This place is one of the most poorly run hotels I've had the displeasure to have to stay in. My company held a meeting here recently and the hotel oversold their rooms by 30%. Several colleagues had to be shuttled to a fleabag Holiday Inn Express 30 minutes away. The meeting rooms were like meat lockers, the food was sub par. The only positive was the beds were comfortable.

This hotel was great. We stayed here for three nights and really enjoyed it. It had a really attrative lobby. The rooms were attractive and comfortable. It was 20 minutes to downtown Chicago and easy to get back & forth. We would definitely stay here again.

My partner and I stayed at this hotel the weekend of 02/19/06. Overall, we were very satisfied with our stay. The room was clean and in good condition, and the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was small, but everything was in good working order, and appropriately supplied with towels and such. The thing we thought was a plus for this hotel was the breakfast buffet. It cost just under $10 with a coupon obtained from the front desk, and included a variety of fruits, cereals, hot foods, and pastries. Everything was fresh and hot/cold where appropriate. I've paid a lot more for a lot less, and thought that this was a bargain for what I received. As others have noted, it is not convenient to many Chicago sights, but is convenient to the Botanic Gardens, and the Ravinia Festival. I booked my room with Hotwire, and paid less than $100 per night, but what made this less expensive than properties in the Loop was that there is no charge for parking.

Our family booked a two-night stay to attend an event in town. After admiring the lobby, things began to go downhill. The desk staff had our reservation information wrong, but we got through that. In the Jr. Suite we had reserved, we found a dark room with terrible plumbing and an even worse bed! I spent the night climbing out of the crater in the middle of the ancient mattress and woke-up having hardly slept. The pool was small and without ambience. The high-speed internet service was $10 per day, and the restaurants adjoining the hotel were nice, but pricey for the type of fare. Overall, we had the feeling that the property was riding on it's reputation. We decided to leave after the first night and check into the Hampton Inn in Skokie. The standard room there was smaller, but all the amenities were far nicer, and the staff was efficient and helpful. We saved almost $100 and had a far better experience at the Hampton the second night. The Renaissance has some work to do. Stay at the Hampton.