Last December, we made a pre-Christmas weekend getaway to downtown Chicago, staying two nights at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel.
We like the location of this hotel at 1 West Upper Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, on the corner of State Street. From Chicago’s Midway airport, it is only about a 20-25 minute ride on the Orange Line to the State/Lake stop. You literally walk down from the “L” station, cross the street, and enter the hotel’s side entrance on State Street.
For this stay, we were assigned to room 2602, a corner room facing State Street.
The view includes a little slice of Lake Michigan, and an overview of State Street, looking over the Chicago Theater and the State Street Macy’s that will always be known to locals as Marshall Fields.
The panoramic photo above gives a sense of the layout of Room 2602.
There is an incredibly comfortable king bed. The sofa is one of two sitting areas. What you will not find in this room is a desk, which is not a problem for a weekend getaway, but would be an issue for either of us on a work trip.
Another strange feature of this room is the awkward location of the television, over to the side of the bed, making it tough to watch. There is a refrigerator below.
This little red guy was part of the eclectic art in the room.
The bathroom was spacious for a downtown city hotel room.
I appreciated the good bathroom lighting and large-size mirror.
The hotel has recently been renovated, both in the rooms and the lobby, with the addition of the Staytion Market & Bar. There is a dedicated area for the executive lounge on the first floor, but it was closed. As a Platinum Marriott Member, in lieu of lounge access, Mr. Jones was awarded certificates for a Continental breakfast buffet in the hotel’s Great Street restaurant on the second floor.
The check-in area has been streamlined to work stations, rather an a front desk, which worked okay except when the weekend crowd was all trying to check in and check out at the same time.
Our bottom line on the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel:
- The hotel has a terrific downtown location with easy access to State Street shopping, the Chicago Theater district, and many downtown Chicago attractions.
- We also appreciate the close location to the Orange Line State/Lake station.
- The hotel is a category 8 hotel in the Marriott Rewards program, requiring 35,000 -40,000 points per night for a free stay.
- The hotel was very crowded over a pre-Christmas shopping weekend, with service at the front desk and in the restaurant seemingly overwhelmed.
Have you stayed in the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel? How would you rate the hotel?
For a look inside more hotel rooms, check out these posts:
- A Peek into Room 207 of the Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona
- A Look Inside the Cotton House Hotel, Barcelona
- A Look Inside the JW Marriott Marquis Miami Hotel
- A Peek Inside the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel
- A Look Inside the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel
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