Excellent Chicago Trip Conrad Chicago

This post is Excellent Chicago Trip Conrad Chicago. The post is a review of the Conrad Chicago which is a modern hotel in the upscale Conrad Brand of the Hilton Honors Program.

Booking

I booked the Conrad Chicago for around $300 per-night which was less expensive than the conference rate for the meeting I was attending.

The stay was covered by my day job for the finance training seminar.

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Arrival

I arrived via UBER and a doorman greeted me promptly and directed me to the reception on Floor 20. Another doorman opened the door for me and escorted me to the elevator.

Check In

I approached the reception desk to check in around the 3:00 PM time frame which was the stated check-in time for the hotel. I was assisted within a minute by a friendly agent who welcomed me. The agent confirmed my Hilton Diamond status and he said I received an upgraded room to a Michigan Avenue facing room. He went over the Diamond benefits including $20 breakfast credit per-day per-guest as well as the bonus points.

The agent informed me the room was not ready but he offered to call or text when it was. I accepted and he thanked me.

About an hour and 30 minutes later, I received a text that the room was ready. I returned to the reception desk to check in. The agent welcomed me using my name and he said he was sorry for the delay. The agent offered to provide a dinner credit of $75 to be used throughout the stay. He said it could be used on multiple visits to restaurants.

The agent thanked me and he partially escorted me to the elevator.

Lobby

The lobby is located on the 20^th floor of the hotel. It features a large seating room and a smaller lounge one level lower.

The best feature of the lobby is the ceiling that has a sculpture design that resembles birds flying. It is simple yet elegant.

The lobby is also decorated with various artwork that sets an upscale tone.

Room

I was assigned room 1413 which featured a king size bed.

The room was long and narrow and offered a large window view overlooking Michigan Avenue.

The entryway featured a closet with plenty of space for hanging items and storing them.

The bathroom was on the left side and it featured a rain shower and separate toilet room.

The bath amenities were Aromatherapy Associates and were of excellent quality.

The bedroom offered a king size bed with white linens. The bed was comfortable.

Across from the bed was one of the largest TV’s I’ve experienced in a hotel room.

A couch was located by the window as well as a small table that could serve as a computer desk.

The room was decorated with upscale artwork above the bed.

The room was clean overall and it was free of major defects.

The hotel offers a Nespresso Coffee Machine in the room and had several options for coffee. I made a cup each morning. The machine functioned well and it was a nice wake-up.

The only thing that would have been better would be if milk was also available. The room has a small refrigerator so that could be provided rather than the cream packets that are in the room.

Housekeeping Service

The room was refreshed each day during the stay. I did not interact with the housekeeping staff members; however, they cleaned the room well and returned it in excellent condition each day.

Appetizers

The Conrad Chicago has some great dining options.

I had an appetizer at the Lobby Bar which is the Baptiste & Bottle Restaurant.

The bar features craft cocktails made by professional mixologists.

All the drinks were made from scratch.

I sampled a local Chicago Beer which was excellent.

I also had the pickle and cheese curds appetizer which was served hot.

The pickles and cheese curds appetizer was served hot. The pickles were battered well and they had a good taste and flavor. The cheese curds were rich and they also had an excellent taste. The portion size was on the small side but it had a great taste.

The bar offered views of the city from the windows and it was decorated with cocktail shakers and other bar related items.

Rooftop Restaurant

The hotel features a rooftop Japanese restaurant called Noyane.

Noyane is an open air deck with amazing views.

I spent a few minutes walking around to explore on the deck.

There is a cool fire fixture and other decorations.

It is a great environment. There were also mixologists at the bar to prepare you a craft cocktail.

Breakfast

Breakfast is available at Baptiste & Bottle in the lobby as well as on the first floor at II Tavolino.

Baptiste & Bottle offered a menu as well as a buffet.

II Tavolino is counter service with craft coffee and espresso as well as breakfast sandwiches and other items.

Baptiste & Bottle

The $20 breakfast credit doesn’t go very far at the restaurant.

All the dishes on the menu sounded very good.

The buffet featured some hot and cold items.

The buffet was setup neatly.

The buffet is $23, so I elected to order a breakfast sandwich instead as it was $18 with tax.

The restaurant serves craft coffee served in awesome containers; however, it would have put me over the $20 limit so I skipped it and enjoyed the breakfast sandwich.

The breakfast sandwich was served hot with breakfast potatoes.

The breakfast sandwich was made with egg, pork belly, cheese and vegetables.

The sandwich was fresh and it had an excellent taste. The egg was cooked well and the pork belly was full of flavor.

II Tavolino

I enjoyed breakfast on two of the mornings of the stay at Il Tavolino which was the Italian coffee shop on the lower level at the hotel.

The restaurant featured counter service for craft espresso drinks as well as scratch made sandwiches cooked in an open air grill.

The restaurant was decorated in Italian themed items as well as the coffee menu was detailed on the wall including pictures showing was went into each of the drinks.

The barista prepared a cappuccino for me each morning.

Before serving the coffee, the barista made coffee art with the milk. On both occasions she made a flower.

The espresso was rich and bold and it had an excellent taste. The milk was creamy and the cappuccino was a great wake-up each morning.

I sampled two of the sandwich options including the bacon one as well as the specialty one with Italian ham, egg and cheese.

Both sandwiches were hot and they were served freshly prepared on crunchy bread. The toppings were excellent and the portion size was large. The meat was of excellent quality.

The Hilton Diamond breakfast credit of $20 per-day went a long way at the restaurant and it was a great spot for breakfast.

Check Out

I approached the reception desk to check out on the last morning of the Excellent Chicago Trip Conrad Chicago hotel stay. An agent welcomed me and offered assistance. After I requested to check out, the agent asked for my room number and then she used my name and inquired about the stay. The agent reviewed the charges and offered a copy of the receipt. Initially the $75 dinner credit was not automatically applied however, after I inquired about it, the agent removed the dinning charges and provided an updated folio. The agent offered additional assistance including transportation or luggage storage before wishing me a pleasant journey onward. The agent invited me to return to the hotel in the future.

The doorman held the door open for me and when the car arrived, he assisted me with placing my luggage in the trunk and he invited me back to the Conrad Chicago.

Overall

The Excellent Chicago Trip Conrad Chicago hotel stay was excellent. This may have been the nicest Hilton property that I’ve stayed at to date. The staff was welcoming. It was such a nice surprise when the agent offered the dinner credit. I was able to some appetizers and have a few drinks to enhance my stay at the Conrad Chicago. The room was clean and the housekeeping service was excellent. The dinging experience was enjoyable. I would return to the hotel in the future.

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