Coming into Chicago on late night train with kids so made reservations well in advance.
Arrived at hotel to find the only room they had left was a smoking room. They have you over a barrell with tired kids at midnight. The room was nasty, stinky and we all felt dirty. The pull out sofa bed is one of the worst I've ever slept on -- the mattress must be less than 2 inches thick and all smelly night long I felt every bar in the bed. The next morning our toilet was stopped up and wouldn't flush at all.
Breakfast was a madhouse and although it was plentiful, nothing was very good. The coffee was bad. The eggs were cold. I guess the fruit was ok.
We were told we could change rooms to a non-smoking this morning so we packed everything and took it downstairs at about 9:00 AM. We told the front desk staff that we were leaving for the day and we were told we would have a non-smoking room when we returned. We had to take our bags down to the lobby level and leave them with the bellman. All of this just took time as we had to wait in line for both things. Upon returning at 3:30 we went to the bell stand and were told we would have to go up to the lobby and see if we had a room (why can't they just call since we're already checked in?) We went upstairs and had to wait in line and when we finally got to the desk, we had not been assigned a room. The clerk messed with the computer for about 10 minutes and finally assigned a room. We were told the bell staff would bring our luggage. 45 minutes later, still no luggage. We called the bell stand and they said they would get it right away and the brought it right up -- I don't think the desk even notified the bell staff. After a nap we were getting ready to go back out and I noticed there isn't even a hair dryer---called to have a hairdryer brought up. 45 minutes later, no hair dryer. To avoid wasting even more or our vacation time dealing with this incompetent staff, I showered and left for Navy Pier with wet hair. After arriving back at the hotel, I called the front desk to bring the hair dryer and explained I had requested one earlier and it hadn't arrived --I asked to have it brought up, along with 2 glasses. The clerk didn't offer any apology for the earlier inconvenience and responded with a tone that made it seem like she was inconvenieced by the request. She just said, "I'll tell someone" About 30 minutes later the requested items arrived.
This place is nothing special, but the staff just seems incompetent and unconcerned about guest satisfaction. The rooms are ok, but they just don't feel very clean. I'm in the hotel room right now and unfortunately, I have to stay here tonight, but never again.
I wouldn't stay here again.

I was in town for the weekend with my mom and two daughters for our annual girls trip to Chicago. I had tried to book the State St. Embassy Suites, where we stayed last year, but they would only let me use my Hilton points at this location. We arrived in the morning and pre-registered for our room where they reserved a lake view room for us. This made me happy as I am all about the view! The decor here is modern, which is not my taste , so it seems a little cold. The location is very good--close to Navy Pier and close to Michigan Ave, so we spent Friday afternoon shopping. There is also a great grocery store across the street that has everything you would need. When we came back, our room was ready. All was in order...looked clean and lake view as promised. The first night we took advantage of the free cocktail hour. Choices were limited, but hey, it's free. We walked to Volare' for a yummy Italian dinner, then came back to the hotel to watch tv. My girls (ages 14 and 11) were going to swim in the pool, but complained that it was too small and didn't go in. It looks more like a lap pool, but too crowded to ever swim laps. The furniture in the living area was in good condition, but not especially comfortable to relax in. The pull-out bed is extremely uncomfortable, so don't plan to sleep there unless you are a small child. Also, the walls are thin, which we discovered at 3am when our noisy neighbors rolled in. Saturday morning we got up and arrived at breakfast at 9am--the same time as the majority of the other guests at the hotel. They advise you to eat early, and we learned our lesson as lines were very long. The food was actually very good though, especially the omelettes. The day was spent seeing the Art Institute, Mary Poppins, then out to dinner. We arrived back at the room in time to watch the Sat. night fireworks (off Navy Pier) from our window. Very cool! Sunday was a beautiful day and we walked over to Millenium Park and hung out before catching the train home. Overall, our hotel stay was good. I love Chicago and always have fun here, but have stayed at better places. It is a great value though, especially if you take advantage of the free cocktails and breakfast. If you are debating between the two Embassy Suites, the State St. one would be my pick, although it is a little more expensive. It is just a little more comfortable and friendlier, although no lake view.

I highly recommend the Embassy Suites Downtown lakefront. The free breakfast in the morning is amazing, as are the free drinks during the manager's evening reception. The location is great, between Michigan Ave and Navy Pier. Rooms are very large, especially for downtown Chicago. Parking is expensive, but it's that price everywhere. Pool is small, but you are not staying there for the pool. Staff are wonderful here. Highly recommend.

My husband and I arrived for a 3 night stay, in town for a huge convention during which room rates are inflated all over town. This is a very nice Embassy Suites, comfortable, convenient and I have no complaints about our room, service or any of the usual Embassy Suites amenities except that internet access is only available for an additional $15.00 per calendar day. For $300 per night, a rate discounted for registered convention attendees, this really should be included or be a onetime fee. We just payed the fee but I was aggravated. Offering this service costs the hotel almost nothing - even the grocer across the street offers free WiFi! Any way to make a buck, i guess.