Hotel room nicely decorated, but only one drawer to speak of, lived out of suitcase. Wide screen tv was not HD, only SD and would not maintain SD aspect ratio, kept resetting to stretch. Annoying shower head was rainshower type, too little water pressure, not adjustable, hot water took 15 minutes to arrive in the am. Given only one bar of soap for the week, maid never left any more. Bed very comfortable, ventilation good, reliable wakeup call, elevators fast. Restaurants and bar downstairs were very expensive. No buffet, but a full breakfast was over $35, dinner out of the question. Local brew Honkers Ale was $7/bottle, mixed drinks $12, dizzy bar waitress. Found other places to eat breakfast for $15 and drink, like Houdibras around the corner. Hotel staff very pleasant, doormen very helpful. Valet parking is steep, but then it is downtown Chicago.

We recently completed our second stay at the Fairmont Chicago. The check-in process was quick and painless but the front desk staff was almost disinterested in the whole procedure. That is fine when I am traveling on business, but on leisure trips I would appreciate a warmer greeting.

The hotel was hosting a convention at the same time as our stay, but other than seeing some signage/attendees in the lobby, we wouldn't have noticed. This is probably due to the separation of the conference areas from the guest rooms and the 8 speedy elevators.

We stayed in a Parkview Suite so we had a large room with a great view of Millenium Park. The anteroom was well appointed with a sofa, coffee table, desk, mini-bar with sink and coffee maker, and dining area. The bedroom appeared to be the same as a standard Fairmont room, but maybe slightly larger. The bathroom also appeared to be similar to a standard Fairmont room, and once again, possibly slightly larger. The upscale modern decor is pleasing but not overtly luxurious, and several small touches such as a shoe shine station (with extra collar tabs), are peppered throughout.

We booked a few evening activities through the concierge and everything was perfectly handled. The hotel restaurant, Aria, couldn't find our reservation but they oddly new my name and remembered that the hotel had called to make a reservation for us. They had no problem seating us and the dinner (both food and service) was lovely.

Minor complaints: The pillows could be better. I'm not sure if they remembered our preference for non-down bedding from our last visit, but seriously, these things barely felt like pillows. I'll suffer through some congestion if I can get better neck support. Also, the valet parking attendants seem overly eager to take your car (and charge you $49). And as I mentioned above, the front desk experience could be improved.

Best feature: After our first stay, I gave a brief review in the comments section of the Fairmont President's Club (membership is free) website. I received a phone call from the Director of Rooms the same day asking to discuss our experience. After this stay, I left a comment essentially thanking the hotel staff for a great stay, but still received a warm, friendly phone call from the Director of Rooms asking if he could do anything to improve our next stay. Kudos to the Fairmont for taking its customers seriously, and for that, they've won my loyalty.

My friend and I booked the Fairmont on bookingwiz.com and got the room for $112.00 tax included for 1 night. The lobby is beautiful. We had arrived at 10:00am and wanted to put our bags in the "holding tank" while we shopped BUT they checked us in to a room at that point. We were thrilled!! The room was INCREDIBLE!! The bathroom area was separate with a bar area, a walkin closet, and then as you enter the bathroom there were double sinks, a shower, and a bath and an enclosed toilet. The bedroom was a corner room with windows on 2 sides, 2 comfortable beds, a couch, a desk area, a bench and a HUGE flat screen T.V. The location is GREAT too. So close to the commuter train station and Millenium Park. We ate at Giordono's which is just around the corner. There is a wonderful grocery store, Bockwinkles, located on the backside of the hotel. After spending $15.00 per glass of wine at the hotel we decided to go buy 2 bottles for that price. The people at the hotel were very helpful and we never had a problem getting a cab either. hopefully this helps. HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

I have been staying at the Chicago Fairmont for many years.
This time, I found it totally redecorated in a style that, in my opinion, makes it look cheaper. Water preassure in the shower was very bad, some guy came in to fix it, he changed the shower but still, nothing even close to good enough. The room service mentioned a 25 minute time for delivery when I made my order, but it took one hour for them to come, and another hour for table pick up. The bathroom door was really in bad shape, humidity and badly painted. The lighting on the WC area was totally insuficient.
Staff was ok, and the hotel is very well located. I like the idea of having Lakeshore Spa next door where you can spend hours working out or at the Spa... that is good.
As for the redecoration, I guess changing the TVs and some other little details would have been enough, I guess millions of dollars were spent with a very doubtable result.