Large suites and a sweet breakfast – Gadling reviews the Hilton Homewood Suites Downtown Chicago

by Scott Carmichael on

When it comes to hotels, we like to review all kinds of properties here on Gadling – special hotels that have a little something extra to offer, and the kind of hotel we’ll all end up using sooner or later. The Hilton Homewood Suites chain is one of the latter.

The chain offers affordable all-suite accommodations designed for extended stays. Of course, this doesn’t rule out using the hotel for a single night. In fact, I personally prefer all-suite hotels over boutique or upscale properties, simply because I enjoy space over luxury.

In this review, I spent the night at the Chicago Homewood Suites, located right in the middle of the action in Downtown Chicago. The property offers 233 rooms all just minutes away from Michigan Avenue and some of the best shopping and dining options in the city. This particular Homewood Suites property is rated 6th best in the city by Tripadvisor, which is extremely impressive considering the properties it is up against.

The hotel does not have its own parking garage, but there are several multi-level garages next door, under one minute from the front door of the hotel. The hotel does offer valet parking for $42/night, which is just $10 more than the self-drive rate for the garage.

Check-in and lobby

The hotel lobby is located on the 6th floor, though staff are stationed on the ground floor to help with luggage. The check-in procedure was quick and efficient, with no surprises. In the lobby area, you’ll find a fairly large public space with chairs and a fire place, a small store selling refreshments and the breakfast buffet and dining area.

The store sells you usual assortment of snacks, beverages, gifts and toiletries. Since all rooms feature a microwave and stove, the store also sells basic food items and meals. Purchases can be charged to your room. The hotel offers a fitness room and large pool (on the 19th floor), as well as several meeting rooms.

The room

Bedroom area – the room was just the right size, offering a sink area, closet and dresser with flat panel TV.

In-room kitchen. Because Homewood Suites properties are designed for extended stays, rooms come with a fridge, stove, microwave and dishwasher. Everything you need to use the room as a “home” is present – pots, pans, silverware and other utensils.

On the fridge is a menu listing the evening meals being offered. These meals are offered for free, and the selection is surprisingly decent. During my stay, the meal consisted of meatball subs with onions and peppers. It obviously won’t replace a home cooked meal, but at the end of a long day it is nice to not need to worry about cooking or trying to find a local restaurant.

Both rooms offer a flat panel TV, though none of the programming was in HD. Thankfully, the multimedia connection panel lets you plug your own device in. The panel offers HDMI, VGA and composite inputs, which means you can easily plug an iPod/iPhone or laptop into the TV and watch your own movies.

The desk was spacious, and offers two open outlets along with a wired network port. The hotel offers free wired and wireless Internet, and the speeds were not bad (around 1.6mbit on the wired connection).

Decent Neutrogena amenities in the shower, along with some really good water pressure – a huge plus.

The room is well laid out, and it comes with efficient climate control. As in most hotels, the humidity is an issue, but that can be fixed with a damp towel or your own humidifier.

The 2 room suite is large enough for four people – two in the bedroom and two on the sleeper sofa. There is even enough room for a rollaway bed or crib, which means it is perfect for families traveling with kids. With the sofabed unfolded, there is no room to walk to the thermostat – a minor inconvenience that requires climbing over the bed.

Breakfast

The complimentary breakfast was a very pleasant surprise – unlike many free breakfasts, this Homewood Suites had a very decent selection of foods on offer. Fresh baked waffles, corn beef hash, bacon, potatoes, eggs, cereals, yogurt and more. The breakfast area and dining room were kept very clean by the hotel staff.

Final thoughts

Rooms at this Homewood Suites go for around $150 (average rate) – which is a huge bargain for a downtown hotel, especially since dinner and breakfast are included. I left very impressed and very well aware why this hotel ranks so high on Tripadvisor.

For an affordable hotel the Homewood Suites delivered everything I look for in a hotel – a good bed, good bathroom, good climate control and a clean friendly environment. The hotel is just minutes away from all the downtown shops.

Disclaimer: Hilton arranged the reservation for this review, but the opinions are 100% my own.

