Overpriced & overranked for what you get- Go somewhere else
by TripAdvisor Member ryanal
Booked it through expedia and stayed there for 5 nights- The location is excellent but major issues:
- Remote control for the nice plasma TV doesn't work- called frontdesk- they promised to solve it but nothing was done in 5 days! Can you imagine ??
-Rooms are clean but very small
-bathroom is clean as well as linen
-Room cleaning skipped for 1 day- shampoo wasn't replaced for 3 consecutive days (despite notifying frontdesk several times)
- Wrote a note to manager and left it with frontdesk about the above issues- he never took an action/ even I emailed him after leaving the hotel- he never replied.
In summary- If you're paying that much in downtown Chicago- there are many alternatives
Overall: Big disappointment / 1-star is more than enough for their service
Fabulous!
by TripAdvisor Member Varks
Really nice hotel in an excellent location!
I work in Chicago and stay here in various hotels every week, but with rates being insane lately, this was the cheapest place I could find. And it has truly exceeded my expectations!
Starting with very helpful doormen, the staff is wonderful - front desk was very friendly and welcoming. The room was beautiful - I liked the minimalist style. Had a suite, and everything was very well-thought-out. The bathroom is gorgeous - slate and marble, very modern. Even found a glass LED scale under the sink (though it obviously needed calibration....ok, maybe not) Ooh, and the linens are lovely. The location is great - right down from Michigan Avenue and near some wonderful restaurants, not to mention the Red Line train.
And their sense of humor is great - they can't do anything about the big brick building right at the edge of the U-shaped courtyard, but they project lights on it that look like windowson buildings, with little stick people running around in a parody of downtown Chicago.
I highly recommend this hotel, and as someone who lives in hotels 45 weeks a year, that is strong praise.
Great Urban Experience
by TripAdvisor Member omralk
We were in Chicago last weekend after business in the suburbs earlier in the week. For an exhilirating, interesting weekend, we searched for a modern boutique hotel located in an active neighborhood.
Once confirming that construction is finished at the James, we booked and got exactly what we were looking for. The hotel is beautiful in that sleek, sparse kind of way. Does it try to be trendy and hip? Yes, but it's comfortable enough that the vibe is sexy rather than pretentious. The rooms were spacious, very well-appointed, and quiet. The beds were very comfortable and the amenities were all generous. The service was accomodating and eager to please. The location is pretty perfect for shopping, sightseeing, and eating.
My only complaint would be the quality of the concierge services. Though responsive to our inquiries, the concierges connected to the same Internet sites I did, and couldn't offer any connections that we could have used. Perhaps as the hotel matures the concierges could be of more use.
I'd recommend the James for anyone in the mood for the hipster vibe, luxury, and urban pace.
We really wanted to like The James...
by TripAdvisor Member LitigatorX
My wife and I live in the near-Chicago suburbs and have children, so when we have the opportunity to get away, we often try to spend the night downtown at a hotel. From what we had seen and heard we were very excited about the James and dinner at the Primehouse downstairs.
Initial Impressions
Our initial impression was positive. The front desk seemed friendly and helpful and the lobby, while nothing special, was in line with the modern and clean look we were expecting. The room was well furnished, clean and cool lines and while not large, the 42 inch plasma TV made the room feel larger (because the room didnt have any furniture in front of the bed). The little eating nook was a neat touch and the bed was extremely comfortable. On the downside, the bathtub was basically a half-bath, and is not really suitable if an adult wants to take a long bath. Business travellers may not care, but couples looking to get away may be disappointed. The bathroom is fine, just nothing special. The room did not have the feel of luxury, but it was not exactly cheap either (although my wife got the feeling the entire room was furnished by West Elm).
One other nice touch is the laser clock, the kind that projects the time on the ceiling. I always thought those things were sort of silly, but now I am considering getting one from my house. Instead of having to sit up and crane my neck to see the clock next to my wife I just needed to look up- very cool.
The Primehouse
Without a doubt the highlight of the evening. If you are going to stay at the James go to the Primehouse. I am a steak eater and my wife is not and we both loved it. There is no question we will go back. I would put it up with my favorites of Morton's and the Chicago Chop House and a step above others like the Capital Grill, Gibsons, Ruth Chris, etc. I was not expecting the food to be so good, but it was a very pleasant surprise. That chocolate 13 layer cake is no joke.
Problems
Ok, so you might ask why the the average review? Everything was going really well until about 1am when the person in the room next to us decided to have a couple of friends over and have a party until about 5:30 am. Since the entire purpose of us going out was to get some much needed sleep, the noise coming from next door (I am assuming, it might have been even further down the hall) was a literal nightmare. It took numerous visits by security for this joker to quiet down. In fact, after the first visit this miscreant seemed emboldened. I am not saying that this is necessarily the hotel's fault, however it shouldnt have taken 4 hours to rectify the situation and they should have, in my opinion comped the room at that point (which they did not). I can just imagine if I was staying at the Ritz-Carlton or the Park Hyatt (our favorite by the way) how this would have been handled. I am not sure if its a lack of professionalism of the staff, inexperience or an unwillingness to just deal with the situation, but this could have and should have been handled better.
So after a rough night, we wanted to get a good breakfast in before heading home. My wife ordered breakfast at 9:45 and they said it would be 30 mins. At 10:30 she called and was told "the food is on its way up now." At 11:15 she called and was told that the elevator was broken and the room service person was having trouble getting the food upstairs. Finally at a little after 11:30 the food arrived. We asked if the food was going to be hot, concerned it might have sat around because of the mechanical problems, and the room service waiter looked at us confused. No, the food had just been prepared, the elevator was fine and everything was hot. We really have no idea what happened, but it was unacceptable (especially when a pregnant woman wanted to eat far sooner). Yes, breakfast was comped, however our room had a continental with the stay, so we only had a few extras like an omelet for my wife.
Final Thoughts
Room was nice (not great, but nicer than average-TV was cool), service was mixed, Primehouse great and the 2pm checkin/checkout is fantastic. I cant decide if I will give them another chance. If you can get a decent deal, then stay there, but Im not sure Id pay market rates. We compared the bill with the bill from our last stay at the Park Hyatt and for $100 more total (room, parking, food (dinner and breakfast), etc) I think its a no brainer we would have stayed at the Park (again these are different types of hotels).
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