My girlfriend and I stayed at the Waldorf Chicago (formerly Elysian) for a short weekend away. The hotel is beautiful. The rooms are large and well-appointed and done in a nice style that blends contemporary with traditional. Our had a gas fireplace, which was great. The hotel car is a nice convenience.

Our main nit was the service. Everyone was very friendly and trying hard, but seemed inexperienced -- as if the hotel had just opened and staffed up. We had several strange interactions that would be easily forgotten, but they added up to oddly poor service for such a nice hotel. A few examples:
*When I first checked in, there was one person working at the desk with a line of 4 people waiting. Several staff members were buzzing arounsd, giving tours, addressing other things. It took a good 5 minutes before anyone realized they should put another staff member on the desk.
*Our first morning, we were awoken by a man *in our room* explaining how the lights work. It appears that he had either mistakenly taken a new guest to our room or was training a maid. A hotel manager called a bit later that morning to appologize, but strangely did so only a bit later, on a Saturday morning while we were still in bed.
*On two occasions, housekeeping staff basically pushed past us in the hallways, rather than stepping to the side.
*The room phones have only a single service button. I pressed it and asked who I could speak with about taxis or the hotel car. The person said he could help. I explained that I needed a car in 5 minutes and asked if it was available or if we should call a taxi. The person on the other end then recited the complete hours that the car is available and said he did not know if the car was in use but that taxis would be lined up downstairs. I don't know why he didn't just direct us to someone who knew if the car was out. And upon coming downstairs, we discovered that the valets were having a hard timre getting taxis and we should have called for one with some notice.

This hotel has tremendous potential, but I'm confused why there are so many services glitches.

Perfect location, the room was incredible.

The only thing that was not ok, was the service. We asked the concierge on different occasions for some advice on where to go, but the were simply not nice. The had a "snob" attitude. The always suggested the same place to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. We wanted him to make reservations at a sports bar to watch the super bowl, but he said everything was full, and didint even try. We searched online and on the firts place we tried we got reservation.

We had a winter "stay-cation" in which we started planning our wedding. After staying there for 3 nights, we really never wanted to leave. We hope our June wedding is just as enjoyable as our Jan stay!

Perfect size & location. Impeccable service. Beautiful spa and fitness center. Expensive but not obnoxious. Worth every penny.

Re: the 18%. The no extra tipping was nice (luggage, doormen, etc.). The 18% add-on for food/spa was a little surprising at first but I would tip 20% anyway so no big deal. Only minor complaint - we were at the bar and just had drinks. I loved the wine so I asked for the bottle price. When we were paying our check, she told us it was $60 and I said OK so she brought it over. With tax (I understand) and 18% tip (really? we just paid you), it was over $80. I didn't complain since everything was beautiful but that was a little annoying after I thought about it. I agree with 18% tip for food and spa services but not drinks. I experienced this in South Beach as well and it gets a little ridiculous.

One excellent amenity - take advantage of the car service (during the day when available) - a beautiful Town Car will take you anywhere within 2 miles or so - really anywhere in the immediate city area - and it was included. Great idea!

Best hotel in Chicago, no question, in comparison to Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, Peninsula. We are looking forward to our wedding in June!

I can't say enough good things about this hotel. After having a very mediocre experience at The Sofitel (another luxury hotel just down the street), I was hoping that my experience at the Waldorf Astoria would prove to be more positive. Indeed it was! This is probably one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed at. The location is very convenient. The exterior of the building looks more traditional, but the inside of the hotel is ultra modern and chic. All the employees from the valet to the bell hop to the front desk people were all incredibly nice and professional. Room service was outstanding and they had a gorgeous spa on the 4th floor. Lastly, when I checked in they upgraded my room, so I got really lucky and ended up with the largest suite (one grade below the presidential suite)! Next time I ever go to Chicago I will definitely be staying here again!