The Drake Hotel Review

They do a great job maintaining this grand old hotel. Has to be 6 or so bars in this place. First class and only a couple blocks from Rush St.

I left within 3 minutes of walking into the room. It was the smallest hotel room I ever saw with the bed facing a totally different direction from the TV. Terrible view and tiny bathtub. Very unhappy with this experience. Checked out and went elsewhere.

Was excellent service, inviting and relaxed atmosphere.

Beautiful space and lovely decorations for the holidays. Tea service was delicious but overall service was lacking.

So far so good after one night. Less amenities than many but cheaper than other hotels in the area. Worth considering.

Room was nice for an older hotel. Service was great. Quiet at night. Close to shopping and views were fantastic!
I was disappointed that in such a prestigious hotel that all the chandeliers were quite dull, dusty and dingy. It made the hotel seem kind of run down. Also the carpets look like they could use an upgrade or at least a good steam cleaning. Our stay was great overall but that was my only disappointment.

My friend and I went to The Drake this afternoon for their Afternoon Tea Service and was blown away by the entire experience. The hotel staff greeted us very politely and with excitement and one member, in particular, Chris, took the initiative to show us one of the guest rooms upon hearing that we had never been to the hotel before.

The suite we saw was immaculate and stunning with a lovely view of Lake Shore Drive and the lake. He was ready with information about the hotel and was an enjoyable impromptu tour guide.

The staff in The Palm Court were exceptional; courteous, friendly, informative, and in general pleasant. The food was divine. I chose our server's recommendation the Montange Bleue and it was refreshing and sweet and perfectly enjoyable. The lobster rolls, in particular, and the chocolate raspberry pastries were to die for.

All in all, I was very pleased with our experience and will recommend it to anyone!

Awesome location....and all good things u want from a high end hotel

My family and I attended afternoon tea. Service and tea was great and the food was good too.

Cool retro bar. Fine cocktails and eclectic crowd. Very pleasant.

Nice property, courteous staff excellent location.. Recommended

Very accommodating, comfortable and luxurious. The building is beautiful and I will be happy to return.

Very nice historic hotel, rooms were big and bed was comfortable. Need better pillows though.

My last stay at the drake it was really bad . The house keeping they act like they are at home ,smashing the doors talking and laughing loudly even after noticing them.

The hotel was decorated beautifully for the holidays. It was perfect for a romantic weekend getaway.

No pool. No vending machines. No refrigerator in the room. I guess I've taken cheap hotels for granted. Never again will I pay more than $200 a night for a hotel. The staff on the other hand was on point and amazing. Not their fault I'm used to "lesser" hotels.
Also, I'm sitting in the bathtub writing this. Room 160. It has taken probably 20 minutes for this tub to fill halfway. The hot/warm water is VERY slow.

I suffer from trypophobia and the decor on the check in desk freaks me out. The lotus head decor with the small holes are pretty creepy. Nice hotel but I don t think I can stay here again.

Only got to visit the cape cod room once, but it was awesome. The lobster thermidor was delicious, the wines and desserts too. We saw the bar where Marilyn Monroe & Joe DiMaggio carved their initials and everything! When is it opening up again? I could use some bi-coastal oysters & some twin lobster tails!

Pet-friendly hotel with great location off Michigan Ave. Rooms are older but elegant.

The Drake hotel is an elegant one. The renovations are simply put, Amazing. Pricing isn't bad for what you get either. I loved it. 5 Stars all the way!

I guess if you're looking for old Chicago charm this is ok for a night. The place is just an old hotel, and no matter what room you're in or what floor you're on you can hear every door that shuts anywhere near you. Every door in this place slams.

Great hotel par excellence but prohibitive prices for the services offered!

The lobby and exterior were nice but it ended there. The room was subpar, outdated and didn't even have a mini fridge in it.

Very nice hotel and friendly staff.Hoping to return someday!

