Overall, this was a good hotel and a good location. I include the word "overall" because we did have a couple of issues. This is a great hotel for families with kids or for business travel but do not expect "luxury hotel" services. We love the Marriott line and stay at Marriotts more than any other hotel but we do usually stay at "regular" Marriotts or JW Marriotts so if that is what you're used to just be aware that there is a noticeable difference in the level of service. We booked a 2-bedroom suite for 5 nights for a family of 4.....mom, dad, 2 teenaged boys. I would stay here again when we are traveling with the boys. If it were just for us, I have other favorites in Chicago.

THINGS WE LIKED:

The location is good. Easy access to the "L" which we did use. Central location if you're shopping, site seeing or there on business.

The rooms are spacious and nicely appointed. Good decor and the pictures shown online are accurate.

Free breakfast in the morning

Bathroom....always like to have a sink area that is separate from the toilet and shower and these rooms do have that

Good laundry facility -- 8 or 10 front loading washers and dryers that do a good job for $1.00 per wash and $1.00 per dry

Good fitness center

Free wireless in the rooms that worked well

Nice new flat screen tv's in the living area and bedroom

Loved having the full kitchen

Our rooms had a desk and a kitchen table so there was great workspace

Friendly / helpful staff


THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE:

location....a huge hotel is being built directly south of the Residence Inn. If you end up on that side of the building, you do not have a cityscape view at all -- the windows are dusty and the view is construction and, if you're high enough, roof tops. Our original 2 bedroom suite had this view and I asked to be moved. The front desk manager was MORE than accommodating

The "living room" furniture looks good but our layout was horrible for watching TV....the chair is comfortable but the "couch" is really not good for sitting on.....although it works well as a sleeper

No mirrors in the living area.....always like to have that in case we are all getting ready at the same time

No room service -- but we knew that going into it and stocked our kitchen. They also do have some snacks/beverages for sale near the front desk

This is a new hotel and the some of the staff is new to hotel work and it shows. I had dealings with 2 different front desk managers -- both named Katie -- who were fabulous but when I checked in the person at the desk couldn't answer what seemed to be basic questions about the hotel/location, the valets never asked if we needed a cab (but cabs were readily available)

The card-keys were a serious problem for us. We went through probably 10 keys....I know, I brought them all home because they say now that you need to destroy them yourself to protect your credit card info.....we were diligent about keeping them away from cell phones, etc but they kept de-magnetizing or something and we had to replace them which meant heading back down the elevator to the front desk.

No pay per view movies or video games. If you bring your own video game system you can hook it up to the tv

TIPS:

If you want a good view while the adjacent construction is going on, request a room that has windows other than on the south side

When we switched rooms the manager showed me some rooms on the Springhill Suites side of the hotel. They have corner king rooms that face north/east and you actually get a glimpse of the river and the lake. The view was great but I liked the decor of the Residence Inn better......the Springhill Suites is very "retro" but I'm of the age group that already lived with that furniture once in my life so to me it just looks old :-)

Parking is $41 day if you valet park but there is a surface lot directly west of the building that is less than $20

As a new property, we expected this hotel to be good - but it exceeded our expectations big time! We had a corner studio suite with an amazingly comfortable king bed, plus a sofa bed, which our adult son slept on and found comfortable enough. Additionally, there was a kitchen and a table and loads and loads of windows! We were on the 15th floor and we even had a glimpse of the river! Breakfasts were good and all the staff were extremely friendly. The location was superb. Cannot be faulted!

Right in the heart of downtown, this hotel is within walking distance of tons of sites in Chicago.
The staff was very friendly, and always greeted us warmly.
A breakfast buffet is included in the price of the room and in the evening there was a beer/wine happy hour in the lounge. Loved that!
The room was fantastic. We were upgraded to a one bedroom, and loved the space - for a downtown hotel, we thought it was really large.

We visited this brand new property the week after Memorial Day and were thoroughly impressed. Our suite was spacious and elegantly decorated with art deco flourishes.

The service, starting from the car valet to the front desk to the cleaning staff, was flawless, friendly, and without attitude. I wish I could say the same about my previous visits to the Pen and some of the other overpriced "lux" properties off "Boul. Mich."

The suite's kitchen (equipped with range top, microwave, full size fridge, & dishwasher) gave us latitude in getting quality, economical meals at Whole Foods Market 4 blocks away. Doing so let us occasionally splurge at the many quality restaurants nearby--do try a deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati's 3 blocks away!

The property's River North location makes it easy to walk everywhere. Michigan Avenue and its wealth of shopping is a 5 minute walk, as are the vibrant restaurants and establishments of Rush St; the Art Institute and Millennium Park are 20 minutes away by foot. For those less inclined to walk, there is a bounty of cabs eager to spirit you away.

Surrounding you wherever you go will be magnificent urban architecture that is constantly evolving and the best antidote for suburban boredom. Be sure to bring a camera!