Hard Rock Hotel Chicago Review

This is a beautiful luxury hotel in a great location. The staff is friendly and professional. My family and I stayed here for 5 nights and overall it was a lovely/welcoming experience.
The only reasoning I have to say that this is an "okay" establishment is for the way they are less than honest and they nickel-and-dime you. Nightly, the prices are good for the location but I'm starting to understand why they don't over price per night. Once you arrive to check in they charge $100/night for incidentals. They charge you to be able to eat at the restaurant they have on site before you even eat there just so they can charge it to your room later even if you tell them you will not be dining there. But the thing that really kills me about this whole situation is that my son called my cell phone, not an international number mind you, he called me one time and I talked to him for less than three minutes and they charged us $75 for that one phone call. So be careful when coming here when it comes to what you use and where you go because they will find a way to charge you for every little thing. And of course none of this information was disclosed to us upon arrival.

Absolutely stupid and ironic that they name a 200-400 dollar a night hotel after Jane Addams, who founded the Hull House. Will warn all tourists to go somewhere else.

Attentive staff, clean rooms and a guitar brought to the room by request...What more could you ask for?

Was just there for an event, so not really much to review.

Location is convenient off of Michigan Ave. Room was clean and service was friendly. The bed was comfortable enough and they have some cool little amenities like being able to play a fender in your room which is cool.

The room could have been cleaner. The pipes were noisy when showering. There seemed to be minimal staffing.

The room our event was in was very well kept, and both the table service and bar service was fast and friendly. Drinks are a bit overpriced for what you get.

Went for a weekend... allowed for early check-in and located within walking distance to many "usual" Chicago destinations. Staff was friendly, professional. No issues with housekeeping or room... would consider again if priced attractively vs other options.

Will be returning.... Awesome atmosphere and wonderful employees

Loved to stay here. The views are amazing, the location is great and the staff is super nice. Highly recommend it!

Hip and fun... this place is always great. It's a nice place to weekend in the city. Service is excellent!

Stay here overnight for my girlfriends' birthday party. We bought a good deal from living social for pretty cheap. We got a free drink and free usage of any guitar. Too bad they were all "rented" out...blah! But we did enjoy out free drink. The room was really nice and we had a decent view of the city on the snowy night.

Pros:
-Good location.
-Spencer at Mr. Browns is awesome! Will recommend places to go and things to do and is super friendly.
-The host at Chucks is very friendly and is very good at his job.
- The concierge were very friendly and very helpful.

Cons:
- The head of our beds shared a wall with the maids room so every time they opened the door it would SLAM shut and the carts would bash around and the door would SLAM again, and it was right by our heads. Waking up at 8 am on your vacation to that isn't the greatest. We were also right next to the ice machine.
- The mini bar had been partially depleted prior to our arrival. There were half opened bottles and empty bottles with lipstick on them left in there. Making us wonder how often they thoroughly clean their rooms.
- The wait staff at Chucks is very underwhelming. Having to wait over 30 minutes to order another round of drinks or food is not the greatest way if spending your evening.
- The wait staff at Mr Browns is also underwhelming when we were there the second time we were ignored for a good portion and instead of asking if we would like another drink we were handed the bill.

WARNING: if you are in a room that has west facing windows keep your curtains closed!! On the first morning I woke up I looked out the window and there was a man in the office building to the west of our hotel looking I'm the windows with binoculars! If someone walked past his office he would put the binoculars away in his desk and as soom as they left he would pull them out and start looking. He was in the office second floor from the top and the third or fourth window from the left (south end of the building). When we brought this up with the hotel all they said was that they'll tell their guests to keep their curtains closed.

Was there for a quick drink. Place was nice. Staff were friendly. Drink was decent but nothing to rave about!

NOT WORTH IT! The lobby is pretty fab & the location is great but those are the only two positive things about this hotel. The front desk staff wasn't welcoming nor happy to be assisting us at all. They didn't crack one smile the entire time. The valet drivers were way more welcoming & pleasing to deal with! The rooms are small and the cleanliness of the rooms were very poor to be located Downtown Chicago. Once stepping into your hotel room it no longer means the high standards that Downtown Chicago offers. The rooms weren't what we saw online & definitely not worth the price.

Great place to stay. Centrally located and the staff was excellent.

Excellent. The staff is bn prepared to bring elegance and style.

