Courtyard by Marriott Downtown/River North Mini-hotel

It's been a week since I've stayed here and have had more time to reflect on my experience, so I am re-writing this. Valet is very expensive for what it is at this hotel, however, whenever I am in a city like this, valet is just the easier option, and I am willing to pay for the convivence. When I first got there and pulled into valet, it was like pulling teeth trying to get any help or service. Mind you, I was the only one there at the moment. They acted like they did not want to help me at all. So first impression was already down the drain. Then I go inside the hotel and check-in. The check-in person clearly hates his life, which low key, I respect. The job and dealing with people probably sucks.. but he literally just handed me my room key and pointed towards the elevators. I guess everything else I was just supposed to figure out myself. I only stayed one night and the DEPOSIT they hold is $200.... I didn't even pay that much for the room itself. $200 is not only ridiculous, but it does not state this amount anywhere online. Most of the hotels in similar ranking/comparison to this hotel in the area have a deposit of $50/night. They said the deposit would be released in 3-5 days from check-out. I am on day 6 still waiting for my deposit back. For one positive: I enjoyed how spacious the room was and the layout. The downside was that my room was located near an employee breakroom or closet, so there was constantly and loud slamming door throughout the middle of the night from staff going in and out. The beds are supposed to be for two people, but they only give you three pillows on the bed, so if you're sharing a bed, I guess one of you only gets one pillow. Lastly, at check-out, I texted valet for my car, and got the automated response to "allow 20 minutes" for my car. Well, valet forgot about me, so I ended up waiting a whole HOUR for my car. Mind you, I was the only one again waiting. So much for paying 65 freaking dollars to have that kind of valet experience.

I guess another positive: the outdoor deck by the pool is nice....lol

OVERALL: Even though the staff is friendly and the location ideal, I would not recommend Courtyard by Marriott to any visitor.

PROS: Location and security are the only perks this hotel possesses. Courtyard is next to any main attraction near the River Walk, tons of bookstores and local shops, and delicious restaurants. Security is nice, as the place requires card access to get beyond the entry, and the hotel has hired on-site security guards.

CONS: Bed and sofa bed are super firm. This is subjective due to personal comfort, but I struggled to relax at night due to this factor.

Staff is nice but forgetful. I had to follow up about several issues listed below multiple times before they were fixed.

TV was not working on the night I arrived and had a blurry screen when I attempted to watch any movie. After issue persisted the next day, I contacted the front office who sent a technician for repairs. The technician discovered the issue but pushed it on the next shift member, which was the next day. Still hasn’t been fixed completely. Screen works fine for a few minutes, then goes blurry again.

Refrigerator was not cooling when I arrived, so I had to ask for it to be fixed or replaced. Food I had bought went bad due to this issue.

No toiletries were in the hotel room as advertised online, so I had to request them at the front desk several times before getting them delivered to the room. (Asked in the morning and at night before toiletries were finally delivered, not immediate back to back requests.)

I had to request towel replacements several times before receiving them. (Asked in the morning and at night before towels were finally delivered, not immediate back to back requests.)

Air conditioner was difficult to figure out and did not seem to cool properly. I had it set at 67 degrees and it was still hot sometimes. I can have my apartment at 70 degrees and freeze, but this tiny room cannot cool properly, which led to uncomfortable nights after 90 degree Chicago humid weather conditions.

See pictures for the small details in the bathroom that I had to see when this room should have been better prepared. And we found thongs behind the furniture desk, so the room was not clean. There was a used sock on top of the furniture.

The restaurant advertised online is closed permanently, and I was unaware of this until I saw a flier in the elevator.

There’s a coffee machine in the room but no filtered complimentary water. You have to walk all the way down to the lobby and get small cups of water to bring back to the room, which is inconvenient when you’re on an upper floor.