Stayed at the Renaissance for a conference in early March 08. Hotel is located very close to El Train and Subway connections (State and Lake) which is good for travelers coming from Midway and those going to Wrigley. Michigan Ave is a few blocks up but the subway can get you there a little quicker on a cold day. Dinning options are plentiful in the hotel and around the area. Fitness center has everything you need. The pool was nice but very cold for an indoor heated pool. The rooms were very nice with comfortable beds, oversized chairs and a large, well lit, bathroom. One gripe about the room though has to be the size and location of the TV. The TV is placed rather high on an armoire and it can't be more than a 20-25" set. Other than that the hotel was great, I would recommend staying here for business or pleasure.

I just got back from a four night stay at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel. Before my trip I read all the reviews and was excited to stay here, but after my trip I don't know if I would necessarily stay here again.

The room: The room in general was really nice. It was spacious, well appointed, and very clean. We had a view of the construction site next door, but that was expected since we are associates of the company. The bathroom was great. It was nicely decorated and a decent size. What we didn't like however was the temperature in the room. The room was at a constant 74 degrees all four nights of our stay. On the second night we called the engineer to come take a look at it. He told us that the hotel was having problems with the heating/cooling system and that unfortunately there was nothing he could do. He offered to comp us a movie, however that did not make up for the fact that it was ridiculously hot. His only suggestion was to open the windows, which we did, but being in downtown Chicago all we heard all night long were sirens, car horns, and the sound of the train. Needless to say we were unable to sleep well at all.

The pool: I was hoping for something nicer. The atmosphere was very tranquil and sirene which was relaxing however the temperature of the pool and hot tub were not regulated properly. The pool was pretty cold each night we were there, and down right freezing our last night (mind you this is supposed to be a heated indoor pool) and the hot tub was so hot it burned your skin. Now, I understand that it is supposed to be hot, but this was definitely hotter than the regulation 104 degrees. The pool water was pretty murky and the one day it wasn't you could see obvious dirt on the bottom. Also the pool closes at 11pm which is kind of disappointing.

Guest Services: The staff of the hotel was under par in my opinion. We had a very nice gentleman check us in and give us some details about the area, however he did not explain any of the amenites of the hotel. Is there a business center? Which floor is the pool on? Where is the restaurant located? These are little things but it should be explained at check in. The concierge is helpful if you go downstairs to speak with them directly; don't try to call them from your room because the phone will ring 50 times and when they do pick up the will say "all lines are busy can we call you back?" At check out we ran into a few problems. The desk clerk never bothered to ask us how our stay was, to which we would have told him we didn't get any sleep, but I guess he's not too worried about that. He did find it difficult however to charge two separate credit cards. I wanted the room and tax on one card and the incidentals on another. He was unsure of how to do this, which was fine, and asked another associate for help. She helped him out and said everything was all set. When I finally got home I noticed that the clerk charged the same card for both charges so I called up the hotel and asked them to fix it. The woman at the front desk said she took care of it, however now the other card was charged both charges. Honestly, it is not that hard to split the charges between two credit cards, and I won't call back to have it fixed a third time but its not worth it.

The restaurant: The restaurant food was great. I loved my fish entree. However our server was a little off. He poured my boyfriends beer, foam over flowing, and just walked away from our table!! Left the soppy mess right there and didn't look back.

Overall our stay was ok, however I think I'd chose another hotel if I'm ever in Chcicago again.

The large room on the club floor had a spectacular view from two huge windows. We could see both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. The room included two very nice chairs, three small tables, nice artwork, a large desk with two chairs, and great lighting from several lamps. The room had a large closet with an automatic closet light that turned on as the door opened. The room included a mini bar, which we did not use. A large cabinet included four small drawers and also doubled as the enclosure for the mini bar. An old fashioned surprisingly tiny 19”TV sat on top of the mini bar. Forget trying to catch football or tennis highlights on such a small TV for a huge room.

The fitness center and spa is top notch. Equipment includes free weights, treadmills and more. The fitness center also includes a swimming pool with a lap lane. I swam about forty laps, but as usual for hotel pools, the water temperature was too warm for a swim workout.

The hotel is close to the L and a short walk to shows. We won free tickets to Wicked, which had hourly drawings from Borders right down the street from the hotel.

The front desk manager was very professional and gave us free breakfast coupon since the concierge lounge was closed on Saturday. The restaurant looked nice, but we didn’t eat dinner at the hotel.

Just returned from a 5 night stay at The Renaissance and had a great time. We were there for a girl's get away. Everything about the hotel was great from the moment we arrived. The whole lobby smelled wonderful and check in was great. We upgraded to the Club Level but be aware that the lounge is not open on the weekend. We had great rooms that were oversized with great views of the river; however, we did see another room on the same floor that looked just like a standard room. Everyone in the hotel was super friendly and accommodating. The rooms were clean and the beds really comfy. Turn down service is not what I would think but only a minor issue. We got our shoes shined and turned around within 15 minutes. They give you a bottle of water instead of charging you $3.00 for it which was nice at night. The fitness center was very nice and clean. Everything about the hotel was great. The concierge, Ikram, was the best. She helped us so much with show tickets, dinner reservations, and even getting a prescription called in for one of us. She was the best. Overall I would stay there again in a heart beat.