We noticed that the hotel hand hand prints on our door and fuzz in our bed. We had just gotten back from walking all day and were exhausted. I got grossed out in the morning. There was no hand soap and splatters of toothpaste everywhere. The floor had dried ... something around the toilet and hairs on the folded hand towels. The final straw was my husband saying the floor felt weird and realized he was standing on a huge dried stain of puke. I felt so sick to my stomach that we stayed. It was clear no one had cleaned or restocked since we had been there. It’s a beautiful facility. I am amazed that it is so dirty. You’d want to enjoy the neat elevator or hallways but then realized they are covered in filth. So disappointed. What is more telling is that the staff hate their jobs and never asked once if we enjoyed our stay. I remained friendly and waited for them to ask so I could share, but they pushed the stay along with every other guest.…
Hotel- Kimpton Gray (Chicago, IL) Date- November 2020 (2 nights) Overall: 5/5. Excellent. This hotel is inside the refurbished New York Life building, where marble staircases, flooring, walls, and columns abound. This is a beautiful property. Rewards Club Recognition- 5/5. Excellent. We were thanked for our loyalty, and our room was upgraded. As Spire Elite loyalty club members, we were also given a $10 Raid-the-Bar credit for use at the ‘bodega’. Staff- 5/5. Excellent. Bobby, at the reception, checked us into the hotel. He was kind and attentive. He greeted us each time we passed by and was eager to please. Alexis was engaging and eager to ensure we had everything we could ask for throughout our stay. Krystal was a pleasure to interact with during our second day, as well. This was such a good guest services experience! Property Appearance & Maintenance- 5/5. Excellent. Exterior- 5/5. The two entrances are both clean, and the hotel is well branded. Interior- 5/5. The entrance stairway and corridor have a grand air about them. There are marble stairways, tile floors, and an elevator bay with golden elevators, on the entrance floor; the reception is on the second floor, along with the lobby. The hallway carpets and baseboards are clean and have very few scuffs. The wallpaper and paint are in good shape. Accommodations- 5/5. Excellent. We were assigned a “King Spa” room. The room was comfortable and spacious. The bedding was comfortable, and we slept well. The room contained all the advertised features: flat screen tv, soaking tub separate from the shower,… We were very happy with our accommodations. Housekeeping- 5/5. Excellent. Our room was quite clean. The floors had been vacuumed, and the bathroom was spotless. Toiletry items and towels were all provided in a supply adequate for the length of our stay. Pool/Gym- The gym is closed during the pandemic. Breakfast/Meal Options- 3/5. Average, for during the pandemic. No food options are available since both restaurants are closed. The minibars are emptied, but the usual contents are available at the front desk for purchase. Social/wine hour is from 5p until 6p, and small bottles of wine are provided at the front desk, for enjoyment in the guest room or lobby (while practicing physical distancing, of course). Coffee service is also moved to the front desk. Laundry- Not evaluated. The usual pricing sheet and laundry bag are in the room, and the prices are typical for a hotel of this class. Computer/Printer/WiFi- 5/5. WiFi was strong throughout the hotel, and streaming was smooth. Other- Valet parking is discontinued during the pandemic; parking at a nearby garage is recommended, and with a validated ticket, in and out privileges were provided for $30/night. Sanitizing stations were present throughout the hotel.…
From the absolute most centralized location in the City, to perhaps the cleanest and most updated property in the area, to the size of the guest rooms and bathrooms, this hotel checked all of the boxes. We were quite pleased with the room, as many downtown hotel rooms are cramped (to say the least) and receive a lot of traffic, so understandably look a bit worn. In the case of the Kimpton Gray, the room was spacious and everything from carpet to furnishings looked practically brand new. There were ample elevators (also sometimes an issue with other downtown hotels) - you never wait long for a car. The common areas are well appointed and impeccably kept. This is one of the nicest hotels in or near the Loop.
