Aloft by Marriott Chicago O'Hare

If this hotel advertises and books travelers through BOOKING, it should also monitor regularly and answer messages received from the travelers THROUGH BOOKING. I inquired about the schedule and pick-up location of the hotel shuttle, 24 hours before my arrival at the ORD Chicago airport. I just wanted to let you know that the question was not answered. Evidently, someone, perhaps even the general manager (Mr. ADAM KLEE), should monitor the BOOKING messages. At the airport, I had to wait in freezing temperatures for 15 minutes and was unable to find the shuttle due to several miscommunications. Once I reached the hotel, the Manager on duty (Mr. JORGE R) blamed them exclusively on me. The room would have been nice, had it not been for the shower (see attached photos). The usual gasket at the bottom of the shower door is missing, and water from the shower flooded the floor.

Room was clean

Lack of complimentary breakfast despite high cost Lack of microwave in room Refrigerator was far too small

I would not recommend this hotel due to several issues. The shuttle service operates infrequently, with only two shuttles available. One shuttle goes to the airport, while the other does not run most of the time. Most hotels in the area offer a shuttle to the Donald E. Stevenson Convention Center, but this hotel does not. The front desk staff is generally unfriendly and rude. The parking situation is extremely inconvenient. Guests must present their validation ticket to the front desk every time to validate and exit the garage. A one-time validation costs $15, while an unlimited validation costs $25. Even after paying the fee, guests must still present their validation sticker to the front desk every time they exit the garage. This process is highly inconvenient. Most hotels would activate the key card for controlled access to and from the parking garage. This hotel’s parking situation is unacceptable and requires immediate attention. The rooms are not well-maintained, and the beds are on a platform base that allows the mattress to slide off if guests attempt to lean up and watch TV. Upon check-in, the shower gel and shampoo conditioner were empty. I called the front desk and asked staff to refill them or changed them, but I had to do it myself. Daily housekeeping is not also not provided here even after calling and requesting. The ice situation at this hotel is also peculiar. There are bags of ice in a freezer in the lobby, but there are no ice machines on each floor. This inconsistency is quite unusual.

Dog friendly, clean, comfortable beds and friendly staff. We also enjoyed a restaurant within walking distance and there were several to choose from. We also liked the short trip to the airport from this location.

We didn’t like that we had to pay extra for the in and out parking.

I always look at reviews before booking a hotel, so I had some hesitation about booking here but then realized that there always are good reviews and bad reviews. And since this hotel was the only one of the host hotels for our event that allows pets, it was our only option. And it turned out to be an excellent choice! Yes, our first-floor room was a bit cozy (pets stay on this floor only) but it was big enough for two of us AND our 30-lb. dog. And I really like the modern look of the lobby and the room. Not so cookie cutter. Breakfast options for purchase really weren't much more costly than if we'd gone down the street to Mickey D's, and tastier. I was worried about parking based on reviews but it was easy peasy! As long as you remember to get your parking ticket validated at the desk each time before leaving, the machine gives you a "thank you" after scanning your ticket; the correct charge is on the hotel bill. Everyone at the front desk was friendly and helpful. The maids in the hallway would smile and greet you, too. If I have to include the negatives, they are pretty minor at that. Our GPS took us to the Balmoral address but we couldn't figure out how to actually get into the hotel. That was due to all the traffic coming out of the parking garage right there, blocking us from the driveway in. We had to circle the block and the person who answered the phone at the hotel gave me perfect directions into the garage from the other street. The second thing was the aroma that greeted us each time we entered the room. Can't quite name it but it did seem to emanate from the bathroom. However, it wasn't unpleasant enough to make us request a room change. I told the desk employee on checkout that we'd be back next year!

Great for a stopover. Very quick and friendly check-in. Nice and big room. Nice shower. Airport shuttle very easy.

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