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Swissotel Chicago
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: The Loop
323 E Wacker Dr
(between Columbus Dr & Field Blvd)
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 565-0565
323 E Wacker Dr
(between Columbus Dr & Field Blvd)
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 565-0565
- Nearest Transit:
-
Randolph/Wabash (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
- Price Range:
-
$$$
45 reviews for Swissotel Chicago
Gorgeous, comfy, big, clean rooms and great polite service.
The hotel can be a bit of a trek to get to, especially after a long day of being a tourist. There aren't really any destinations nearby i.e. within a 10 minute walk. I suggest if you find a comparable hotel just north of the river, then go for it.
Recommendations:
- Stay as high up as you can
- breakfast costs $26 (I think), not worth it. Might as well find a spot in the city.
- Upon arrival to Chicago, drive or get a taxi to the hotel. Especially if it's your first time in the city.
Note: If you're up really high, you might hear your window whistling due to the wind. Just let the front desk know and they'll take care of you.
What a fine establishment, with a sweet view of Navy Pier. The rooms are quite spacious, especially if you want to get your "groove on".
I have had the warm fuzzy bathrobe I lifted, for 2 years now. What a great robe, I love you guys.
P.S. You are better than the Hard Rock Chicago........they don't even have bath robes!
I did a little stay-cation during Venetian Night weekend. A great hotel. Location is good and rooms are pretty large. My room faced Buckingham Fountain and Millennium Park. It was so pretty to see the boats out in the morning. Bathroom was huge!! It worked out well when my sister and I were getting ready at the same time. Beds are like the heavenly beds at the Westin. We even had fresh fruit and bottles of water waiting for us when we arrived. Ate breakfast downstairs and although a little pricey I do feel like I ate all that I wanted. Swiss breakfast's are awesome!!
Only "complaints" for me is the lobby, its quite boring and so is the bar but oh well. I think most people staying were for a convention or flight crew staff sleeping until their next flight out.
We managed to secure an unbelievable deal very last minute for the Swissotel. It wasn't my first choice to be honest, but it more than lived up to my expectations and superceded what I needed to get out of it.
The location is almost unbeatable for the price. And it does earn cred for being the only triangular shape hotel building in Chicago. It sits right above the river and depending where your room is you'll get unparallelled views of the architecture, two bodies of water and the beautifully lit Navy Pier at night.
We faced the Wrigley building on the 29th floor. It was a bit unnerving to also be facing a busy office building across the street from us especially when it came to changing or just relaxing. But we really did spend very little time in our rooms.
Yes, while the best thing going for this hotel is the location they do have tons of downers too. It's not the hippest or most trendy place. If you're single you're probably not going to have a kickin time here. I saw that it was mostly families, older couples or suited people coming in for conventions.
The staff is friendly enough and check in, check out went smoothly without incident. The rooms were cleaned spic and span every day. The beds were comfortable but it was too soft/plush for me, but that's a matter of personal preference. The mini bar is super annoying as they charge you for just moving things out of place, but it is also a no brainer to rectify the situation at check out. They are probably so used to these types of complaints, they didn't give us a hard time at all.
All in all, I was within a 5-10 min walk to most of the major destinations in downtown. The loop, the red and blue line, the El, millennium park, grant park, lake shore, the boat tours, steps from Michigan Ave and Magnificient Mile, Navy Pier. The convenience factor is unbeatable. There are tons of restaurants within a few block radius. We never ate anything onsite so I can't vouch for the food options immediately avialable. Another thing that was annoying was the fact that they charge for internet, the gym and the pool. But I guess they have to make money somehow since they practically give their rooms away.
It's really a great value for the money and I wouldnt mind to stay here again if I was visiting the city again. And that's saying a lot!
I bought a pack of Marlboros in the gift shop for $10 a pack. TEN DOLLARS! And people say LA is expensive!
I scored a room rate of $70 a night on Priceline, which is practically free! This hotel is an UBER VALUE: the room is comparable to a nicer Las Vegas hotel standard: down pillows, crisp white sheets, bathroom fitted with granite countertops. The river view is pretty amazing, even from the 19th floor.
It's not the best location, but it's good enough. I definitely would not mind staying here again.
Location Location Location! We had booked through Hotwire not knowing what to expect and we got this hotel for only $112 a night, a greatttt price for staying right smack dab in the city and in the middle of it all.
