The Drake Hotel Reviews

Disappointed the beautiful tree had been taken down already

Wonder of 1920, I remembered cold Chicago, a little cold attention. Employees addicted to the tip.Al income request ridiculous amounts to block card. Concierge does not solve anything.

Service was excellent, good location. A snafu at check-in regarding how I was charged was the only issue. It was something that could have been avoided and they said they were unable to reverse the issue, which was irritating, but what are you gonna do? Otherwise a very nice stay.

Historic hotel with unique guestrooms. It's a treat to be able to stay here when in town.

Very helpful staff. The front desk agent directed us to the hotel we were actually staying, the hotel Blake.

Location is exceptional and service is efficency and friendly.

The Drake is a fabulous 20s era hotel in the heart of downtown Chicago! Palm Court is a must for afternoon tea and drinks in the exclusive room for an after dinner treat. Love the mandrake dragons at the entrance too! Palm D'Or is known for serving the 2nd legal drink in Chicago after the Prohibition and is a good stop too

Historical hotel. No service or restauransts are open because of covid but you will be in the middle of the city with a lake view

Elegant part of Chicago Glam, and history. Always divine

Charming 1920s hotel, with modern amenities. Strongly recommend. Next to Michigan Avenue

Beautiful, historic property. Walls are a little thin, but overall, great experience.

Overall the hotel's conference amenities are well done. The one black mark is a lack of wifi which is a must have for a conference. The location is good, and all of the presentation equipment works well.

Such a beautiful building inside and out! Had the roasted chicken and it was a big portion and absolutely delicious! Also well made cocktails! Well done!

Wonderful stay, very nice room, some noise from other guests but overall excellent. Highly recommended. Go for a package with valet parking if arriving by car. Will definitely return.

Though it's a historical place in Chicago, as far as hotel goes, it's a pretty basic Hilton. Rooms can use some updating and the Executive lounge is tiny (but provides a spectacular view over Lake Shore Dr)

Room wasn't ready as promised. Charged upgrade for better room that's worse than original one. Toilet doesn't even work properly.

Great older Hotel. Walls a little thin but views and feel is awesome.

I was at the Drake for tea with family and loved it. The selection of tea was great and the food was delicious.

They close the Cape Code restaurant. A lost to Chicago and the world

Parting is such sweet sorrow.
I have been a guest of The Drake for decades. My wife and I were married at the Drake so to write such a low review saddens me.
Recently I wanted to surprise my wife by booking the Bridal suite we had on our wedding day. I planned to place photos of our wedding in the suite to make it more romantic. All was going as planned until a week before our arrival I received a phone call from a representative at the hotel who sounded very upset that I had a reservation for the Vista suite. He explained that a guest was extending thier stay and that I could not have the suite, but he would upgrade us to the presidential suite. I expressed my disappointment and that it would not be same, but he did not seem to care. With reluctance and disappointment I agreed.
I am a world traveler and have stayed at some of the finest hotels in the world and yes there were times when I too wanted to extend my stay. I was told I could extend my stay, but not in same the room because the room was reserved for another guest and I would have to move to another room. So, why did the Drake not honor my reservation I cannot say.
I understand that it takes time and money to renovate such a large building and some of the rooms have been completed, but there are some rooms that need renovation now. Which brings me to our upgraded Presidential suite what a disappointment.
First, it had smelled of mildew, second the furniture needs much attention, third the wall paper needs replacing, forth there were cracks in the ceiling right above the bed and in the bathroom I am not sure what appears to be dripping from the ceiling. The only thing I can say is it was a big room The Buckingham Suite. Not Worth The Money. Looks to be a room they hold for such situations.
How disappointing.
No attention to details which falls on the management not the staff which is the only reason I did not give a one star. The staff are friendly and work their tails off to make up for the poor management. The lack of attention to the details, the lack of professionalism, the lack of understanding and appreciation for clients such as myself and finally not honoring reservations. There are plenty of other fine hotels in the area which I intend on trying on our next visit. By the way the food at the Drake has substantially dropped in quality and is become way over priced.
The Drake is going thru changes and not for the better. For someone such as myself who has spent thousand of dollars at the Drake to write such a review should give much insight to those interested in staying there. My suggestion try somewhere else and it saddens me to say that.
I am so tried of excuses for receiving poor service.
Happy Travels To All

This hotel is out of this world. Fantastic venue to be central downtown Chicago.. Excellent service

Met some friends for drinks. Impeccable service, beautiful building, great drinks.

