The Royal Sonesta Chicago River North

Great location, with everything nearby. The pool and breakfast were both great, the room view was really nice, and the front desk service was top tier. One warning: don’t take the doorman’s advice about rides, not the older white man. He seems to work with the taxi companies to scam people. He may say he can get you a cheap ride to the airport, but that’s a major scam.

The spa suite was great, especially that huge tub, and the shower had amazing water pressure. There’s a 7/11 right nearby, and Bub city is an awesome restaurant within walking distance. The staff were fantastic across the board, from the front desk and doormen to housekeeping and maintenance. The service deserves even more stars. We’ll definitely be back.

I can’t get a clear answer from someone who knows about late checkout. What time can platinum members check out? I’m trying to give Sonesta more business, but this isn’t a good start. I don’t want to book without being able to confirm late checkout, since my current hotel partner gives it to me. Can someone help?

The friendly front desk staff and two helpful housekeepers were the best parts of our stay. The location was convenient, and when I went downstairs for slippers and other amenities, they brought them up quickly. Still, the hotel itself was very disappointing, and without the staff I’d have rated it one star. My girlfriend and I stayed at Royal Sonesta Chicago River North over Christmas, and it didn’t feel like a four-star hotel, more like two and a half stars. The hot water kept switching from hot to cold after about a minute. The heat was erratic too. At 26 degrees Celsius the room felt like a sauna, but at 22 it became icy. One night the thermostat dropped itself to 18 degrees Celsius, and I got sick right afterward. We were told the heating and hot water problems were ongoing, but that doesn’t seem acceptable when I’m paying to stay there. The guest service phone never worked. I raised it with the concierge, and they kept saying they’d send technicians, but it didn’t seem anyone ever fixed it. I’m not sure where the communication was breaking down. On Boxing Day, we came back after lunch to collect my Apple Watch and a couple of things before going shopping. A housekeeper was cleaning, and while we packed a few things and rested briefly, she told us we couldn’t be in the room while she cleaned and asked us to come back in 5 to 10 minutes. I’d never heard of that before and wasn’t sure why it was necessary, or whether she was charging her phone in the bathroom. The hot tub in our room also kept releasing mold into the water as it filled. That was really disturbing.