Fairmont Chicago at Millennium Park Gold Experience

The Fairmont Chicago made our Windy City trip feel special, from its central location to the food, drinks, and entertainment. We loved Toro Bar, especially the espresso martinis, which were honestly among the best we’ve had. Friday night’s live DJ and fire dancer brought a lot of energy to the evening. The Fairmont Gold Lounge was another highlight. The food and drinks were excellent, and Mandana greeted us warmly each morning with genuine hospitality. The whole team made us feel well looked after. We had a wonderful stay and can’t wait to come back.

The room felt worn and dated, and the experience fell well short of what I expected for the price and reputation. One lamp didn’t work, a drawer was broken, and the heat wouldn’t go above 73°F, so we were cold after being outside in the Chicago winter. There were also small hairs in the shower and by the sink when we arrived. For comparison, LondonHouse Chicago was 10x more luxurious and better maintained on my previous visit, with service that felt much more in line with the standard I expected. The bathroom had a strong decaying smell right after check-in. A plumber came the next morning, confirmed the sink drain was clogged, and cleared it. He said housekeeping would come back to clean properly and deal with the odor. But when we got back at 9 PM on Valentine’s Day, the room hadn’t been serviced: the bathroom was still unclean, the smell remained, and the bed hadn’t been made. My boyfriend had also paid extra to have the room decorated for Valentine’s Day, which made the missed basic housekeeping especially disappointing. I stayed at Fairmont Millennium Park February 13-15. I don’t usually leave negative reviews, but this was very disappointing and not the level of quality or service I expected from Fairmont.

The staff were all very good, and I’d go back and recommend the hotel, though I’d keep my expectations in check. It was nice enough, but didn’t wow me. Room service and the wet bar seemed too expensive, and the smoke alarm beeped at 2am and again at 4am, which was annoying. I expected a sofa based on the booking website and didn’t get one. We also didn’t receive the free upgrade we were entitled to through the program we booked under. The hotel said it was full, though higher room types still appeared bookable online that evening. It seems like chains in the program often deny this benefit. I’d rather they just say up front not to expect an upgrade than tell us they’re full.

The location is the one thing that really worked for us, with easy access to downtown attractions. The staff were kind and courteous, but the rest was a letdown. We paid the extra $50 to guarantee a connecting room and even got a confirmation email about it. When we arrived, there were no connecting rooms. That was extremely disappointing. The rooms also didn’t match what I expected for the price. They were dated and run down, with furniture that looked about 20 years old. One nightstand was missing its glass top, a chair had a chunk of wood missing from the arm, and the TV stand doors were crooked and loose. The bathroom had broken and loose tiles, and I found a hole in my pillowcase. The location is why I’m giving it three stars. Everything else disappointed me.