Our room was clean and the bed was really comfortable. I usually don't have a GREAT night sleep in hotels, but this place I did. The maid staff was very friendly. The bathroom was a little frustrating because the shower curtain wouldn't close all the way...but other than that the room was great. All around the hotel are rooms with windows. So, you will most likely get a room with some sort of city view.
Right near it all...walkable to the touristy areas of Chicago! Cabs are everywhere too, so anywhere is attainable in under 10 mins pretty much! I would recommend to others. If I go back, which I hope I do, I would like to try out the Westin or the W...those were our other picks when choosing where to stay.
Not my favorite hotel in Chicago.
The lobby is rather stale and unappealing. I don't really even know how to explain the decor other than it is totally lacking decor. It almost has the feel of a doctor's office waiting room.
The rooms are furnished in very muted tones with semi-modern furniture. The bathroom was large and had both a walk in glass shower and a big jet tub. Lovely river and skyline views. You can see Navy Pier and the lake from the east facing rooms.
Two things I noted on the customer service:
(-) We were trying to get online to find out if the Sox game had been delayed or cancelled due to the rain. My dad also needed to check his email for work. We were unable to connect to the hotel's wifi and called the front desk. The guest services agent said that a tech would be right up. We waited in the room for over 45 minutes... no tech.
(+) Due to said rain, my dad needed an umbrella to walk to the EL. The concierge had one available and graciously let him use it for the evening.
Swisshotel would not be my first recommendation for lodging in Chicago. It's OK, but it just doesn't have that 'wow' factor.
This is one of my favorite hotels. The best part about it is the view. If you can afford it, get a corner room. It is not a standard room shape, and overlooks Navy Pier and the lake.
Check in and Check out are almost always painless and easy. The beds are very comfy. The rooms very clean. The staff is friendly.
My only negative would be the food there. It's overpriced, and not that great. And the bathrooms weren't that spacious either, but I think they have been redone recently.
I'll start with the bad:
Uninspired lobby, it's not much to look at really.
Somewhat inconvenient location
Expensive add-on's such as $52 valet for 5+ hours.
And the good:
Friendly/accommodating staff
- we walked in/around the hotel all night with drinks and never heard anything from the staff except when they closed up the back and asked us to walk around front (drinks in hand).
Nice rooms
- great bedding, nice bathroom with a tub and separate glass shower. Great views if you're high enough.
One of the best views of any downtown Chicago hotel. Nice bathrooms with great showers. A very elegant hotel overall.
But its too far down Wacker from the rest of downtown - especially walking at night. The front desk is always busy, and you have to pay extra to use the health club. Also, the down-feather bedding is too hot and bulky - even with the heat turned off in winter.
(Its like sleeping in a giant Swiss diaper... how elegant!)
Its awesome having friends in the travel industry. Friends that invite you for slumber parties at beautiful hotels in your own city. Lucky, lucky me. I have had the pleasure of staying at the Swiss on several occasions and have always had an enjoyable experience.
The rooms are standard, however those on the south side of the oddly angled building offer spectacular views of Millennium Park, Grant Park and the lakefront harbors. Beds are super comfy and service is polished and professional.
I find the design of the hotel a very contemporary Euro and the amenities are top notch. Concierge is incredibly knowledgeable and gracious. The Palm Restaurant is one of the city's better steakhouses and the staff there is also top notch.
Room service is spot on and relatively quick and the housekeeping standards were above and beyond. I enjoy my little in town jaunts. The location is the best of both worlds, close to the theatre district and the loop and at the foot of the Mag Mile.
My friends got married here a couple of years ago. This place is super swanky and a nice place to go if you need a get away, but no time to go anywhere.
Likes:
If you can get a room up 20 or more stories, the view is pretty f@#ing amazing. I'm a huge fan of Chicago's architectural splendor, and the Swissotel has that in spades. The beds are awesome, and the prices are comparatively reasonable in an unreasonable market (does that make sense?).
Dislikes:
Accessing it is a little bit of a pain in the ass and the parking costs too much (I think that I owe a couple of my future kids to the valet). The front lobby people were about as helpful as ADHD 5 year-olds, and I felt like as a young man the security folks, they were constantly scrutinizing my presence there.
This was a very nice hotel, but yes expensive! It has a great view in a convenient location. Within in walking distance to all the main attractions in Chicago. I loved the bathroom and the pool on the top floor. My only complaint is the fridge, they have a scale inside and automatically charges you when items are removed. It would of been nice to realize this before we looked around and took items out to put our left overs in, lol.
