelers, to the point that you can understand why they’ve invested in some things, like the lobby, but not in upgrading the total experience. I’m sure the profit margins here are just fine.
If someone booked me here, there would be nothing that made be say «cross this off the list forever.» It would just go down as an underwhelming property in a prime location. If I was looking to book a prime hotel for a vacation to one of the best cities in America (which Chicago certainly is), I would look elsewhere.

Great location, comfortable bedding, nice views, but inexplicably cheap on the amenities. It’s those small things that can make a difference in having a nice stay, or a wonderful one. The coffee service had the makings for one decaf coffee and one regular; we both wanted regular. Worse, they didn’t offer real cream, so easily available now, with the ultra homogenized packaged creams such as Mini Moo — and that I have seen in other Marriott hotels. They left us a complimentary bottle of water, along with the usual overpriced option of a fancy water for $ 6. But again, we both would have enjoyed a bottle of water. Why not two? I thought for sure it was simply a mistake that would be corrected when the housekeeper refreshed our room. She could see we pulled out the coffee service, and must have wondered why we didn’t use it? We used two towels (the only two available), and obviously two slept in the bed; surely, she would have left a water for each of us… but no. Small things, yes, but each causing us to have to leave our room, when we would have preferred to stay in.
The room was very small, but we really didn’t need any more space. We were surprised how much we could hear the other guests, from the noisy family yelling in the hall, to hearing someone (above us?) peeing at 5 am. The rooms aren’t very soundproof. Otherwise, the room was pleasant. Walking in, the view jumped out to greet us; the wall of window featured expansive views of the city. We turned the comfy chair to see out the window and pulled up the desk chair, also very comfortable, and enjoyed the view, eating the dark chocolate we bought when we went to get water. The king size bed was very comfortable, and the two king size pillows for each of us. was very nice. Next time we’ll try another hotel.

Nice larger room with a sitting area. Super comfortable beds.
Small exercise room with no yoga mats.
However, the location is very good and there are all sorts of food options close by, with a Whole Foods a few blocks away.
I am usually a big fan of the Marriott Residence Inn. This is a different, non suite experience. Perfectly fine for a stay in downtown Chicago, but not a destination hotel.

This the worst hotel I have ever had, the sewer water drips down from the above room’s bathroom, and when I use the bathroom something comes down on my head and I took pictures to show. And they sell internet in the hotel, does not come free regardless the high price of the renting. I tried to go to some place near Marriott to use a bathroom cuz I hate using this bathroom and something falls down on my head.

Ew.
Why does this place have such a high rating? The only thing nice about it is the location and the main lobby. Everything else is terrible. And our staff who helped was very rude (I’m looking at you, Kevin).
Triple the price of a normal Marriott thinking I’d get the stay of a lifetime, but instead got the quality of a Motel 6. Old, dingy, small, damp, and gross.
I’d give a 0 star if I could.

It’s a Marriott… good business hotel, close to restaurants, shopping and activities. It has amenities that you normally expect in a Marriott, restaurant, lounge, coffee place, gym and pool (under renovation during our stay). It’s been undergoing well needed renovations/​updates.
Rooms size (during this particular stay) was on the smaller end. I have stayed here before and have had a bigger room.
One thing that they should consider is giving free wifi to people who stay here. Although if you are a member of their rewards program, depending on your status, they comp the high speed wifi.
Otherwise, a comfortable place to stay in downtown Chicago. Are there other places that can provide better value? Probably. It really depends on what you look for in a hotel. It’s a comfortable place for me

Without the conference deal for the hotel, the prices would have been out of control. They mentioned the pool wouldn’t be open as well.
In general, everything was nice but not amazing. Conference rooms were okay.
The café coffee was pretty weak-​had to stick to the coffee supplied by the conference.
Rush bar and lounge in the lobby hosted an event for our group and we were very happy with the service.
Elevators don’t make any noise when they arrive-​irritating! Please do something about that.

