First off, I must say that this the first time I've been motivated to take the time to write a review on this site - but please note that I am a seasoned traveler and I spend at least 200 nights a year in hotels across the USA on business. On this trip to Chicago, I had the pleasure to be on vacation for a change and took my other half with me for a week to the Conrad to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and 6 other days around it!).

Before arrival, I spent a good amount of time reading reviews on TripAdvisor from others who have stayed at the Conrad to try and make sure this was the best place to spend my valuable points. Yes, I used my points, I paid for 6 nights at the Conrad using no money whatsoever. I am a Diamond member with Hilton Honors, and I try to stay exclusively within that family of brands. So I was a bit concerned because I didn't know if I would be treated as well as the average "cash" customer, let alone if I would receive the usual upgrades and benefits (i.e. Breakfast vouchers) that I receive when I travel on business. However, I was told by my travel agent that it'd be a good idea for me to call the hotel ahead of time and make it known that I wanted an upgrade, that it was for a vacation, that I'm a Diamond member, yadda yadda. I called one week ahead of time and got the name of the desk agent I spoke to, and he said he would note in the account that I called and would put me down for an upgrade. I also called 3 days ahead, did the same thing, and again the night before (when they pull room assignments). So let's get to what happened at check in...

We arrived at the hotel after a long and unenjoyable train ride from O'Hare (that's an entirely different story), and at the moment we walked up to the entrance on the street level we were greeted promptly by a doorman who took all of our bags, without even asking, and directed us to the 5th floor where the lobby was located. At the front desk, we were again treated wonderfully, and I was immediately informed I'd been upgraded to a Jr. Suite. Now, in terms of upgrades, that's multiple room classes. A Jr. Suite has a separate living and bedroom, each with their own 42" plasma television. Upon getting my room keys and portfolio handed to me, I asked if it contained my breakfast coupons, and, much to my surprise, I was told "they will be delivered by hand to your room this evening." It should be noted at this point that even for a paying customer with Diamond or other status at Hilton, the standard is for *either* a room upgrade *or* breakfast coupons. I found this to be a great surprise.

We arrived at our room on the 15th floor to find a beautiful, clean suite, with living room and bedroom. The living room portion had a plasma television and a small sitting area with a couch and table and couple of chairs. The room also had a window looking out to Michigan Avenue. There was also a small bar alcove with a mini-bar fridge in it as well as an electronic user-configurable safe. The bedroom area had another plasma television, and was a very large open space with a king sized bed and tons of windows which practically wrapped halfway around the room. There was a Bose stereo system under the television which had great sound and was used as the sound source for watching TV as well as getting radio stations. There was also a desk with internet connection. Wireless internet was free, although we did not use it. The bathroom was very large as well. There was a large shower and separate deep soaking tub. Amenities were great, including two robes, plenty of large towels, Molton Brown shampoos/soaps/etc, and even an umbrella in the closet. (I'll get to the umbrella's significance later).

Each evening when we returned from being out and about, we found the bed to be made up, turned down, and the stereo was turned on and playing smooth Jazz music. This was a great touch. Turndown service also provided us with bottles of water by the bed each night. On the first night we arrived, we noticed that there was no refrigerator or microwave which we could use for leftovers (so many amazing restaurants!). We called the front desk, requested these two items, and by the time we returned from dinner, they were both installed in the room. On the subject of services to our room, I have to say that room service worked almost like ninjas - each night we went to sleep, we never put the "do not disturb up" yet never experienced the dreaded early morning wake up call in person of someone opening the door and yelling "room service." No one ever even knocked on the door. Yet whether we left the room at 8am or at 5pm for a while, the room was always made up when we would return.

