W City Center, Chicago, IL
W Chicago – City Center
172 West Adams At Lasalle
Chicago, IL 60603-3604 US
Location: If you are going for business, the W City Center‘s location in the loop will be appealing. If you are going for pure leisure, it may or may not be where you want to be. You see, it is still very well located for many things, including the Taste of Chicago at nearby Grant Park at the end of every June. The Orange line from Midway Airport will get you a half block away in 45 mins. And you are close to several El lines and State Street shopping. Yet, if you don’t like the feeling of being in a business district on the weekends (i.e. many local businesses are closed because weekday businessmen provide the bulk of their business, you may prefer the W Chicago Lakeshore instead. The W Lakeshore is located very close to a beach and to the famous Navy Pier and is not a all in the business district like the W Chicago City Center.
The rooms: Very much standard W fare. The picture of the room in this article is of a “Wonderful” room. Bathroom was nicely appointed with a bathrobe, a nice shower, and room on the sink pedestal for your things.
The vibe: The “Living Room” as they call the lobby was being redone during my stay, but from what I saw it was a nice chill place to hang out with friends and drinks or just your laptop. The bar at this hotel was far from crowded on a Saturday night – very different from the W Lakeshore Chicago which was mobbed – and it was shut by about 1am. If you’re counting on the usual packed W bar with a line outside, this may not be the right choice.
The Acura Experience: One very cool feature here (and at many W’s around North America right now) was the Acura Experience. All you had to do was give your room number and name to reserve a ride in a well appointed Acura MDX. Anywhere within the downtown Chicago area – even up to Wrigley Field – was in the included area and it’s all free (although you will want to tip your driver based on how far you are going, perhaps from $3-$5 within a 15 minute ride area.
The staff: although I had to be a bit assertive to get the Starwood elite member 4pm checkout, it was granted and all other interactions with the staff were generally free of “W Attitude”. I would stay again if I needed to be in that area of Chicago.
-DG