Expedia booked a smoking room for me there for August 29-31
When I got out of the taxi, I noticed that carpet mites were were biting my feet and legs. That night I smoked in the room without any problems. The next morning I light one cigarette and soon have two goons knocking on my door demanding that I open. After I did so the asked me whether a I had been smoking and I answered yes. They took my answer as an admission to a serious crime and from then on treatment treated me like a criminal. They cancelled the rest of my reservation and asked me to vacate the hotel within half hour, Ftom then on every five minutes the management either called me to ask me to leave or sent someone to my door to ask me when I was leaving. Needless to say, sll those interruptions made it nearly impossible to finish packing in the few minutes they gave me. I wound up having to put my make up on while stying on my backback waiting for a taxi. I am sure that the fact that I am a Black woman had nothing to do with it, never mind that I am also a human being, Dogs get better treatment!

The Drake is a very old, very beautiful hotel. The lobby is highlighted by two huge, beautiful flower arrangements. There is a shop, florist, bar, and restaurant inside the hotel. We were given a free loaner umbrella on a very rainy day.

The bar has the second liquor license given out by the city. Most things can be walked to within 20-25 minutes, excluding the Sears Tower.

The rooms are older, but well maintained. Our shower would - not - get hot, forcing us to take baths (which were real hot). The locking chain on the door was broken off. The refrigerator appeared to have been removed from the room.

AVOID the breakfast restaurant. They have no prices, no menu posted anywhere, but they charge 30 dollars per person for a small buffet and omelet station. I was almost speechless when I was handed the bill. It's a 15 dollar quality breakfast, AT MOST. The bar is very quaint and cozy, with drinks running 15 dollars a piece on average.

The Afternoon Tea runs 49 dollars a person, but it was my wife's favorite part of our long weekend in Chicago.

Super swanky hotel. I work meetings here pretty regularly. It is a little bit of a maze, but the food is wonderful and the service is prompt.

Fabulous service...but tired hotel that is overdue for a refresh.

Impeccable service and nice rooms. Convenient location and beautiful in every way.

We went to the main tea room and it was fantastic. The carolers were nice and had a huge selection of music they knew. All of the food was delicious and the tea was nice as well.

We had a great stay at The Drake. It a beautiful building, the staff was excellent, location is perfect. Will stay there again, loved it.

Great historic hotel. Unfortunately, it needs some renovation. You can smell the age of the hotel the minute you enter. Staff is awesome, rooms are clean. Regardless, it is great experience.

The Drake is a timeless hotel that make you feel warm, welcome and safe. Everyone that works here makes you feel like family and alway accomodating to any needs. The views are specatcular! The Beds and showers are excellent! So happy to have such a classic timeless place to go to.

No fan in the bathroom. Tv in awkard spot in the room. Otherwise everything was great, and loved the old, antique feel.

A very nice hotel but somehow last stay I did woke up with a very bad back..

Went to the palm court for drinks and dancing. Good ambiance and service.

Great location for touring the city! Great room and very clean. Staff are super friendly. Only downside is no refrigerator or microwave. Those are only on request and you have to pay.

This place is old which is part of it's charm. We loved the gorgeous interior and the nice staff. Only complaint was the lack of refrigerator and microwave. Beds/pillows we're comfortable. And they even held our bags after we checked out so we could continue exploring the city on our last day. Very accommodating!

Nice hotel. Room keys suck, don't stay magnitized so need a new key every day.

Great Location; it's close walking distance to loads of restaurants, shopping, bars, clubs, history, you name it.

As of Jan 2020, DRAKE HOTEL has become an ordinary Hilton. Lack of hotel maintenance has made Drake, old and outdated instead of classic & grand.

THE SIGNS (1) WHY is the Palm Court Powder Room so cold during a Private Event? (2) Powder Room mirrors were never cleaned the night before as water stains were present by 8:30am. A Service Industry who forgot the main difference between luxury and affordability is Service.

Any ho, DRAKE's Grand Ballroom is a SET LOCATION for 2 Fox's EMPIRE TV Weddings (2016 & 2020). The same Grand Ballroom was also The Vatican for 2016's The Exorcist TV Series.

Non-Union background (BG) extras are grateful & happy to enjoy the view of Michigan Avenue & Oak Street Beach through CAMILLIA ROOM as Holding. THANK YOU. BG Holding areas vary from a chair-less parking lot, to a room with no view. Glitz and Glamour of Hollywood. *lol* NOT just BG...Lead Actors also run on high heels and endures the Chicago cold weather at the El Train. All is fair in suffering...that's looks great & fantabulous on film/TV/video. ;)

Just stopped in to have drinks as a tourist. Had great drinks and a great waiter!

