Don't Stay Here if you want to have a pleasant stay

The Whitehall leaves a lot to be desired in almost every aspect. I would rather stay at a hostel in Iraq than to stay here again. The first thing you notice is the poor service from the 20-something year old loser of a receptionist who acted like he couldn't be bothered in answering your checking in process questions. The only thing that he is useful for is to cast his pouty eyes at the customer as if to say; "I am going to make your stay as uncomfortable as humanly possibly" (you go girl, even though it was a guy/ complete loser). Next, you are faced with entering an elevator that barely fits one person and 2 luggage bags, the elevator felt like it was 100 years old, moved as if it were on a snail's pace, and the peeling paint added to the small hotel "aesthetics". When we got to the room, not only was it small and decrepit looking, it also had a noisy air-conditioning unit that had seen better days, a broken lamp light, and nothing to connect you to the outside world. Oh yeah, I could hear everything the next door neighbor did, including turning on the tv, yawning, and especially slamming the door all the time. (It seemed like slamming because the room dynamics enabled the sounds to travel more efficiently through the air than normal rooms, but I am sure he simply let the door close on its own. Plus, the paper-thin walls helped greatly in that respect).

Other things to wake you up and annoy you at this hotel include the garbage trucks that come and pick up the garbage seemingly right outside your window at 6am sharp... I can go on and on, but you get the picture, don't stay here, you will be all the better for it.

Great Aspirations, Poor Reality

I've stayed at the Whitehall several times in the past 6 months. While the staff is certainly friendly, the hotel doesn't perform well overall -- my room service orders have almost always been wrong, there are lengthy delays getting service in the restaurant, several rooms have noisy heaters, and when something does go wrong, the staff is not always helpful. On my most recent visit, there was a puddle of yellowish water in the bathroom that had leaked from the ceiling (and the bathroom above). We were able to switch rooms, namely because the plumber needed to fix the leak immediately, but there was no comment on the inconvience. Although the hotel may want to cater to the business traveler, good luck using the fax printer or obtaining high-speed internet access. I want to like the Whitehall, but I'm tired of something going wrong every time I'm there.

Injured daughter from broken window hotel manager does nothing

My daughters and I were in Chicago for nephews wedding in 2 rooms. The heat was stuck on 90 so my 22 year old daughter opened one window a bit and it crashed down smashing 2 of her fingers. When reported maintenence came and said the window was broken missing the catch and after one week of my trying to have the hotel manager respond to my complaint I have now taken to an attorney for suit. There was no sign saying not to open the window or that it was broken. Hotel negligence caused my daughter to suffer through the wedding and beyond. This hotel is one of the worst I have ever stayed at - Try the Four Seasons accross the street - or The W well worth it!

Luxurious atmosphere, smallish room.

Hotel staff excellent, courteous and friendly. Rooms are adequate and clean, but fairly small. Nice view and great location for walking, shopping, people watching. Doormen friendly and helpful. Bathrooms a little small for two people, but clean and well-kept. Restaurant is EXCELLENT. Best Eggs Benedict in Chicago. Oprah and Jerry Springer live just across the street and if you venture out at 5AM, you may run into Oprah jogging! Wonderful shopping within a 5 minute walk. Chicago is such a fun city for shopping and clubs if you like the Blues. Much safer and friendlier than NYC shopping district. And much less cramped.

We walked around the city at night and felt totally safe and welcomed.

Great stay at the Whitehall.

Excellent

Fantastic location. Friendly & Knowlegable Staff. Large comfortable rooms. Great Restaurant. Highly Recommended.

Stay here if you have a chance

I've read a couple of unfavorable reviews about this hotel, and while I know that everyone has their opinions, I feel that anything less then a above average is unjust. We stayed her over the weekend, and it was a pleasure. The staff was VERY friendly, and room service was professional. The rooms were neat and we had a very enjoyable time here. If you're in Chicago, give the Whitehall a shot...Mick Jagger seems to like it! :)

Faded glory

This used to be our favorite. Location is still great but rooms have slipped,elevators don't always work and the feeling of a luxury hotel is gone.

Very nice stay

Overall, we had a very enjoyable stay in Fall 02. The staff was very courteous and we had a comfortable albeit somewhat smaller than average room but consistent with rate. The location provides easy access to Michigan Ave. We would definitely stay again.

Not worth the price

For the service and experience you are getting, I suggest going to another hotel for the price you pay here. The only positive is the location. This is not a first class hotel and definetly not worth more than $80-90/ night. My heater kept me up all night making all sorts of noise. Apparently my room was not an isolated incident as another guest mentioned it in the elevator. Also, I spoke with some collegues who stayed there previously. Their experience was no better (they did not have hot water). If only I would have spoken to them before I went.

Go to another hotel.

Great little hotel in a great location

I found a good rate at expedia.com, and my husband and I stayed at the Whitehall in August, 2001.

We really enjoyed it. The staff was very friendly and detailed. We arrived early, and we were able to get into our room.

The location is excellent. It is on the northern end off the Magnificent Mile (Michigan Avenue) on a relatively quiet side street. It is just down the street from the Four Seasons. An El stop is just a few blocks away, and there was a small grocery store and a number of restaurants nearby (ranging from Thai food, a wine bar, and a diner). We found the restaurants and the grocery store on the way to the El stop.

The room was very nice. We had a room with a king bed. The bathroom was large and also very nice. The hotel also has a turndown service. The room also had a fully stocked mini-bar.

I would definitely stay at this hotel again.