This is a look up from Grant Park to our Saturday night hotel, The Blackstone – it’s the one with the green roof. The lobby is a riot of ornate and posh. Carved bronze, black marble, carved plaster ceiling, deep velvet chairs, brass railings and crazy striped carpet. Your eyes can barely pick a spot to rest. It’s an impressive property. I wish I could say we loved it. Our reservation for a king room turned into a “parlor room” when we arrived. This means we got a sofabed to sleep on. We were disappointed but too tired to fight it in the moment. We’ll be talking to the management soon and we’ll let you know what they have to say about it too.
But two important take aways from this. First if something is not right about your reservation or it is very different than what you were expecting, speak up. Be firm but polite. Had we spoken up more firmly the hotel would have had to do something for us. Second, if you can afford to stay near Grant Park while you are in Chicago, do it! It is beautiful and jam-packed with activities. It’s worth a little bit of a splurge to be in the center of the action sometimes.
– Posting on the road