The Drake is a beautiful hotel, loved the decor, and the 1920s feel, the staff was friendly and professional. Its location was perfect, located within walking distance to alot of what Chicago has to over, and we had a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. However i was unimpressed with the rooms, there was no fridge or mini bar, no microwave, no hotel directory or guides to check out room service or the hotel restaurant's and bars, the TV had minimal channel's and the wall are pretty thin, if you know what i mean.

My favorite hotel in chicago. Classic and beautiful the bar on the basement is solid for a hotel bar, the lobby is awesome, and the staff are great. So close to shopping and the lake it's a great home base.

Really stunning hotel with what seems like turn of the century charm. It's old but kept up very well. It is also in one of the best locations in north Chicago and practically within walking distance of everything worth seeing on Michigan Ave. I would definitely stay agin if the ooportunity arises. Very reasonably priced.

This was a nice location for a Christmas getaway with my girlfriend. The hotel was very old and felt a bit musty at times, but the history and ambiance here really made the stay special.

Excellent food and service but sadly, historic hotel facilities need updating.

Traditional splendid elegant and refined. This hotel and it's supurb location are a must.

Went to the Drake Hotel for a networking tea time event. The tea was amazing and the food was good too. The atmosphere was perfect for a morning networking event and the food was perfect for having conversations.

The bathrooms were very clean the best I have ever seen. The waiting area is beautiful.

An original Chicago hotel with a location at the top of The Mag Mile that can't be beat

Beautiful! Stunning! Fabulous! Staff was wonderful and provided us with complimentary bottled water throughout our stay. Was hoping for a pool or hot tub. Close to everything!

Had high tea at the Palm Court. It was a great relaxing experience with good service, though it is a little pricey.

Awesome customer service! My room was beautiful and loved my bed! Good location!

Had afternoon tea at Palm Court at the Drake hotel. Afternoon tea with live harp performance. Good food good tea great environment. Only down fall was having to find the elusive waiter to ask for the bill.

They were really wonderful. Beautiful, clean hotel. Great service. They even gave my daughter a complimentary piece of cake because it was her birthday trip. I was worried about staying there with kids but they were all lovely.
My advice is to get the room with the included buffet breakfast, it had everything.

This was going to be a negative review... but changed to a very positive one...
I was not happy with the house-keeping service at Drake as I found it slow and their bathrooms too outdated with no hooks to even hang clothes. But now I am writing a review for a very different reason...
When we checked out today, my husband forgot his Macbook in our room! We discovered that 4 hours later when we were back in Michigan. I called the security, and spoke with Mr. Byron Jones. He said he would call back immediately with an update after he has checked into this. He called back withn 15 minutes with good news that the house keeping had found the laptop, and if we would like to come pick it up or should it be shipped. We opted for shipping and he called back a little later with the Fed Ex tracking number.
We are very impressed with the prompt service provided by Mr. Jones and was impressed with the honesty of the housekeeping. Well done, both! So, so grateful
Also kudos to the staff in the executive lounge on the 10th floor... Clara and her team... for always smiling and being helpful when that area is super busy!

Attended a meeting in a conference room that turned out to be too small. Staff was happy to relocate us to a different room (with a great view) to accommodate our needs. They also re-directed attendees to the new room so that meeting went off without a hitch.

Well maintained yester-year charm that lends a ritzy feel.

What an absolutely gorgeous hotel with Incredible staff. From check in to check out everyone was warm, welcoming and a delight.

Love the location, rooms are nicely decorated and the bed feels great!

Nice hotel, superb location on Magnificent Mile, wonderful service. My room was nice and spacious with older decor, presumably to lend to the iconic nature of the hotel. This is smack dab in the middle of everything - dining, shops, public transport, etc. Walk to museums and historic sites as well as the Ghirardelli store and Macy's. Take a horse ride, take a stroll, go to the beach. You'll find it all here.

Great location, rooms are very outdated tho. Needs a renovation, but still highly recommend.