*** a tremendous value in these lowly economic times ... ***
checked into my room here and it looks just like the pics:
fresh, contemporary, scenic views of dntn..river..pier..lake.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
currently this is available for only $88/nt on http://Quikbook.com
(i could not even get this kinda rate 15 years ago) that's a steal.
*** ouch: $49 for prkg, $15 gym, $20 lake view ... don't go for 'em! ***
The location is great, as long as you have a window, you could be looking at the chicago river, the Wrigley building, Grant Park or Navy Pier. Really good service. I do have to take a half star off for the prices. Even though your downtown, for that price, just stay at the Drake. That and I dislike the selection of resturants around the area. But it gains a star back for the amazing quality of service.
Thank you summer promotional sales! If it wasn't for a really sweet deal that was running towards July-August- I would've been staying in a hostel during Lollapalooza weekend, constantly worrying if my stuff was gonna get jacked.
This hotel is top-notch, probably the classiest hotel I've ever stayed in. There was a bit of construction going on in the front of the hotel, but it didn't detract from how nice it looked inside. The staff was very pleasant and easy to talk to for any questions. The rooms are spacious and pristine with pillow-top beds that made it almost impossible to get up in the morning because it was so comfortable. The bathroom was big too and I liked the separate shower and tub. I also had a gorgeous view of the city from my window.
There's a Palm Restaurant that's in the first floor lobby that's excellent there. They had fantastic service there- pricey, but so worth it (especially since I got to meet the guys from Bloc Party who were conveniently sitting nearby my booth). It's not too far to walk to other restaurants nearby if you don't feel like having steak.
I'd say the only downside of this hotel is the lack of free wi-fi. If I can get free wi-fi at the Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, etc., I don't see why more hotels, especially posh hotels like this one can't have free wi-fi too. If I'm lucky enough to be in Chicago again and find an excellent price to stay here, I'll gladly go back.
The Swissotel in Chicago is only a good experience if you're a typical business traveler. If you're looking for a hotel where you can, check-in, sleep, shower, and check-out - all for a reasonable downtown price with just enough class to keep your briefcase clean and shoes unsmudged, this hotel is for you.
If, on the other hand, you're a normal person or looking for a nice urban hotel to spend a weekend, then, you'll find Swissotel massively disappointing. As I mentioned, the bare-bones are there, it's clean, the rooms have nice tv's and spacious showers. However, that's where the niceties end. Here's why I'd suggest somewhere else:
1. The location is out-of-the-way. It somehow manages to be downtown but not within short walking distance of...anything really.
2. The overnight/valet parking is $50 per day. The street parking is minimal, and if you try the Chicago/Gotham City labyrinthine sub-levels beneath this place, you might get killed.
3. To use the pool/spa, it's $15 per day PLUS they don't even tell you this up front and you are charged automatically when you swipe your key card at the entrance (my friend had to drag this info out of the desk attendant in advance of making THAT mistake).
4. The service is downright inconsiderate. Nobody smiled, no "how was your day", no perks of any kind. Lame. I asked for a shaving kit and the lady at the front desk looked shocked and practically slammed it on the desk and said "here".
5. The building looks like it was designed by a six-year-old math whiz using only a straight edge and a pencil.
A perfectly acceptable business hotel in Chicago. A bit out of the way. Lacks character but comfortable enough. Restaurant appears overpriced. Nice views. 3.5 stars at the $200/night I paid. Parking, internet, gym are extra.
This is still by far my favorite hotel in Chicago for location and price.
Walking distance for shopping on both Michigan Avenue and The Loop/State Street stores.
Quaint with all of the amenities of the larger hotels. They have a gym and indoor pool. The view of Lake Michigan is awesome from the rooms and even while waiting for the elevators.
The underground walkway from the Hyatt, across the way takes you all the way to Milenium Park.
TIP: Not that you need a car in Chicago, but if you do need to park overnight, park at the Milenium Parking lot and save yourself $ 25.00 per day.
4-star hotel with Motel 6 toilet. You get a great room, great view, nice amenities, but have to deal with toilet paper so abrasive and thin you might as well not do a number 2.
The parking is valet, and pricey: $41/day. One of the valet guys was rude, telling me with disapproval, "we're very busy. you need to call ahead next time."
I would stay at the Sheraton across the river/street.
well... of course my agency paid for the suite here. Nice views of the Sears Tower and Lake Michigan from 35th floor of the Swissotel can only compare to our very own Mandarin Oriental. Owned by the Swiss Tourism Group, it's a very comfortable existence for a good nights sleep but if you wanna eat, try somewhere else. Not only they'll stuff you with a gigantic plate of mashed potatoes, at the end they'll slap you with a massive bill, which your boss may decide not to pick up.