This was always one of the great hotels of Chicago, Majestic - elegantly fashioned as if it was from the Roaring Twenties. But, unfortunately there are signs that is getting a little run-down.

Every staff member at every level of service is professional courteous and intelligent.
The ambience of the historic Drake Hotel is overwhelming. From the beauty of the painted ceilings, the mirrored Tea Room as well as Bob the bartender's Tales of how the first drink after the end of prohibition was served in the Coq d'Or bar.

Beautiful, historic hotel with great service. Loved the location and Janet at the front desk was extremely helpful. Can't wait to come back

My frienda and I were at the Drake for tea time at the Palm Court. It was great, I highly recommend it. The tea is amazing and the small bites are delightful.

Excellent hotel. Top notch service in an amazing location.

Very interesting place, you go back to the time of the gangsters

Good location, good guest service, clean. There is no free internet.

Nice staff. Found the drinks really pricey but I guess that's the price for the retro atmosphere.

Drake Hotel's Palm Court and Coq D ' Or were the headquarters for the 2013 Jazz Club Tour Trolley sponsored by the Jazz Institute of Chicago. The Jazz artists who performed were Mike Harvey, Elaine Dame , Raijv Halim, and Christopher McBride.

I loved the Frank Sinatra inspired jazz band with the black suits, white shirts and skinny ties. The Drake Hotel is very swanky so dress for the occasion. This is a very popular place on the Annual Jazz Trolley Tour. Standing Room Only.

Beautiful hotel, old charm freaking loved it. Not your typical hotel room set up which made it all so much better. In the heart of a beautiful city.

Staff at the Drake are superb. I visited Chicago in November 2018 for a research project and the Drake provided all the comforts of home, including a beautifully decorated lobby for the holiday season. My room was spacious, beautifully decorated and comfortable. Newspapers arrived and when I missed a delivery, the Concierge gave me his personal copy of that day's s copy of the NY Times. I recommend the Drake for any traveler. You will not be disappointed.

All staff members are very nice and friendly. Hotel very clean.

Was here for a conference. Everything was very well coordinated and taken care of

Our group (4 law students and a professor) stayed at The Drake recently for the Jessup International Moot Court Competition. The hotel was fine enough historical charm, beautifully maintained. However, the customer service was truly the defining characteristic. Takiesha and Jasmine went above and beyond for our group. I ve worked in many customer service roles prior to law school, and both of them demonstrated the highest level of customer care I ve ever experienced. It was obvious that they were dealing with a hectic front desk, but they really showed us that we were their priority. I honestly can t convey how accommodating they were. I would recommend this hotel solely because I know the guests are in their care!! Takiesha and Jasmine, thank you!! UH MAZE ING!

This is a Grand Dame of Chicago history. Shame on the Hilton for not keeping the property up to its luster. Brass needs cleaning, the place needs painting and carpets need replacing.

The place is dead. The bar is empty and the Cape Cod room closed in 2016. Very sad to see the luster gone.

Yet, the building and location are amazing.

Not only does this hotel have great history, and not only have great people stayed their like her majesty Queen Elizabeth, but it lives up to its standard. At the same time, I did not feel uncomfortable staying there as the staff were mostly really nice and welcoming. I really loved the Palm cafe and listening to live harp while having tea there. Food was good, but it could be a little better..so could the rooms..but keep in mind this is a historical hotel so I guess it cannot be compared to a luxury new hotel.

