IL Chicago InterContinental Chicago

[gleemonex]

date of stay: september 8, 2003

wow. i was really bowled over by this hotel. great art deco, quasi-eastern architecture (there's a mosque-ish dome on the top -- this hotel was originally built as a health club by the shriners), excellent location (right on michigan avenue, next door to the tribune building, across from the wrigley and a five minute walk to the michigan avenue bridge) and really beautiful facilities.

at check-in the desk clerk made no mention of priceline, didn't try to upsell me an upgrade, but gave me an amazing room on the 17th floor in the historic tower with a king bed. this room was surprisingly large and very well appointed.

large 27" screen tv in the armoire, stereo system (i think, not positive), the bathroom was also huge and had a handicapped accessible shower stall.

the kingsize bed was wonderful. i just sank into it and lulled off to sleep.

the whole room was very comfortable.

the hallway outside the room was pretty cool too. each room had it's own little house light outside and a doorbell.

i'd also recommend a visit to see the pool on the fitness center level. it's quite a sight to behold.

i loved my stay at the intercontinental.

[Garfield]

Okay, we're back from our trip. The hotel was nice but maybe this should only be 4*. I wasn't that impress with hotel. The rooms I thought was on the smaller size, especially for a 4.5 * rating, even it is in major city which tends to have smaller rooms. The walls seems a bit thin, as you can hear some thing though the walls. The windows although closed let in lots of traffic noise. Definitely need better windows sould insulation. The finishing of the room and bathroom was nice though.

Parking was $37 valet. Good location. Would I stay here again? Yes if the price was the same or less.

[Aaron]

Although I'm fairly young (25), I have been a Chicago resident all my life, and am aware of the Intercontinental's history. I was looking for a bargain hotel rate to enjoy a romantic night with my girlfriend, and searched on hotwire.com. Although hotwire doesn't tell you the name of the hotel until you've purchased it, I ended up spending $69, and the Intercontinental came up. Very good price for a hotel room in downtown Chicago in general, very good price for a Friday night and a very good price for the Intercontinental, which goes from around $150ish-200 a night for basic rooms.

Check-in time is at 3pm, but I decided to call and confirm my reservation earlier in the day. It took a little while on hold, but a nice woman eventually came on to tell me that my reservation was, in fact, booked. I came into the hotel at about 3pm exactly, and was helped by one of the desk staff, who, while not seemingly overly friendly, was nice enough. I did not encounter a long line while checking in, but later that night, I did notice longer lines gathering. The actual check-in process was fairly quick, but they didn't always have enough people, it seemed. It was as if maybe if they had one more, they could get the line down more effectively.

I had no trouble getting a non-smoking room (I brought these room sprays, just in case, since I didn't know where they'd stick me, given what I'd paid). I had a bit of trouble with the key in the door, but a nice maid showed me how to open it (I was turning the handle down instead of up. Who knew?).

The room itself was nice, if on the smallish side (I didn't expect the Presidental Suite for $69, I just wanted something fairly nice). Everything seemed clean and tidy when we arrived. The room has a small hallway when you walk in, with a closet (robes inside) and bathroom (very pretty, but small bathtub) to one side. The room itself had a large bed, TV (27in) in the cabinet and a couch against the window. There was also a minibar, but I wasn't about to go for that. There was also a little trick in a couple of places in the room - a couple of bottles of Evian were out and when I first got in the room, I quickly glanced at them and thought they were free. It was only when I looked again that I noticed the tag around them stating that they were $5.95 each, which seemed ridiculous when the Walgreens down the street or the White Hen around the corner had the same thing for $2.50. For $5.95, that'd better be some awfully good warm Evian.

The TV had in-room movies for $10.95 each. Not awful, I guess (there's two movie theaters a block away, though) and a decent selection. The TV had a fair amount of channels, but nothing too noteworthy. The bed and couch were very comfortable.

The decor in the room was really nice - liked the warm, dark colors. The hallways, however, had a wallpaper that seemed just a tad tacky for such an upscale hotel. The rest of the hotel is luxurious and elegant, but maybe sometime they should think about changing the wallpaper in the main wing (the historic wing has a more subtle look).

Of course, I couldn't go to the Intercontinental without swimming in its famous Junior Olympic-sized pool. Architecturally stunning, the pool area must be seen to be believed. A historic feat (above ground pool) when it opened in 1929, the pool has a lot of history and it was really a cool thing - being from Chicago - to have taken a dip there. The only problem is that it seemed like it wasn't for casual swimmers - lap-swimmers were pretty much the main population there. People have to rinse off before going in the pool, and there are towels and lockers. You can take the robes from your room to wear out. After the pool, I took a sauna for a little while. It wasn't a steam room, but a dry heat sauna, w/heated rocks. Really nice, but had to get out after 10 minutes (just a bit too much heat for me). There was also a mid-sized exercise area, with treadmills and other equipment to use.

Check-out was a little longer, as there were more people coming in-and-out (the hotel was booked solid for the night that were leaving), but everything went fine. Took a peek in the gift shop, which seemed overpriced a bit, but no surprise. We didn't eat in the restaurant, but there was a coupon on the bathroom window for a free bottle of wine with two entrees. There is also room service and they really seemed to be service-oriented in the book, noting that if there was something you wanted that wasn't on the menu, the culinary team would try to make it. There was also newspaper delivery to all rooms in the morning.