Hilton Minneapolis orgy lawsuit settled

by Melanie Nayer on

There’s a reason hotels have “do not disturb” signs and locks on the doors. Aside from safety reasons, utilizing the lock is a good way to ensure no one walks in while you’re enjoying the company of your travel companion. Unfortunately, some hotel employees at the Hilton Minneapolis didn’t make use of their own amenities and opted to do the deed in the hotel’s ballroom, causing a little concern (and ultimately leading to a lawsuit) filed by other employees.

Hilton just settled the lawsuit that was filed back in December 2008 claiming two hotel employees were fired after walking in on an orgy taking place in the hotel’s ballroom. No details were released from the lawsuit, except to say that the employees were threatened and later fired after witnessing upper management in some compromising positions after hours.

Here’s what the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune had to say:

“According to papers filed in U.S. District Court, the former employees and the Hilton Minneapolis settled their lawsuit. Unlike the attention-inducing complaint, however, no details were provided. Calls to attorneys representing the former hotel workers — Deborah Smith and April Bezdichek — and the hotel were not immediately returned Monday.

At the time the suit was filed, Smith and Bezdichek said they were fired from their jobs after they complained about what they witnessed. Smith, who was the night manager of a hotel restaurant, said that she opened the door to a hotel banquet room and saw an orgy involving Hilton Hotel upper management. In fact, she observed Hilton executives on top of a table engaging in sexual activity, according to the suit.”

There’s more to the story, if you want the torrid details.

In the meantime, we remind all hotel guests (and hotel employees) to keep displays of affection in the privacy of your own room.

Make yourself a Hiltini in the Bahamas

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The British Colonial Hilton in Nassau is looking for help celebrating both its 10th anniversary and a multi-million dollar renovation. So, every Thursday night through February 25, 2010, from 8 PM to 9 PM, show up to at the Bullion Bar for a Hiltini Night experience. The bartenders are ready to create top-shelf cocktails from the traditional to the unique and will even offer classes about martini-making to those who express some interest. And, each Hiltini night will include a martini-making contest, where guests can compare their skills in the pursuit of bragging-rights riches.

If you miss the Hiltini nights, don’t sweat it. The British Colonial Hilton will have something new every Thursday night this year at the Bullion Bar.

Hilton’s Valentine’s Day deal for Latin America: Do not disturb

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Sometimes, the best service is none at all. With the “Do Not Disturb” getaways for Valentine’s Day, you’ll check into any number of hotels in the Caribbean or Latin America, and there will be plenty of people who will be happy to leave you alone. Check in early, if you like, and disappear for a while, and you can arrange for late checkout, too.

Don’t get me wrong — the “Do Not Disturb” package includes all kinds of amenities that are sure to turn you on. You’ll sip sparkling wine or cider in your room and occasionally head down to the health club, pool or whirlpool spa to stretch out and move your body … when you’re not moving your body in your room. You’ll also pick up breakfast every day in the hotel’s restaurant, and on extra nights, you’ll enjoy a free entrée with each meal you buy (as long as the second is of equal or lesser value).

There are plenty of hotels available, including the completely renovated Colonial Hilton Nassau in the Bahamas, the Hilton Cartagena in Colombia and the Hilton Mexico City Reforma. Just be sure to use booking code RP.

Starwood accuses Hilton of corporate espionage

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Two of the largest hotel chains in the world are locked in battle — legal battle. Starwood Hotels has accused 44 of Hilton‘s top executives of stealing trade secrets. Christopher Nassetta, the CEO of Hilton, is alleged to have known about this activity, according to an amended complaint that Starwood filed with the Manhattan federal court. The object of affection thievery was the luxury category of Starwood’s portfolio, including the St. Regis, W and The Luxury Collection.

According to Starwood’s complaint, Nassetta is said to be under “intense pressure” to deliver the financial returns expected by the Blackstone Group, the private equity firm that paid $26 billion for Hilton in 2007. The complaint further states, “Intense pressure — whether from Blackstone or otherwise — is no excuse for corporate espionage, and it is no excuse for the massive theft and widescale use of confidential and proprietary Starwood information.”

According to a USA Today report, Hitlton’s spokesman, Aaron Radelet, declined to comment, because the company doesn’t discuss pending litigation.

Starwood is looking to appoint monitors to make sure that Hilton complies with all injunctions, and it’s also seeking a court-imposed “time out” period during which Hilton wouldn’t be able to move forward with its luxury brands.

[Photo by p c w via Flickr]