Upon arriving there were several men who stood outside pushing the revolving doors or hailing cabs or valet parking for guests. They are adequately staffed and because of that alone their service seems prepped to the T. I only went to the bar which was semi-dimly lit and had a turn of the 20th century vibe. Which added that much more ambiance once the pianist and singer started playing music. Drinks were well made and very tasty but of course pricey. It is the Drake after all. All in all, will be back.

Very expensive. But high tea is totally worth it. Very thing is very nice and there is live music. Great tea and snack foods. You could call it a dinner maybe cause it is a lot of food

Had an afternoon tea for my birthday and it was absolutely delicious. The garden tea was wonderful.

Food and event space was great. Wifi... Not so much. ****

Afternoon tea is wonderful. Carolers sing at each table around Christmas time. I ve gone on Christmas before, as a fun family event! Comfy seating around a beautiful room centerpiece. All of the foods are tasty and the staff is very helpful.

I have been there monthly for the past 20 years or so - The Coq d Or has wonderful food and great service.

Beautiful hotel with an excellent location and luxury service.

this place has a big history behind plus i like it at night time

A very classy and classic elegancy, friendly staff and good site...I really loved it

My air didn't work in my room at all. Food was disappointing three days in a row. Including completely raw chicken.

Great classic hotel. Upscale done right. Would recommend

As ever, a wonderful hotel, in a cracking location.

Came at 12:25, website says The place is open until 1:00am, but we were turned away... There were still people sitting in the bar.

Are you kidding? It's the Drake! Watch Risky Business before your stay for some historical context.

A fancy place to stay in Chicago, breakfast is ok but could also be improved

We ate lunch in the drake hotel bar. The food was delicious but one of our party was in a wheelchair and the hotel was difficult to navigate (requiring security to follow us in and out).

Very busy, waiting over a 20 minutes to check in, then they told us that the room won't be available for another hour (a great way for them to make money in the hotel restaurants while you wait for your room), and then when we finally got the room, it was a partial lake front room when we booked a full lake front room and said there were no other rooms available.

The room was great with an amazing view of Michigan Ave. Staff are friendly and happy to help

Went there for new year's 2016. Had a really good time. I especially liked the way they managed the men's restrooms by putting them in the basement and sending us there via elevator

This place is historical and I think this is where the main allure comes from. It is old but updated and beautiful. The suite we stayed in was wonderful and large. Very little amenities but that is made up with ambiance and the fact you can walk anywhere within minutes.
We even ordered room service and that was good but very $$$$.

Everything was so grand! And the staff was very helpful

Went to the Drake for Saturday night swing dancing. Lovely crowd, very fun!

Lovely hotel in the heart of the gold coast. Lovely view of the sea.

Historic hotel. Beautiful. But there is even coffee and water at the front desk. Pretentious mto.

The room was great! Double bed with 2 bathrooms. Got a view of Michigan Ave. Tje event was awesome. It was very nice to have a room in the hotel for convince.

The walls are a little thin, my refrigerator didn't work, and the beds are small. All that aside, it is a very nice hotel. Great location.

During the event that I attended the service was good and the hotel was clean and well kept.

Super place for an older hotel. Close to Michigan Ave, shopping and dining.

Very great place to stay, room attendant lamon had very great customer service and was very helpful I will recommend this place..

All of the staff was very friendly great experienced and everyone was super nice

Small room tucked away by fire escaped but hotel location is great.

The Drake Hotel is a beautiful hotel with a beautiful interior, but with unimpressive rooms. The room I had with 2 queen beds was comparable to any other standard hotel. The beds were a bit too soft for my liking, but they were incredibly bouncy, so that was fun. The room also included an iron, just like most hotels, but my particular room was missing the ironing board. Lastly, for some reason, all of the power outlets in the room were very loose and would barely hold onto whatever I plugged into them. After everything, I was really unimpressed by the hotel and I can't say I'd care to return.