Blackstone Hotel; Chicago
 

Anyone who has stayed at the Blackstone in Chicago, please give me any info you can. Fodor's highly recommends it, but AAA does not even list it and another internet site gives it only one star. Thanks.

The Blackstone Hotel is on Michigan Avenue, quite near the Conrad Hilton Hotel on S. Michigan Ave. Location is quite good. South of the Art Institute and Orchestra Hall, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Not the most fashionable, but the location can't be beat.

I would opt for something further north. The area around the Blackstone can be a little rough. Furthermore, except for some (exceptional) theatre and concerts, much of the interesting night life is north of there. <BR>

I'd recommend against the Blackstone. It was once grand, but is now very shabby. This is a case where the low price is a signal of low quality (something must be up if it's half as much as the Chicago Hilton across the street). Honestly don't know why Fodor's recommends it.

Even if it were a good value for the room, which I doubt...you'd be a looong walk from anything you really want to do in Chicago. In the long view of life...another $15 or 20 or 30 dollars for a room - can make a biiiig difference in how you feel about a city. Go for something more centally located -- and there are comments elsewhere on these posts about some reasonably priced NORTH Michigan Avenue hotels -- and you'll have a better time, and better impression of a really neat town.

I totally agree with KB regarding the Blackstone. We stayed there based on Fodor's high recommendation but were greatly disappointed in the crummy accommodations provided. Yes, the lobby is fantastic and the elevator's not half bad, but it stops there. The bed was a double, it was lumpy, pillows about an inch thick, TV placed so only person lying on their right side on the right side of the bed could see it, and the general decor nothing but depressing. We checked out immediately stating the accommodations were unacceptable. No questions were asked and no attempt made to attempt to rectify the situation. There must be nicer rooms there if, in fact, dignitaries and celebrities have chosen to stay there, but we sure didn't see them! I definitely would never recommend this place to anyone!

Wow. I'm surprised at all the negative comments on the Blackstone. I had the misfortune of being scheduled to be in Chicago the same weekend as the Rolling Stones, a few years ago. There were very few hotel rooms available, at any price. We finally got a room at a Best Western on Michigan Ave through a AAA agent. A total dump (not to mention filled with drunken Stones fans). We walked up the street to the Blackstone and discovered we could get a room there very inexpensively - the day after the concert. So we moved ASAP. Our room was huge, and remodeled. New paint, new bathroom tile, new carpet. Yes, it was still a little declasse. But we were thrilled. As for the location, some may think that the proximity to the Art Institute (virtually across the street), the Field Museum, and Aquarium make it just about perfect. (And Soldier Field, for that matter). If shopping is your thing, go ahead and go further North.

Wow. I'm surprised at all the negative comments on the Blackstone. I had the misfortune of being scheduled to be in Chicago the same weekend as the Rolling Stones, a few years ago. There were very few hotel rooms available, at any price. We finally got a room at a Best Western on Michigan Ave through a AAA agent. A total dump (not to mention filled with drunken Stones fans). We walked up the street to the Blackstone and discovered we could get a room there very inexpensively - the day after the concert. So we moved ASAP. Our room was huge, and remodeled. New paint, new bathroom tile, new carpet. Yes, it was still a little declasse. But we were thrilled. As for the location, some may think that the proximity to the Art Institute (virtually across the street), the Field Museum, and Aquarium make it just about perfect. (And Soldier Field, for that matter). Maybe one just needs to make sure they get one of the better rooms. If shopping is your thing, go ahead and go further North.

AnnT <BR>Can't believe you stayed in the same place we did! Where were they hiding these rooms? I'm not kidding you. Ours was a dump. Could possibly be because we were there on a special rate advertised in the Milwaukee newspaper. We only were paying about $80 for the night. Would be curious to know what you paid, if you don't mind revealing that info.