Considering the cost and expected quality of a Marriott hotel, I was really expecting so much more from my stay here. In terms of location the hotel is literally PERFECT. It’s in the midst of everything and so accessible to shopping, restaurants and the happenings of the city. The staff was extremely friendly and there’s a convenience store in the lobby with anything that you could need. However, in terms of the room — there was NOTHING special at all.
It was literally the same level as a Motel 6. Not dirty at all, but just nothing incredibly nice. Also valet parking was 61/​night! Which I think is a bit extreme and by far the most that I’ve ever paid. With that said though, the locale really is unbeatable, so I’d stay again — just with a better idea of what to expect.

So I wasn’t sure what to expect before my visit based on the Unilocal and Trip Advisor ratings I’d seen for this hotel. I was doing a recent trip to Chicago with 11 others and we had chosen this hotel based on availability for the weekend we would be in town and reasonable prices for a weekend in downtown Chicago. We were inundated with an Amway convention that was staying here at the same time, which led to pretty crowded lobby areas during our stay.
Upon checking in, we were assisted by Alexandria, who was pleasant and very sympathetic to my plight of the airline losing my baggage and me showing up with nothing but the clothes on my back. I had read previous reviews indicating to ask for a high floor and renovated room and she was able to make that happen for me. I was upgraded to a concierge level room on the 40^th floor overlooking the city. She also helped me out by offering me an essentials kit since she knew I didn’t have any of my personal possessions with me. To top it off she offered me and members of my party that I checked in with a free drink voucher for the lobby bar that we could use during our stay.
Overall the experience here was pleasant. My room was decent sized and the bathroom was reasonably updated and spacious, but other members in our group did have what must have been non-​renovated rooms as they complained the rooms and bathrooms were small. I was also pleasantly surprised by the courteousness of the staff who delivered my luggage to the room when it arrived at 5am and even came to my room in the middle of the night when I requested a robe. The location is also very convenient to all of the main attractions on Michigan Avenue and we were always within walking distance of anything we wanted to do in the city!

The only reason this place gets 3 stars is because of its location! It is perfectly located right on the magnificent Mile and has a separate self parking garage just a minute walk away. The downside to this place is that the rooms are extremely SMALL! The bathrooms are even SMALLER! Literally can’t fit but one person in there so hopefully you aren’t a family of 4 or doing a girls trip like I was. There was not enough mirrors and all of us trying to do makeup and hair in that tiny bathroom and the one wall mirror they gave us in the room was crazy!
The service is also very slow here. We ordered 2 extra towels and washcloth and it took and 1 and a half for them to bring it up and when they did it looked dingy. The shower liner was also dirty at the bottom. NOT what I’m used to at a Marriott.
The lobby however was EXQUISITE! Great bar area and sitting area to just relax and watch whatever is on one of the many TVs. The Starbucks is nice too however wayyyy to expensive! $ 3.75 for a Mt. Dew??? I think not!
The checkin staff and valet folks were very nice and overly helpful! If you want convenience, not a bad place to stay. I would check to make sure there are no other big groups/​conventions staying here at the same time though. It might help.

As with all hotels, I judge on the bathroom mainly… and the cleanliness in general. I will give you the pluses and minuses.
Plus:
Good location on Michigan.
Big size of room.
Great customer service.
Minus:
Tiny, tiny bathroom with no place to hang a hand towel.
Heat works intermittingly, had to ask to have it reset.
I like to give my business to Marriott because I find that they are pretty consistent across the board. This one is good for traveling but I can imagine with more than one person in the room, that bathroom would start to get annoying. They could make it bigger and take away a little of the room space and be good to go!

