I've had an excellent experience working with the front desk a couple of times, when I was extending my stay while the desk was super busy. Staff members were pleasant, efficient and willing to jump in to help each other. I also very much appreciated someone rounding up a microwave for my room -- very helpful for a longer term visit. I find the room comfortable and kind of fun, with dramatic lighting and even some unexpected art on the wall involving a chess board and some chess pieces in disarray. The room has plenty of storage, too. It’s obvious the hotel has been updated recently. There's LOTS of nearby shopping within a healthy walking distance, including Saks, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom outlet stores and a Trader Joe's for provisions. There's also a full-fledged Nieman's at Northbrook Court, a 5-10 minute drive away, which also has Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, Apple, Gap, Crate and Barrel and Lego stores. As far as splurge-worthy restaurants, there's a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse actually in the hotel. Nearby, I also recommend the Prairie Grass Cafe, a comfortable, unpretentious place that produced a Top Chef near-finalist several seasons back. There's quite a bit of what I think of as better fast food nearby, too, like Panera and Roti. In neighboring Deerfield, maybe a 10-minute drive, are a couple of inexpensive local restaurants worth checking out: Upper Crust Bagels for deli sandwiches and Dear Franks for incredibly crispy fries along with good dogs and burgers. …
The ambiance at this hotel is pleasant, generally clean and well-kept. We had an issue with the remote for the TV, tried to call the front desk but the phone didn't work. Looked up the hotel number online to call from cell phone but it turned out not to be direct numbers. Husband went to front desk for help and was met by a not so friendly or helpful attendant. Facility looks good, but needs attention to details and better customer service.
Love the aesthetic and vibe of this hotel. The bed was so comfortable it was crazy. Rooms are spacious and wood floor. Shower rain drop and spray head. Coffee machine, refrig in room, lots of plugs, space. Concierge lounge for members n/a-disappointment.
Positives: This is an attractive hotel with very spacious rooms, comfortable beds, and plenty of safe, well-lit parking, at an affordable price. It is right near the Chicago Botanical Garden (a must-see), and the sales office allowed me to work and take an online meeting in one of the conference rooms after my check-out time, which was a huge help. Negatives: It is about 40 minutes from downtown at non-peak hours/ an hour+ during peak. There are definitely some maintenance and staffing issues: my room had not been well-cleaned (bathroom, bedframe, coffee area); the wifi in my room continuously dropped during my meeting and while working (and the front desk staff just shrugged it off and did nothing to help/ didn’t compensate me in any way); there was a wall strip in the hall just jutting out off the wall; there were no food options available 11am-4pm (except nasty candy and chips for purchase, which I could eat due to medical reasons; I asked a staff member where the gym was and he said he didn’t know and just walked off; and I wasn’t allowed late check out (though the noon check-out is already good). So, it wasn’t perfect, but compared to other hotels in Chicago I still think it measures up. As I write this, I’m in a hotel in downtown Chicago that charges 3x the price for a much smaller room, has incredibly expensive valet-only parking, uncomfortable beds, and terrible service. That’s been my experience all over the metro Chicago area, so I’ll definitely keep the Renaissance on my list of possibilities for the future.…
The hotel is very tired and not well maintained. Worn carpet, poorly designed bathrooms, loud and inefficient A/C units. This was the hotel chosen by the brides family and there were 3 other wedding parties that stayed there the same time. The staff was very friendly and accommodating but it was not a comfortable 5 night stay.
Having pre-registered for a mobile key regrettably it failed to arrive. Additionally the atrium bar and restaurant were under construction and this was not communicated prior to arrival. . Check in at 4pm you would think would be relatively easy however the line was long, there were obviously technical challenges and the staff were sinking fast. Information and timely communication is key to customer delight Regrettably on this occasion standards slipped
If you decide to stay at this hotel because it's close to your destination, think again. No. 1 The rooms have absolutely no privacy for anyone using the bathroom. The sliding door that separates the toilet area from the bed area is not really much of a door at all. Every sound is heard throughout. The engineer who built it must've been deaf. And the floors were cold wood and cement. No rugs at all. No. 2. the hotel never warned us there was construction going on inside the hotel and in the parking lot making parking and entrance a mystery and a problem. No. 3 the hotel could not offer or even sell us a cup of coffee when we arrived after a long trip. Instead they directed us to a Starbucks across a four-lane highway and more than a quarter-mile walk from there. And when finally getting there, only to find out the Starbucks was drive-thru only, making it necessary to return to the hotel to get our car. No.4. The simple breakfast they offered which is free at most hotels, cost $23 including tax and tip, No. 5 Other than the Ruth Chris steakhouse there was no access to any food in the hotel at any time, including a simple candy machine. And even though the Ruth Chris was in the hotel we still had to walk outside and around the hotel to access it due to construction inside the hotel. Beyond that the desk people were friendly.…
This property is the ideal destination of a luxury hotel for people on budgets who want to be adjacent to great shops, restaurants, and nature. Northbrook is a well-to-do Chicago suburb. Wish I resided there. Will be sad if Northbrook Court gets demolished.
There were so many issues with this hotel that I don't even know where to begin. There was an empty Coke bottle left in the bathroom which housekeeping somehow missed. This hotel isn't cleaned enough. All the windows and doors to the entrance were full of fingerprints. Just gross! The place is poorly insulated, so we could hear a crowd of guests outside their door in the middle of the night as if they were next to our bed. The power went out one of the nights and in the morning, there was no hot water for the shower. My friend hosted a brunch there and ordered an omelette station but they didn't provide it. There were several angry guests lodging a variety of complaints with front desk staff and it seemed like children were running the hotel. There was no one in a supervisory position who could help. The place is clearly short staffed and they are overwhelmed, unable to deal with the many problems that arose.…
Overall our stay was nice. The staff was super friendly and polite, room was clean and well appointed. The hotel is undergoing a renovation so onsite food and drink options besides the steak house were not available. Easy location to get to and from just about everything in the area. Plenty of places around the immediate area to get food and drink, groceries and shopping too. Safe and well-lit parking lot.
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