When we arrived at the hotel at 11:30pm, the front desk staff informed us that our room was no longer available (we had confirmed our reservation earlier in the day and made & paid for the reservation 3 months ago). The customer service was much below the standards of a hotel that is affiliated with Marriott which follows the values of "Do Whatever it Takes to Take Care of the Customer" We were told that the Blackstone would accommodate us at another hotel, however this hotel would be near O’Hare airport. We live about 45 miles south of Chicago so this would have made no sense. Our night was ruined on the account of Blackstone Hotel. We were planning on spending the weekend in Chicago and this could no longer happen. The manager said we would be reimbursed for our room and we were given money for a cab ride home. The staff did not seem a bit apologetic for their mistakes. I was so angry, and I couldnt believe when a security guard came to me and said he would escort me out if I didnt calm down!! Didnt I have every right to be angry!? UNBELIEVABLE!

The good bits first - friendly check-in staff, modern rooms with a boutique hotel feel, superbly comfortable bed, shower (no bath), small rooms (even though we apparently had a slightly larger one). To be honest ,taken at face value this hotel is fine - the problems occur when you scratch the surface.

It's apparently a 4 star hotel (sadly the girl on reception didn't know this). We requested and paid for a lake-view room and sure enough our room faced the lake but - when the room was re-designed the TV was put bang slap in the middle of the window - completely obscuring the wonderful view - even the staff were bemused by this and no, neither the desk nor TV could be moved - both firmly screwed down. Apparently some rooms have TV's on the wall - well I never! There were none of the things you would expect to find in a 4 star hotel - no one offered to help with our bags (saved on the tip I guess), no writing paper or sewing kit, cheap toiletries (thankfully we had our own). I believe this is a Marriott - it certainly feels like a fairly typical US Marriott albeit wearing a nice frock. There is a very small rather dingy bar which smelled rather damp and a Tapas bar with an award winning chef but sadly it just didn't seem appetising (fortunately Chicago is awash with great eateries).

So with no view to admire we decided to indulge in a cup of coffee in the bar - oh no we couldn't: not in the bar, not even in the lobby even though it was only 5pm on a Saturday. The on-sight Starbucks - allegedly open till 8pm closes at 5pm (staff know this but haven't changed room info). We were told we could only have coffee via room service or The Hilton opposite - and you know what - if you're planning on a trip to Chicago we suggest that's where you go - we could have got a better rate for Hilton - we will go back to Chicago it's a truly amazing city, but not to Blackstone there are simply too many better hotels for the same or less dosh.

We stayed at the Blackstone over Memorial Day weekend. Paid $99 a night through a Travelzoo promotion. Without a doubt, one of the great bargains in Chicago. While the hotel itself was 5 star, the maid service was 1 star. In spite of generous tips each morning, the only sign a maid had been in the room was a made bed and clean towels. Everything else was basically the same. We even called for a re-clean one night while we were out for dinner and the only thing we noticed was the radio on playing soothing music and chocolates on our bed. The floor still had not been vacuumed. Had we been paying nearly $180 a night, like our friends, I would have been very disappointed in the experience, but at $99 even with marginal cleaning, the Blackstone is a great deal.

I booked this room for $99 through expedia.com. I think by far the best deal I have ever gotten on a hotel. This is a very nice and elegant hotel with a great decor. We stayed night in the city for our anniversary and had a pleasant evening. We were not there very long, and did not require any service from the hotel, so that is something I can not comment to much on. The hotel has a very good location next to Grant Park, we took a nice evening stroll and heard part of a jazz concert. It has an excellent tapas restaurant.
2 things people may want to know in advance are that on each floor the of the 10 or so rooms 4 rooms face the lake/park.
The other thing is the bathroom is basically open to the rest of the room. There is a frosted glass door that slides shut to partially obscures the view. This is fine if you are with your spouse or alone, but may not be what you want to share with your children. There is no shower door in the bathroom, so turn up the heat while taking a shower.
I would greatly recommend this hotel, but would just advise you know what you are getting.