Decent hotel with affordable rates. Stayed here for a few days while traveling for work.
What stood out the most to me was the customer service provided at check in and on my first day here. After an extremely trying and exhausting travel day, arriving close to 1a in the morning I checked in and was given the King room I’d requested and not only my keys but the business card and contact info for anything I may need which at 1a after the day I had was only a bottle of water to pop an Aleve and hit the sack but the gesture did not go unappreciated.
When I awoke on my first morning and was headed out to meetings being hosted in their banquet rooms I noticed a very thoughtful and kind note had been printed up and left under my door during my slumber.
In no way shape or form are Marriott employees responsible for the weather, my missed flight, my four missed standby flights or anything else I dealt with to make it into Chicago this week but the thoughtfulness and understanding they showed me was beyond exceptional. Along with the note a couple comp drinks and food at their bar, and we all know I love a good bar! But I was too busy to use them on my visit so I passed them along to a friend.
This kind act really shaped my week and helped me get right on track with why I was in town.
The room was fine and when I needed anything delivered it was in my room upon my return.
I did notice the heating system in my room was a bit screwy sometimes blew warm air sometimes cool but wasn’t a deal breaker one way or the other. I also wasn’t able to reach anyone when calling internally from the room but again not a deal breaker I set my own alarm vs a wake up call and was able to call from my cell at other times to have what I needed done. I also always request a late check out but since I wasn’t able to reach anyone, went ahead and left my things in my room which were there when I returned. In fact I have no clue when check out is or was but I’m sure it may have been a bit before I grabbed my belongings.
I did grab a glass of wine one evening in the bar/​lobby area with a large group and that service was quick and friendly even with hundreds of people there.
Good experience here which leads me to say I would consider this hotel if returning for a non business trip.
Thanks Marriott Chicago!

I love this hotel. It is right in the heart of the city within walking distance of wonderful shopping and restaurants. There is also a red line train stop 3 blocks away from the hotel. Pro Tip: Skip the cab line at the airport and instead pay $ 5 a person and take the train which connects straight into O’Hare. You might have to connect to a different line, but do your research beforehand and it’s simple. Sure it takes longer because of the stops but hey, $ 5 versus $ 40 in cab fare… I think I know which I would rather do.
Another reason I love this hotel? I got married here. Kristina, the event planner, is the most wonderful person on the planet. I credit her 100% for making our day so special. She went above and beyond anything we asked for and without her I know it wouldn’t have turned out as amazing as it did.
We came in to do a tasting so that the chefs could put together a menu specifically for our event, and it was hands down my favorite part of the wedding planning process. We got to sample about 100 different appetizers, entrees, drinks, desserts, and that was BEFORE they brought out the cake samples. I felt like royalty! Now, I know you are thinking. Marriott food for a wedding? Ew. Think again my friends. Some of the chefs there have been in the culinary field for 30 plus years and most everything is made each day from scratch. People still rave about the food we had, especially my cake which was meyer lemon with a cream cheese icing. They even house bees on the roof there and use the honey to brew their honey ale and make ice cream with it too! These people are pros.
When we arrived at the hotel a few days before our event, Kristina greeted us by walking us over to the Starbucks on site and buying us some beverages. We got married in one of the upstairs suites that overlooked the city and lake. She put flowers and rose petals everywhere, as well as little candles and the entire room transformed into something I only would have thought possible in my dreams. She put a bottle of champagne in the fridge for us, left chocolate covered strawberries near our giant tub, and even left a pound of bacon in our fridge as a present to take home when we had joked with her earlier about how our dogs names were Maple and Bacon. Yep, this woman is a treasure.
No other events were planned that day so we had an entire banquet floor to ourselves for the reception. Our colors were black, white, and silver and everything looked stunning and elegant. They set a dessert station up for us and my cake looked exactly like the picture I had given the baker to recreate. All of the waiters and bar stuff gave us superb service, even remembering which people we had said needed vegetarian plates.
Honestly, I cannot think of one area they could have improved on to make our day better. It was total and utter perfection and I will forever be glad we chose them for our day. So whether you need a venue for a special event or just a room for a few nights, consider them because I promise you will be glad you did.

On the positive side they have an awesome location right in the middle of the best shopping area. The view from the 30^th floor up is nice.
On the negative side the rooms are small. All day room service doesn’t start till noon. You literally cannot order room service between 11am (the end of breakfast service) and noon. Basically they are closed during the only break time I have during a conference.
Finally, they have insane fire marshall rules that make hosting vendor events difficult. I’m not sure if this is the hotel or the city’s rule, but no tabletop displays and no chairs allowed at the booth in the space we occupied. Four days of standing with no chairs is not very appealing. I’ve done a lot of conferences over the years and never run into a rule like this.

