If you are, like me, a huge OPRAH fan, this is the hotel for you!!! We had excellent service from the hotel even before checking in!!! I reviewed the hotel on this site and saw so many wonderful comments, so my girlfriend and I booked a room here. I contacted the Concierge in advance of arrival about possibly getting tickets to Oprah since I was unable to get them in advance of the trip. The Concierge actually returned my call saying there is no guarantee, but that they would surely try to get us tickets once we arrived. That blew me away - I've left messages for Concierges before in other hotels/cities and never received a call back!!!
My girlfriend and I arrived at the hotel by taxi and were greeted by Mike, the Bellman. We had lots of bags and were very tired so he was a site for sore eyes! And what a friendly guy! We checked in easily (if you prepay the room, you get a WONDERFUL price so look into that for a steal of a deal!) and received exactly as we requested - upper floor away from the elevator. The hotel has 11 floors and we were put on the 10th floor!
The hotel is ATRIUM styled with fountain in the lobby so sound does carry up. It has an open-air feeling to it. Lots of greenery makes it really beautiful! The elevators are fast and there are 4!!!! (I've been in hotels of the same size that had only 2 very slow elevators so this was a real bonus to me!)
The Embassy Rooms are so large and roomy compared to other hotels! The flat-screened TV in the living room totally impressed me. But there is also a large TV in the bedroom as well. The beds are VERY comfy! The room was immaculate and having a refrigerator and microwave in the room is nice and convenient.
I went to the Concierge desk and talked to Richard, who is so very professional and kind. I asked about Oprah tickets and he explained what their process is. He left a note for the morning Concierge to call the show and request tickets on our behalf. There are no promises but they do make a great effort which is should be acknowledged.
The FREE breakfast is amazing! Hot, made to order omelets, pancakes, hash browns, cold cereals, bagels/toast/muffins, fresh fruit, juice, coffee - it's all there. And the cold items are cold as they should be as well as the hot items are hot! The staff clears the tables quickly - leave a little tip on the table for them cause they are very helpful and efficient.
When we returned to the hotel in the afternoon, Philip, another Concierge, had left a message saying they requested the tickets from Oprah and would let us know if they heard from them. Philip had gotten the note from Richard and actually FOLLOWED THROUGH! Another WOW!
After returning from shopping, Richard was back at the Concierge desk so we stopped to find out if he had heard from Oprah staff yet and he said no. We took the elevator up and by time we got in our room Richard had called and said that the Oprah staff called as soon as we walked away from the desk! We were put on Standby for the next day’s early morning taping. We were elated! In one hour we were told that we were upgraded to CONFIRMED! Richard even re-confirmed the time we were supposed to be there - then called us back with specific instructions for when to arrive, when we needed to leave the hotel by, and other necessary guidelines we needed to follow.
This was totally a dream come true for me - to be able to see a taping of the Oprah Show! We gave Richard a BIG tip for his help! And also tipped Philip for his help too!
During the remaining part of our stay, Richard was also very helpful in guiding us for meals. And Philip gave us info about Late Nite Catechism, which was playing at the Royal George Theater. What a hilarious show this is! Catch it if you can - only $30 at the door.
Front desk staff was also very cordial. This hotel rates as FIVE STAR service! It is so very convenient to Magnificent Mile. There is a great grocery store across the street and, of course, a Starbucks on the corner. We did not dine in the restaurant or take advantage of the evening reception but both looked very popular with other guests.
Overall this hotel rated 5 stars out of 5 on my survey card!!! Primo indeed!
I also find it awesome that the management team acknowledges the reviews on this website with their thanks. How spectacular!