Let's get to the meals situation. Clearly we wanted to make use of the breakfast coupons we received. Their breakfast vouchers are for a Continental Breakfast, including taxes, not including gratuity naturally. Their value is $14.00. Yes, that's the price of the Continental Breakfast that includes a couple small pastries and some juice and coffee. Now, you can upgrade your breakfast to an American Breakfast for another $5.00, or to a Chicago Breakfast (comes with pancakes and a NY Strip steak) for another $12.00. Clearly one can see why having the extra $14.00 makes breakfast not quite so rediculously priced. Were it not for the coupons, I highly doubt we would have been eating at the lobby restaurant. But as for food quality, it was great. The kitchen was good at making certain items in certain ways to our liking, the coffee was very good, and juice was fresh. Portion sizes on the meals were good. Service on the other hand, as other reviewers have indicated, left something to be desired at times. Out of the week we were there and the handful of times we ate breakfast there, sometimes the service was very good and other times not so much. In short, unless you are either able to fully expense your breakfast or have a breakfast coupon, there are much more affordable options located right there at the mall in the food court or at any number of nearby places to eat. We'd like to make special mention about the bartender at the lobby bar, he was exceptional. The day we checked in, we were so happy to have finally arrived that we threw care to the wind knowing how expensive the drinks would be and ordered a few from the lobby bar. We did not return to the lobby bar again until the last night, 5 nights later, and the bartender remembered both of our drinks to the letter.

Something else I really appreciated in the Conrad was their Concierge service. At check-in, we asked him to give us all the information we needed on where to go and what to see for the St. Patrick's Day festivities. He was very helpful, printed out maps and even lists of bars and restaurants. On the last night we were there, I had wanted to do something special for my girlfriend and I called the Concierge while I was out and about and told him that I wanted him to take the bottle of champagne I'd purchased and stashed in a cabinet and have it put in a bucket of ice and have two glasses ready for me by a certain time when we would be arriving back to the room that night. Just as requested, this was done, no charge, no hassle. He also coordinated a surprise carriage ride around town (Noble Horse Carriage Co).

I guess it's relevant to state the down-sides of the hotel. Sure, the Conrad is not perfect. Here is the list of problems we saw. 1) They are (as others have stated) stingy with giving out more shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap etc. during your stay. It isn't replaced everyday as I would have liked to see. However, it was never empty either, or I would imagine it would have been replaced, and I am 100% sure that had I at any point called the front desk to ask for more of anything they would have delivered it instantly. 2) Breakfast prices are too high, and the level of service for breakfast is inconsistent. 3) The price of drinks in the lobby bar is also too high (+/- $15 each), but I can admit the service was very good.

There are lots more I could say about the Conrad but this review is already too long I'm sure. I'll end it by saying why the umbrella was significant and how it sealed the deal for me knowing it was truly a great hotel. During our stay, the weather changed from 50 degrees and sunny to 30 while raining and snowing. On the last day, we ventured out and decided to take with us the hotel-supplied Conrad branded umbrella. From my experience, anything hotel-supplied that isn't shampoo is usually going to end up on your bill later unless you leave it in the room. We went out for dinner and walked around for a bit, and somehow between the two of us, we misplaced the umbrella somewhere. Unable to find it, I immediately panicked thinking that I was going to surely end up being charged an unreasonable fee for this stupid umbrella a couple of weeks after check-out. I called the front desk from my cell phone and I said that I was the guest staying in suite 1519 and that I wasn't sure how I did it, but I'd managed to lose the umbrella that we'd taken out of the room. The response from the desk clerk was "it's raining outside, if you tell me where you are, I can have another brought to you." I about fell out of my chair laughing. I explained that I'd lost it, didn't need another one, and she said she would note the account not to charge me for the umbrella. I just checked my card online and the charges I put on my card were just run through today - without the umbrella.

The Conrad did an amazing job of giving us a wonderful week away from home in a fabulous city. There is no better location in my book, we were right at Michigan Avenue and just a few blocks north of the River. Any minor issues were far outweighed by the overall experience and service that we received. And for anyone who is debating between the Conrad and the Drake, do what we did - stay at the Conrad and visit the Drake for a meal and/or drinks to get the nostalgia for a couple hours without having to stay in an ancient tiny room. I almost feel like we cheated somehow considering that our airfare was all free (miles) and we only had a $170 bill for meals and drinks charged to the room over a week. There is no doubt in our minds that we would return to this hotel again. And again!