The GOODS
The location is wonderful– right on the Miracle Mile with shopping, night life and the lake to one side and more shopping, Navy Pier, and Millennium Park to the other side.
The lobby is breathtakingly gorgeous.
The lobby bar is gorgeous.
Our room on the 46^th floor was huge and gave us a beautiful view of the city.
The bathroom was OK, good shower temperature and pressure.
The BADS
Internet service was like $ 20 a day –what a rip off
If you are foolish enough to bring a vehicle here, be prepared to pay some crazy high parking fees
Our room AC was garbage –never worked right
Our room had tiny ants on the floor — eewwwwwwwwww

Priceline always seems to be my savior when visiting Chicago during busy weekends, I decided to make a weekend trip during the Taste of Chicago Festival and hotel rates were even more expensive than usual so I took to Priceline and was able to get deal at the Chicago Marriott Downtown on the Magnificent Mile for nearly $ 100 off the standard rate for the weekend.
I have to admit that despite driving from Saint Louis, I did not use the hotels parking simply because they wanted $ 46/​day. Luckily I was able to save half using an alternative parking service only 2 blocks from the hotel. Anyways when I first arrived I was greeted by the friendly front desk agent who promptly assisted me with my reservation and even added my Marriott Rewards to my reservation, he also asked for room preferences which is something that you usually do not get with Priceline reservations.
The lobby was active, with a center bar serving up drinks to guests. There was also a station offering a variety of complimentary candy and fruit drinks. This was a welcome addition after a long drive. The lobby also had plenty of seating for guest to relax before or after heading out for the day or evening.
As far as my room goes, I was on the 38^th floor with a great view of the Michigan Ave skyline and Lake Michigan. The windows went from the floor to ceiling which could be a little nerve rattling for those afraid of heights. The room itself was large with a 42″ LCD TV, however I have to admit the outlets were limited which made charging devices a little difficult. If staying here I highly recommend a travel power strip to increase the total number of devices you can charge at and y given time. The bed itself was comfortable, however the pillows were either too soft or too hard. I cannot knock them for that as I am very picky with hotel pillows. The bathroom was rather small, however it served its purpose. Complimentary Thann toiletries were available, and they were decent quality especially the aromatherapy conditioner.
Overall my stay were was a pleasant one, and the location was perfect just a short walk to the Red Line train, not to mention the proximity to all the shopping Chicago has to offer just outside your front door. Marriott delivered a solid stay in a great location, yes because of the location you will pay more however if you can manage to get a deal it will make your stay even sweeter.

I’m usually a Hyatt guy — but I found myself calling the Magnificent Mile Marriott home for 5 nights while attending a conference. It pretty much confirmed all the reasons I loathe staying at Marriott properties.
It may look nice on the outside, but it’s a dump.
The lobby bar is contemporary and styley, and the central location in the heart of the Magnificent Mile is certainly nice — but that’s that’s where the enjoyment ended. The chronic fail began at the front desk, which was chronically understaffed, and it took me 45+ minutes just to check into my room. (Even Vegas has shorter lines than that!)
The room was dismal too. My mattress was so old and derelict that there was literally springs poking their way out of it. (And calling the whole set-​up a «bed» might be a little too generous, since the mattress wasn’t resting on anything more than a cheap metal frame.) The room was also right above some dumpsters, so the scent of rotten trash wafted in every once in a while.
The bathroom was the real disaster area. First of all: no water pressure, so the toilet took half a dozen attempts to flush. Second of all: there were cracks and leaks in the bathtub, so water was pooling in and around it.
I could’ve forgiven some maintenance issues of the front desk had actually done something about it – but no. I notified the front desk every single day, begging to fix the plumbing problems, but they did nothing. No maintenance person. No offer to move me to a different room. Zero. Zilch. Nada. (To be fair, the girl at the front desk comp’ed the in-​room wi-​fi when I checked out, but that only happened after I threatened to talk to her manager.)
Housekeeping was also useless. Sometimes I’d come back to my room in the evening, after a long day at the meeting, to find that the housekeeping never came. Then they’d stroll on in while I’m taking a shower and getting ready for dinner. Seriously — who does that?!
I wouldn’t care about all this amateur behavior if this were a Motel 6 at some truck stop somewhere, charging $ 19 per night. But the Magnificent Mile Marriott costs a freakin’ fortune, upwards of $ 200 per night.
And for what?
A whole lot of nothing.