The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Apr 8th, 2024

Apr 7th, 2024

Apr 4th, 2024

Gorgeous hotel, from the lobby to the rooms themselves. Everyone who worked at the Blackstone was friendly and helpful. Couldnt recommend more.
Apr 4th, 2024

As a small business owner, I understand the negative impact of any review, so I am generally hesitant to leave overly negative reviews. Occasionally, however, situations arise that I believe warrant comment. I will also preface this review by noting that I screwed up. My son and I were planning a last minute trip to Chicago. I was attempting to book through the Marriott Bonvoy page in the afternoon. A client called and I got distracted and the timer ran out. I went back to the page and I didn't pay close enough attention and accidently booked the room for March 26, rather than March 27th, when we were actually going to Chicago. Imagine my surprise when I received an email at 0600 asking if I enjoyed my stay and indicating that my room would be billed. Keeping in mind that I never checked in to the hotel and had no idea of my error. Yes, I received the confirmation email but didn't read it closely enough. I saw the date 03.27.2024 and moved on. I agree this is my error. I called immediately to correct the error and the person I spoke with in reservations, told me that she couldn't do anything about it but that she would make a detailed note, including the fact that I did go ahead and book the room for the correct date. She gave me a reference number and told me to speak with the manager when I checked-in and she was sure that they could work with me on my error. So, this story continues, but I will digress to my assessment of this hotel. The decor of this hotel can best be described as "business man taking his lover to the City". From the amenities to the floor layout, the decor screams "we're doing something we shouldn't." The abrasive surface in the shower, which does have great water pressure, does not actually extend to the area under the waterfall shower head, causing a slipping hazard that had I been unscrupulous, I could have likely used to my advantage to address my prior described error. None of the light fixtures have seen a dusting in a while, there are black fingerprint smudges on all of the doors and white surfaces. The vaunted "lake view" can only be seen from the single wingback chair that I am certain would shine like a Jackson Pollock painting under a black light. And the view, while good, is quite limited. The location is not really convenient to anything. The transit locations are all several blocks away and there really is not much about which to write home. I can, however, forgive all of these things. I can forgive being told that my error was my error (which I was told), but I cannot abide by the treatment I received from the Front Office Manager, Ishiante Bogan. When I arrived, having driven most of the way and taken a train the last bit, I did as instructed and attempted to speak with Ms. Bogan, and was rudely rebuked. I don't know if she disliked my appearance because I was dressed in jeans and a flannel or is just generally rude to everyone. When I attempted to discuss this matter and provide her with the reference number (as instructed), I was told that there was nothing she could do because of "policy" and didn't care for my reference number. I was told that I should have called on the date in question and when I told her I called as soon as learned about the issue, she told me I should have called on March 26, 2024. When I attempted to explain that I could not have done so, she made clear that our conversation was concluded and I would receive no recourse from her. When I asked to speak to the general manager, I was told that they were not on-site, but she gave me her business card to make sure I spelled her name correctly. In addition to her general unprofessionalism, I would also note that Ms. Bogan should grammar check her business card, that perhaps you should focus more on service over "thriving" and the great poet that provided you with your inspirational quote spells her name "Maya Angelou" - at least that is how she spelled it when I met her.
Mar 31st, 2024