The Allerton Hotel Michigan Avenue Hotel - Page 1

The room was too small. With a bed and a small desk, there was only a little space left to open my suitcase. It was like a cheap economical hotel in Tokyo, except for a superfluously large TV on the desk. In the bathroom, a shower without a tub, a toillet and a very small wash-basin is packed in a 1mx2m area.

From my room, at the east end of the building, all I could see was the wall of the Avenue Hotel although the floor was on 20th. That should be very disappointing if you stay there for leisure.

An internet access was freely provided in the lobby, but in room, a "high-speed" connection was actually with wired 10Base-T and charged $9.95 for 24 hours. There was no coffee machine, no pot, no bottle of water, so I walked 300m to a starbucks everytime to have a cup of coffee.

The quality of staff was okay, but they should provide an accommodation worth the expensive rate of $160/night.

After a 16+ train ride we arrived at the hotel but did not receive any help unloading suitcases from the taxi. Check-in was on the second floor and all-in-all it went smoothly.

The beds were very comfortable but our "view" was less than desirable; another building under renovation. We did ask for a view but we were advised that "unfortunately" there were no rooms with views . ( For the price we paid, I am assuming.) Our room was located close to the elevators and very near the ice dispenser but that was not a problem.

The rooms were small, which we already knew from reading other reviews, but not bad for two people.

I did find a dab of toothpaste on the wall next to the sink and I did find some dirty spots on the phone, alarm clock and the desk but other than that the room was clean.

The conceirge was very patient, kind and helpful to the four of us as was the doorman. The doorman told us about the West Egg restaurant for breakfast; great place to eat and reasonably priced.

The hotel restaurant was rather high-priced but had delicious food. The first night we were there we had to wait awhile before the waiter noticed we were seated which was a little irritating.

I would stay at the hotel again but I would also check out other hotel's in the area to see what they offered.

The doorman was a plus. It had a great location. The elevator to the lobby from the street level was inconvenient. It is an older property.

My stay didn't start off great. Check in time was 3:00 & my room wasn't ready until 6:30. Wireless internet (free) works great in lobby, not in rooms. Internet connection in room is $9.95 per day. Who does that anymore? Air conditioner was not cooling room properly and I discovered at 3 am that there was no bottled water in the room. Again, even the basic, no-frills hotels give you water these days. Trying to get a bottle of water to my room at that hour required begging, pleading, crying and $20. (I was not feeling well) The shower was very moldy and the furniture looked... worn. Though there were 2 TVs in the Junior Suite (& they're so close you couldn't possibly watch both at once), there was really no space for your clothes for a five day stay. There was no hotel book telling you of services, amenities, etc. I was told that was a result of Crowne Plaza selling the hotel and the books are being reprinted. The hotel is now an independently owned hotel, so things could go either way.

The hotel itself is charming, and with the history & location it could be awesome. I almost feel unfair in not giving it a better review, but as it is now it desperately needs the major renovations they tell me it's going to get. The intent is to recreate much of the historic ambience. For the record, I would come back to see the improvements and potential success.

It was very comfortable and accommodating and one block from the doctor I was going to see.

This hotel made me feel welcome: They printed my boarding pass and cared for my luggage while I was at the doctor's office after I had checked out. Then they got a cab for me and they loaded my luggage.