I've been staying at this hotel 2 times a year for the past 4 years. I think this past stay will sadly be my last. The hotel itself is fine and the recent renovations helped out a ton. The carpets used to be filthy and the walls were not much better. Now they are looking much more in line with what you would expect from a hotel of this class. That's really what it comes down to, class. When I stay at what aspires to be a 4 star hotel I have higher expectations than I do when I stay at a Hilton Garden Inn. This hotel has failed me as a guest several times. Here are some low lights from this past stay:

-Mold in the bathroom. I stayed in room 603 and there was black mold and mildew on the tiles in the shower. It was in plain sight and is probably still there. Was it running wild and dripping from the ceiling? No, of course not but it was there and it shouldn't have been. Did I bring this to the front desk's attention? At a hotel like this should I have to?

-The cover for the ironing board looked like it had been there since the hotel opened. Again, is this a huge deal, no but come on! You spend thousands upgrading each of these rooms and you don' think to replace the cover on the ironing boards. Also when you iron a shirt on a board with a worn out cover the grate lines from the ironing board start showing up on your shirt.

-The sheets for the bed were like cardboard. Seemed clean but felt cheap.

-The coup de gras! No hot water for my morning shower. We got a notice that they would be working on the pipes and our water would be off from 2:00am-3:00am. I woke up at 7:00am and went to take a shower...no hot water. I did call about this one. The front desk staff informed me that "they had been getting calls all morning" and apparently something went wrong with a valve. This was understandable, but not necessarily forgivable since a clean bed and hot shower are the basic pillars of any hotel stay. The cold shower did not make me a happy camper.

Let's fast forward to checkout. I go down and the lobby is empty and there is no other guest in line or at the desk. There are 3 people behind the desk including the manager. I tell them I'm checking out of 603. Without a hello or how ya doin they hand over my bill. Here ya go anything else I can help you with? Hmmm, how about asking me how my stay was?

Since when is it not common practice to ask how your stay was? ( I guess when you know that the response will be anything but flattering you avoid the question)

Am I expecting some sort of retribution from the hotel? Of course I am! They didn't provide me with the stay that they promised so they should give me something back. Did I raise hell to get that something? No, again should I have to? did they even care? No they didn't. While I'm sure they will pretend to now, it's a little too late for that.

While I'm sure i'll get some response now that I posted this about how sorry they are about the less than stellar experience I had and they assure me this is not the norm and they will look into this, and blah, blah , blah, but will anything change?...no it won't. How do I know? Experience with this property. Things are not any better under the eye of the new front office manager than they were under the old one.

My advice would be to choose the Ritz, Peninsula, Trump, Four Season's or Park Hyatt if you truly want an exceptional stay in Chicago. Go to the Hard Rock for the Bar Scene which is really good.

Really nice hotel. Spacious room with comfortable bed, super soft robes, big shower, etc. Room included a safe and a refrigerator. Nespresso coffee machine was amazing. Service was good, but slow. Convenient location. Parking is expensive. Four stars because there is no pool ott hot tub area. I'd stay here again.

Really quick check-in process, super new and clean rooms and a great location. The best hotel we ve found at this price for such a great location! Would definitely recommend staying here

Amazing!!! I m actually from Chicago but I stayed for my birthday weekend. I booked a tower king room, the view was amazing, the room was beautiful! The staff was so nice. I mentioned at check in it was My birthday and when I got back later that night, there was a little box of chocolates and a birthday card in my room. I would definitely stay again.

The conference facilities are very good, with excellent tech support, good food, and good amenities. The staff was attentive snd helpful, providing professional services and good directions to nearby hotspots. The downtown location is central to excellent dining, fine arts, and anazing music.

The room was great. We stayed on the B. B. King floor. The room was clean. Front desk staff was super helpful, we were able to check in several hours before check-in time.

Nice hotel, centrally located, rates were reasonable

Our stay at St Jane was great. Beautiful rennovation of an iconic Chicago building. We stayed in the Tower suite which has a romantic and dark interior, and some awesome views of the riverfront. Dinner at Free Rein was really incredible as expected with two Michelin rated chefs. Staff was helpful and kind. Really an overall perfect experience.

Super friendly staff, very clean and spacious room.

Good hotel in a nice location downtown, wouldn't beer mad about staying here again.

This is my second stay at Hard Rock Hoyel Chicago and both times have been nothing but absolutely pleasant! I would recommend this place to anyone visiting the area. The staff is wonderful, accommodations are comfy and inviting, and it is just an all around great place to stay!

Nice and located in a good area, parking is bad for anyone staying in that area 65.00 overnight for valet.

This hotel has so much character. Parking is super pricey, though.

The rooms have a great high design vibe. Some of the rooms have beautiful views of the city. The staff is also extremely friendly and helpful!

I liked the rooms, and the cleaning staff do a good job.

We stayed there the weekend of 5/20/16. Like everyone else says, the location is the only thing this place has going for it.