Overall, I loved my stay at Swissotel - the only place I ever stayed in the great Midwest!
I booked this hotel on Hotwire for $65, which is an absolute steal given its location. (it was slightly off season, but still a great deal).
The desk staff was very friendly. We asked and got a 2PM late check-out (I had read a lot of people saying they denied them an early/late check in). She did say that their occupancy rate when we were there was 40%, which could explain why they weren't reluctant.
The ammenities on Hotwire at the time were listed as Tennis nearby, Spa, Pool, Restaraunt, etc.. There is no actual Spa, its just a service they make an appointment with and they come to the hotel--the services are overpriced.
The upstairs workout room looked nice, and the pool looked OK, though there was a maintenance guy reapplying some tiles to the wall while we contemplated swimming.
The room itself was MUCH nicer than I thought it looked in the pictures. The furniture wasn't dingy, like others complained. And the bathroom was nice, with a seperate shower and decent sized tub (not jacuzzi, but a little larger than normal).
Room service was efficient, average priced, and decent food. In room mini-bar was average priced as well.
Valet parking is expensive but no more than any other downtown Chicago hotels.
Bed and linens were very comfortable, as comfortable as any so called "heavenly bed" ... We stayed in and ordered room service for breakfast and lunch, we didn't want to leave the next day.
I'd go back.
Here's what bugged me about this hotel:
It's far enough from the L to be annoying to get to.
The restaurant/bar didn't look so great
Their business center closed around 5 or 6 p.m. which really defeats the point of having a business center.
There was also a channel on the television which was a welcome to Chicago sort of video that was just repeating the introduction. The front desk staff didn't know too much about that or other things I asked them about such as how to access the pool and gym.
I stayed here my first weekend in Chicago and in retrospect I could have picked a better hotel.
Pluses: Very good value, great lake view, if you're on that side, very good customer service, and (my personal barometer in play here) plentiful hot water, good water pressure and a good bathtub (I love a good therapeutic hot bath).
The Swissotel's not cutting edge but has been very good for my purposes (business trip). The hotel's at the end of Wacker and the lake side overlooks the Navy Pier. Definitely recommended.
Very nice. Easy to get to by bus, taxi whatever, and right on the lake. The room had an awesome view, and the staff was friendly, answering all my questions (I somehow managed to have about 20). They took our bags for us before check-in time, which was a worry for us.
The downside- As stated, internet isn't free, and the pool/spa closed at 10. People are on vacation here and want a little jacuzzi time apres dinner!
A huge room with a view of Navy Pier: $125
Running into one of your professors in the rooftop hot tub: Priceless
Amazing view from the Edelweiss Ballroom - attended a conference there and the view was simply breathtaking. The staff was very friendly and cooperative with the large group of people. I have a wedding invitation for the Swissotel for next year and I can't wait to see it all decked in its glory/beauty. Beautiful hotel and amazing experience.
Edit: Came here for the wedding - Still very beautiful - parking wasn't very impressive, valet took a while to get us our car - food was decently good - not terribly great but not bad either. But the wedding was still a beautiful event.
I'm wrapping-up day #7 of an 11-night stay and the Swissotel has made me quite comfortable. My room is spacious and easy on the eyes, my bed is comfortable but firm and my desk has views of the lake and the river.
For my food/drink/scene needs the Palm is joined-to-the-hip of the Swissotel's lobby.
I've taken advantage of the location as well: a three block walk along the river places me at the beginning of the magnificent mile.
I'm docking a star because every other time I walk by the front desk there is a deep line of hotel guests waiting to check-in/out. There's nothing more depressing than waiting in-line after a long flight or drive and while I didn't wait to check-in (at 11:30pm) I feel their pain.
Just wonderful.
We got here because it was pretty cheap and downtown enough for our short stay. It's the quintessential business hotel (with KPMG next door) with very little flavor. Luckily, we were busy spending time away from this place, but parking would be painful during business hours. We were fortunate with street parking right outside, but the street parking below this place is some shady shady place. They'll try to nickle and dime you on everything, including a pool & health room charge before hand, so you have to check your bill and have them remove it. Walking distance wise, it's close enough to downtown (5-10 minutes), but not in an area that you'd feel great about walking back late at night. Their website makes it look like a glamorous experience, but the rooms are pretty standard and there isn't much flair at all to this place. It's a great place to call home base if you have a car and are looking to save money over the pricier downtown hotels.
