The hotels delivers what you would expect from a Marriott in a major metro area. This hotel exceeded expections by having a great location and a hip lobby. The rooms were standard fare.

We have stayed in various downtown hotels but the Marriott's location and service won us over by far! It is in the middle of everything and within walking distance of just about anything downtown. Self-parking is about ten dollars cheaper then valet and is just kiddy-corner from the back side of the hotel on Rush- easy!
At first we were given a room on the 10th floor with a poor view, so we went down to the concierge and asked for a room higher up with a better view. We also mentioned that we were celebrating our anniversary; not only did they happily move us to the 32nd floor (with a spectacular view of Michigan Ave, the city lights, and Lake Michigan) but when we returned to our room from lunch a couple of hours later, we had chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us!
(A small, Asian lady at the concierge desk was beyond helpful and just a gem! )
Although the bathrooms are small, the bed makes up for it....heavenly! Clean rooms, great shower in a beautiful, efficient bathroom. The lobby is also a great spot to hang out and have drinks and/or people watch.
We did rent Segways from Millenium Park Bike Rentals (239 E. Randolph) and had an absolute blast!! It is a must if you have time for it...this place is by far the cheapest place to rent from ($49 per person) for a 2.5 hour tour....easy to learn and a great way to see so much of the city! Highly recommended!!
We requested early check-in at the Marriott and late check-out and both requests were granted. It made for a lovely weekend!!!

I stayed at this Marriott from Oct. 8-11 to attend a conference for cervical cancer awareness. This was my first time in Chicago so I was really looking forward to it. The hotel is in a GREAT location. One of the hotel entrances open out right onto Michigan Avenue so great shopping is literally steps away. ESPN Zone is around the corner as well as Marshalls. I was very impressed with this Marshalls because they had some high end merchandise that I'm not accustomed to in the Marshall's in Baltimore. One block up from the hotel is a restaurant called Heaven on Seven. You MUST go in and try their Cajun Iced Tea. It is FABULOUS! I did have some Chicago style pizza at Giordanos which is a few blocks up Rush St. (in walking distance of the hotel). Initially, I was ready to leave because the staff was so rude. I understand it was the marathon weekend and they were extremely busy, but it was still no excuse. The pizza was ok. I still prefer NY style! You must go to the top of the Hancock Building off by the Navy Pier. The views are phenomenal. They did fireworks on Friday so I'm not sure if that's an every day thing or something special they did in honor of the marathon. The Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) tour was good as well although really crowded. The pictures are unbelievable. State Street has a bunch of bars/clubs if you are looking for that type of thing. It was only about a $6 cab ride depending on how many of you there are. We ended up at the Hunt Clbu and it was really laid back. On Saturday nights, they charge a $5 cover. Across the street at the other bar/club is $20. For the more risque people, there is a novelty shop also on State St. called Frenchys. Ben, the person who works there was so great. I don't think any visit to Chicago is complete unless you take a picture in front of the Big 'O! We went to a restaurant for breakfast - Wishbone - that is a block up from Harpo Studios. The restaurant was quirky decoration wise, but the food was great.

Ok, back to the hotel! It is HUGE! The lobby is impressive, the staff is SO attentive. We were shooting a video and we needed an extension cord. Not only did they bring it up to us rather than make me wait in the lobby, but they told me to call them when we were finished so they could come get it! This bar must be THE liveliest hotel bar that I've ever experienced! The rooms are a bit on the smaller side but they are nicely decorated. Yes the bathrooms are small but functional. My only two minor complaints are that although there are about 6 elevators, they are rather slow. The other minor annoyance is that although they grant late checkout, the cards deactivate at a certain time so you still have to go back to the front desk to get it reactivated. It would be nice if they told you this when they grant the late checkout.

Ok, did I mention the staff? :) They were unbelievable. I dont know if they turned on the charm because they were packed to capacity because of the marathon or if they are always like that. I would call down and ask for ONE set of towels and they'd bring back 4 in minutes. We needed a cot and they were there within 10 minutes if that.

The hotel itself is extremely clean. The pool area is really nice and quiet. There was no one down there but then again it was kind of late. The fitness center is great as well. The weight room is very large for a hotel fitness center. The cardio room is smaller but still much larger than I'm accustomed to in a Mariott.

I did not get to see all I wanted to see in Chicago and I definitely didn't do as much shopping damage as I wanted so I will definitely be going back and my first hotel choice will be this Marriott!

The location cant be beat. First time in Chicago, and walked everywhere! Staff very helpful, and very nice. Room very, very clean. Bathrooms are small, but certainly functional. Despite what some earlier reviewers wrote, elevators were not slow at all--- and we were on the 35th floor. We had a great view of the lake. Stayed over holiday weekend, so prices were a bit higher, and parking was expensive. Fitness center had a lot of equipment, and was not crowded at all. Could hear sirens at all hours- but not enough to dirupt sleep. Would definitely stay again.