The sanitation motto of the Kimpton Gray is "So Fresh, So Clean." As far as sanitation mottos go, I'd say that's a pretty good one. I'm not much of an experienced hotel denizen, but my Father definitely is. The Outkast reference was probably lost on him. What he did find during his three-day visit is that he'd never been more honest with his Son. He also figured out how to use the keycard to get into the room pretty quickly, which is a nice touch for us people with geriatric patriarchs in our family who insist on opening the door and tipping 15% when we go out (good luck trying to pay the bill). My stay at the Kimpton Gray wasn't like yours is going to be- or at least I'd hope so. To be honest with you, the internet vagabond reading this Trip Advisor review, I really don't have much to say by ways of critiquing the decor or evaluating threadcount. If you want to hear that stuff, read TanyaB561's review. If you do read it, do you think that Tanya is the kind of person you'd ever like to get advice from? I don't My Dad and I spent a ton of time in the room. I don't think we would have been there for hours on end, catching up and opening up to each other if we didn't feel welcomed by the oeuvre of the Kimpton Gray. We had permission to be ourselves. I'm glad we did. If we didn't, I don't think I would have learned as much about my Dad this weekend just going for walks up and down lakeshore. Although I cannot see him in the same way that only a loving father deserves to be seen by his child anymore, my view of him is clearer than ever. I have a greater understanding of my Dad, and isn't that all we can ask for from our parents? Also the room was so fresh and so clean (clean).…
I never write reviews especially during covid as I understand how incredibly difficult it is for the hospitality industry (and most businesses as a whole) during this time. I would much prefer to write a positive one but this experience left me feeling so underwhelmed and kimpton is part of a large hotel chain so I feel justified in having expected a better stay. We have stayed at kimpton hotels all around the country—-Seattle, Washington DC, New York, Sedona, Austin including those in our city of chicago and have received good customer service. This was my first time staying at the Gray and after reading positive I decided to book it for a one night “staycation”. We have been fortunate to be able to do a few over the last several months but this was my first time coming without one of my children. I was looking forward to some relaxing me time. Check in was fine. I was given a small bottle of wine that was replacement for the lobby wine hour. The interior is different to many other kimptons and feels as though you are in the lobby of an office building or bank. Spaces are hidden and it’s not as open as other lobbies. The room was large enough but I faced an alley and office building. Given the good rate I paid I did not mind. The furnishings aren’t as whimsical as other kimptons but it did seem clean enough. Linens in the bathroom, however, were super thin and rather threadbare. Fraying, actually. I looked at the website for the hotel restaurant and saw that it is located on the roof of the hotel. It is explicitly described as a rooftop restaurant bar. Since it was an unseasonably warm day for February In chicago I thought it might be open. Trying to make the most of my night I went downstairs to the front desk to ask about the restaurant and what kind of protocols are implemented for covid as well as seating outside. Bobby was the person working the front desk and explained it’s indoor only. I told him that since it’s described as a rooftop restaurant I assumed they were seating outdoors and how many people are they allowing for indoor dining. He looked at me and said “I’m not really sure what you are asking but it is getting full so I would highly suggest a reservation”. Never did he say would you like me to call or check the reservations to see what might be available tonight, nor since you are staying in the hotel would you like to go up and see it? Feeling rather dumb I decided to just order take out and eat in my room. The next morning I called to see if they might be able to extend a late check out and was told normal check out is at 12 but they could give me an additional 45 minutes as a courtesy. Alison told me if I wanted to stay anything beyond that it would be an additional $75. Aside from two other people getting into the elevator on my floor and the people at the front desk I didn’t have the impression the hotel was full. I wouldn’t expect it to be in late February in chicago. I explained I was surprised as the hotel Monaco did extend late check out by the hour and their additional fee was much more reasonable. She explained to me that every hotel as it’s own policy and that they were full this weekend. So I checked out at 1pm, went to the front desk and who I assume was Alison asked “are you checking out?”, I said yes and asked if I could have my parking validated. She took my ticket, validated, handed it back and never even asked “how was your stay”? “Thank you” or even “good bye”. I was pretty much invisible and that’s the last thing a customer wants to feel ever especially during these times when our patronage should truly be valued.…
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