Awesome, big, well lit room over looking the Navy Pier, Lake Michigan, and River for $149!!! I stayed at the Intercontental for 4 nights and then the Swissotel on Saturday night. Was much better! Very comfy and convenient--great find!
Only downside, shuttle never came so don't rely on hotel or shuttle for transportation.
Overall, still a great experience. I chose it over the Sheraton & Fairmont and def. think I made the right decision. Would def. choose this hotel upon returning to Chicago!
Like other reviews, remember to park your car in the parking garage nearby. The $49 for valet parking is simply insane.
Wonderful views of the lake and downtown area while being close enough able to walk down to the park. Very good sized room and updated interiors.
On the downside, the gym and internet were pay services. The pool came with the room price.
Will do it again next time I am downtown.
Had a two night stay courtesy of Teva Neurosciences (yes I am a sell-out) for a local conference. Everything was very new, fresh, and luxurious. The 43rd floor banquet room has a breathtaking view of the riverfront and Navy Pier. Too bad I generally would not be able to afford this type of place. Only reason for knocking off a star: everything you lick, touch, or use costs money, marked up 300%! Using a few of the coffee self-maker machine tabs cost 22$. The gym costs 15$. Internet access is 5$/15min. I'm just not used to this atmosphere of overcharge to death.
The Swissotel is a beautiful contemporary hotel located on the heart of Michigan Ave. and Wacker Drive. I spent New Years Eve here and watched the fireworks at Navy Pier from our 17th story suite. I remember watching the sun rise over the lake front New Years day and just appreciating all the comforts of this life. Plan ahead and request an lake view suite. The Palm Restaurant offers a great service and all the sites along Michigan Ave. are right down the street. Coincidently, this is also the hotel my cousin proposed to his wife so there is a special place in our family's hearts for the Swissotel. The bathrooms are very roomy and great for long extended bathes with that special someone. Light a few candles, order a bottle of some of that bubbly, and enjoy your stay at this classy establishment.
beautiful beautiful rooms with gorgeous views of the lake
the service is very mediocre, but it's comparable to other downtown hotels
drilling woke me up, they wouldnt send up toothpaste, etc
but in the end, they did make amends. just took a little while
I like this hotel in terms of bar service and the Palms restaurant it has but I docked it one star for hostile front desk service. Before moving to Chicago I typically would book my hotels through my company's travel department but on this occasion I found a great deal on one of the tertiary travel websites. I booked the room for considerably less than what it would normally have cost. Upon my arrival I was essentially informed that I was a third class patron and some amenities and services were not available to me because I secured the room for such a deep discount. I'm sure this isn't company policy to treat it's clients this way but the experience was nonetheless rotten.
This has to be one of the best hotels located downtown Chicago! As with any hotel chain downtown you are going to pay for the room but it is worth it. I was staying downtown during the Taste of Chicago and you could see the crowds from my room and on the other side was Navy Pier and the dazzling fireworks from the great view. Spend the money to upgrade the room - you are worth it!
When interviewing for a job while in college, the hiring company paid for my stay here....room was absolutely amazing, plush and comfy King-size bed, lovely contemporary and modern style decor and an absolutely f'ng view of the Chicago River, Navy Pier and Lake Michigan! I was at awe especially still a student in college. The company does know how to treat the interviewees well! The good ole dot com boom days!
The bed is great, the size of the room is great and the view can be great depending on where you are. The problem I had with this place is that it DESPERATELY needs remodeling. The decor is out of the 1980's - popcorn ceilings people! - and the shower was uncomfortably small. I kept wondering if maybe they began renovating a few years ago and this was the last room left. I suppose you'll have to look to other reviews to see if that's right. We stayed here because we got a fantastic deal on Hotwire but if I were booking another trip we would most likely avoid the Swissotel.
The Swissotel is totally understaffed and lacking any charm or atmosphere. It was clean, comfortable and had great views but if you wanted to check-in, use the concierge, check-out, or report a problem to the front desk, forget about it. I booked this place through Priceline.COM so I can't complain too much as I didn't pay a lot for the room but I have stayed at 4 star hotels in the past as well as another Swissotel. It left a lot to be desired. The minibar fridge in my room didn't work so forget about a cold beer. Also, the internet/movie/guest services console didn't work so I had to go to the business office to access the internet. When it was time to checkout the console still wasn't working. It's better than the Holiday Inn but way below expectations for a 4 star hotel