The whole place has an old-building-creepy vibe. I understand what they were going for with the color scheme, but it just doesn't work. The tone of gray in our "The Who" room, was ugly, too dark, and depressing. Despite the dim lighting, we could still plainly see that the room wasn't very clean.

I'm not trying to knit-pick every little thing here but there was mold on the shade that covered the shower window. Mold! That's the last thing anyone wants to see in a hotel room. The bathroom tiles, while expensive, were badly installed, so we were walking over uneven ground. The paint job was so sloppy, I could've done a better job cutting-in. Everyone is right: the area is noisy--especially since the windows were carelessly installed and they shift around in their frames! You can feel air blowing right into the room. A dirty black sock from some past guest still resides under the base of one of the beds. Here was an annoying thing too: we were on the 19th floor, and the ice machine for the floor was--no exaggeration--RIGHT outside our door. I mean I could stand inside my room, reach out, and activate the machine. At 4 am, someone was using it, and it sounded like they were standing right next to me, woke me up. The hallways had an overpowering air freshener that was very distracting!

We too booked through a third party and we called beforehand, upgraded, free of charge, from a king to a double double. But when we got there, the staff acted like they had no idea what we were talking about, and that there would be a charge for the upgrade. They didn't charge us after we argued for five minutes.

The whole ambiance was very unprofessional and unimpressive. We were really disappointed as we love Chicago and have stayed here many times, at old places too, like the drake and Palmer house. Those are old buildings, but they're well-taken care of.

The room service food was good. 10% off at the store if you flash your room key. The room was clean, but not spotless.

This hotel is absolutely stunning! Perfect mesh of Architectural style and fresh modern rooms. Refrigerator (small sized) in room and the bureau to hang clothes, full size ironing board & iron. All incorporated into the beautiful esthetic of the room!
The only negative thing we experienced was the front desk staff weren't very friendly. "Snooty" would be the word that fit how they interacted with us. But only had minimal interaction with them.

A very polite and helpful staff, the night i stayed a live band,Jamaican music, all in all a very pleasant stay..

Great hotel. Very comfy and clean. Great location and the staff is amazing. I will be staying here again.

Great lobby space and loved the theming in the rooms bathrooms were updated too

Good service. Rooms are very compact though. Unless you get a suite.

You have to book the hotel direct if you want internet, and if you book through a travel site the parking is $60 a night, will not stay again.

This hotel was great and perfectly situated for shopping and the theaters. The staff was super helpful- they walked you to the elevators instead of just saying "it's around the corner." The same with the bathrooms. The concierge David was incredibly helpful- made reservations to dinner, made suggestions which helped us score 10th floor Hamilton tickets, suggested locations for authentic pizza- all were great! The room was the perfect size, the bed comfortable, netflix and Hulu options on the tv were great, and my husband commented several times on the music playing in the lobby. We will definitely be back!

I'm surprised by how subtle the decoration is in the hotel. It's a modified government/manufacturing building, and the decor is understated and tasteful. Two fixtures in my room are loose in the wall. There's an ipad next to my bed, but I can't figure out what it does or how to turn it on. There's also a great speaker, but there doesn't seem to be a remote.

A beautiful, elegant and dramatic building. You can not pass without your majestic building stealing your attention.

The Hard Rock Hotel Chicago is a great hotel for your visit to the city. Close to shops, restaurants and events - the Hard Rock provides you with clean and comfortable lodging while providing great views via their City View rooms. If you are a music buff, you have to check out the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago!

There is nothing good about this hotel and have no idea how it has 4 star rating. The entire building runs on either heat or cold at a point of time, meaning you don t get to maintain your own room temperature!! The heat is turned on ONLY if outside temperature is less than 50F and if you re feeling cold meanwhile, good luck with that.

Nice facility, nice location. Rooms were good - decent size. Front desk and concierge staff were very helpful. Nice small gym in the basement. The bar is used as a breakfast restaurant - a little on the small side. Very curious why the bar at the "Hard Rock" hotel doesn't always play hard rock?

Don't miss the restaurant. Architectural details and location are fabulous.

Incredible art deco interior and exterior by Union Carbide of Bhopal India, a Dow Chemical Company. Didn't see rooms but there are most likely no older than 2004, probably rock and roll themed. Lobby is tight, but corner views are very good. Lots of faux lizard skin and cow hide furniture and guitar wall art.

Awesome place to stay a little overpriced but worth it I would recommend it to anyone with a spare kidney to sell

Arriving at the hotel, I felt like an ordinary girl on a short vacation with her best friend. After the bell hop, named Ben, gave us a few things he shouldn't (mostly little things like free internet, and free food) we felt like rock stars. There was rock memorabilia throughout the halls with the best elevator music that side of the Mississippi.