My girlfriend and I had tried hotel bargain hunting once before and ended up in the Marriott Residence Inn, which is by Chicago's Water Tower on Walton. For $54 (on Priceline), we were in a Suite that offered a bigger room, a full kitchen and a larger bathroom. We also had a better view (at the Intercontinental, we pretty much looked at the building next door, although we could see the rooftop basketball courts at the Marriott across the street.) and the Marriott offered a large free breakfast. The front desk staff also seemed a bit more welcoming. Understandably, completely different hotels.

Overall, we went to the Marriott on the first try and I wanted to take my GF to something more "upscale". While I'm glad we tried the Intercontinental (nice experience, overall), I guess I'm more practical and enjoyed the Residence Inn's offerings a tad more. For the size of the rooms in the main part of the Intercontinental (if my room was any indication, which I've read it is), I just can't see paying $150-200 a night. The location's great on Michigan Ave, but there's a lot of other choices that are more reasonable.

If you're looking for upscale (the basic rooms aren't too big, but they really do act like they are there for you at any time. The location is also good, but there's certainly other hotels within a minute's walk), try the Intercontinental. It is set-up for business travel (business suites, fax, wireless internet and more) If you're just in town and not going to be in your room a lot, try one of the Marriotts or the Hyatt on Wacker, or maybe the Sheraton more towards Navy Pier. There's a lot of choices nearby. I'm really glad I stayed in the Intercontinental, being from Chicago and knowing its historical value. However, I think I'm going to try for someplace else on my next bargain trip.

(review also posted at epinions.com)

[Ning Dynasty]

Awesome stay at the Inter Continental...on June 29, 2007

I checked in at 3pm (check-in time) and got booked in the HISTORIC TOWER.

If you can get there at 3pm...ask for the Historic Tower...

My room on the 28th floor had 3 windows (+ one in the bathroom). They looked West, North, and East. So, from my bed, I could see the West 'burbs, The Hancock Building, and Lake Michigan!!

This room was $85/nite...and would have been a steal at $200.

The only gripe, would be the $48/night parking...kinda steep, but whatyagonnado?

5-Star Hotel in Chicago for a 1-Star price! Can't beat priceline.com

Hope this review helps!

-Ning Dynasty

[Dr.Funk]

Stayed at the Inter-Continental for a single night - 6/28/08

I was a little concerned when I won this hotel with my bid ($150) as I was traveling with my wife and (2) small children (ages 3 and 8).

The hotel bent over backwards for us:

They helped us get an early check in (aprox. 1:00 pm) after we talked to them a week before to request a room w/2-dbl beds and non smoking, and again the day of our stay. This early check in allowed my 3 yr old to have the much needed nap.

They accommodated our request for (2) double beds and the non smoking room.

My wife and I had both reconciled we would each be sleeping with (1) of our children. Upon check-in they saw our family and offered to bring a roll away bed to the room.

The room was quite spacious, (an fit the roll away bed - no problem) we had view from the 19th floor of Michigan Ave. The pool while not a "kid" pool was beautiful.

You simply can't beat the location, walking distance to Navy Pier in the heart of action on Michigan.

Great Job Inter-Continental.

:)

-Doc

[Shea77]

Just got back from a 3 night stay here. The hotel was better than I expected. No mention of Hotwire and got a great room with a nice view (in the regular part, not historic tower). My room on the 11th floor was immaculate. It had a flat screen TV, king size bed, work desk and couch with ottoman. The windows open which I love. Minor room complaint is that the room must have had 20W bulbs in every lamp, it was always dark and dimly lit (my friend said her room was like that too).

Location is simply fabulous. All employees were very friendly and helpful. Fast elevators. Amazing pool. I would be happy to stay here again.

We walked to Trader Joe's (a unique small grocery store) to buy trail mix and water and other snacks for the room - great prices there. Also I highly recommend the Chicago Architecture Foundation River Boat Tour

[DwB]

My wife and I stayed at the Intercontinental Chicago September 28 through October 2, 2011. We arrived by taxi from the airport around noon. I had called previously to try to confirm a King Bed room, but was told it would only be indicated as a preference. We were allowed to check-in upon arrival and initially I was offered a Double Queen. I asked about a King and she checked and one was available and provided, hassle free.

We were on the 26th floor on the North Wing. I believe there are two wings. I am not sure if one wing is more recently renovated or not. Our room, 2669, was clean and in good shape, if slightly dated. The toilet fixture is old-school for example, but the room was comfortable with all the expected amenities and a new flat screen television.

We had no problems at all with our stay and the hotel is in a great central location. There were no additional charges except for a local call (they charge for local). We did not have a vehicle to park.

I ran into a problem being hungover on departure day. Accordingly, I arrived at Midway by taxi, went to the counter and realized my passport was still in the safe at the hotel with some Canadian Cash.

I called the hotel and eventually spoke to Bryan as Security who had the passport and cash retrieved and put in an envelope and sent by taxi to meet me at the airport. It was obviously very helpful.

Overall, very happy with the experience at the Intercontinental.