The Gwen, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Michigan Avenue Chicago

“Rooftop Proposal at the Gwen was 10/10!!”

Working with the very helpful and friendly staff at The Upstairs at the Gwen rooftop bar and restaurant I was able to organize and execute a beautiful proposal for my Fiancée. The outdoor vibes and city skyline view made it a moment we wont ever forget!

“Short and Sweet!”

Luigi was very helpful from the moment we checked in to checkout. Always smiling and waving. It was a short stay but we’ll definitely be back

“EXCEPTIONAL TEA SERVICE”

Exceptional Afternoon Tea Experience at The Gwen Hotel Our afternoon tea experience at **The Gwen Hotel** was absolutely wonderful! Our party of nine was welcomed with genuine warmth, and every detail of the experience exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to **Judie** and our server, **… more

Exceptional Afternoon Tea Experience at The Gwen Hotel Our afternoon tea experience at **The Gwen Hotel** was absolutely wonderful! Our party of nine was welcomed with genuine warmth, and every detail of the experience exceeded our expectations. A special thank you to **Judie** and our server, **Sarah**, who were both incredibly attentive, professional, and kind throughout our visit. Their hospitality made our gathering feel truly special. I have a food allergy, and without hesitation they arranged for a special sandwich to be made just for me. It was delicious and served with such a warm smile that it made me feel genuinely cared for. The tea service was beautifully presented, the food was fresh and delicious, and the atmosphere was elegant yet relaxing. From beginning to end, the service was impeccable, and our entire group felt valued and well taken care of. If you're looking for a memorable afternoon tea experience in Chicago, I highly recommend **The Gwen Hotel**. You truly can't go wrong. Thank you, Judie and Sarah, for making our afternoon so enjoyable—we look forward to returning! 🌸☕🫖 Dr. Shirlyn Garrett

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“Nice, clean and modern ... although not quite 'luxurious'”

I read that this hotel had been ranked in the Top 10 for North America in a previous year's Conde Nast Reader Awards, which is why I ultimately chose it ... although earning Marriott rewards helped. My stay was very good here ... The staff were among the best I've ever encountered at a hotel ... al… more

I read that this hotel had been ranked in the Top 10 for North America in a previous year's Conde Nast Reader Awards, which is why I ultimately chose it ... although earning Marriott rewards helped. My stay was very good here ... The staff were among the best I've ever encountered at a hotel ... although I have to admit, I am a little shocked by the ranking. I mean it's a nice hotel ... but I've stayed in much nicer Luxury Collection properties before. Not sure this would even crack my Top 20 in North America but it was a great stay. The location couldn't be better ... everything is very walkable and there are tons of great restaurants and shopping nearby. In 20 minutes, you can walk to the beautiful Ohio Beach, which feels more like a Florida beach. This is where we spent most of our time, when not dining or walking around the beautiful city. The area around the hotel felt safer than just about any other big city we've been to and everything is extremely walkable at most hours. The staff was fantastic and were very flexible with the check in and check out time ... giving us a very late check out so we could enjoy the city before out flight. This is probably one of the best things a hotel can do to keep me coming back as often a late check out makes all the difference in maximizing every moment of your trip. Everyone was extremely friendly and legitimately seemed both interested in my enjoying the stay and also enjoyed working there and it showed. The room itself was nice ... pretty much like any standard big city Marriott hotel I've stayed at. I don't know that I'd consider it a 'luxurious' room ... but it was very clean and stylish. The bed was very comfortable ... as most Marriott beds are ... and I woke up refreshed each night thanks to the soft mattress and soft pillows. There weren't any 'frills' (no champagne, cake or a card for our anniversary, which we noted on the reservation ... no little snacks in the room ... no slippers, etc.) However, there was a lot of very well laid out storage space and the mini fridge cooled our drinks that we bought. The bathroom was nice ... with a separate bathtub and shower. The bathroom was very spacious and laid out well. The only things I didn't love were the water pressure was very weak and I felt a rainfall shower head would have worked better than the rather cheap standard showerhead, which didn't feel very relaxing. For a Luxury Collection hotel, the shower was disappointing. Also, not a fan of Moulton Brown bath products, which are like the 'Olive Garden' of 'fancy' toiletries. I was expecting a better brand collaboration, like Aqua Di Palma or Malin Goetz. The same with the water, the room had 2 bottles of water, which were basically generic bottled distilled water. The air conditioning also didn't work great. It was 95 degrees in Chicago ... so after walking around we wanted to come back to a nice cold room. The temperature never dropped below 72 degrees, despite our trying to set it for 65 ... which isn't terrible, but we really like to sleep at around 65 degrees on hot nights. We didn't use the blanket at night. Also, we asked for a high floor and were given a room one floor above the outdoor bar/lounge and could hear the music until after midnight. Other than those small issues ... we enjoyed our stay a lot. From the welcome cookies to the fantastic concierge recommendations for dinner ... the staff was great. One last thing that made us kind of angry ... they charge a $25 destination fee per night. Nobody told us that included a $12.50 daily food and beverage credit, so we lost out on that. Other than the mystery credit, there was really absolutely zero benefit to the 'destination charge' ... the hotel has no pool, it barely even has a lobby. You can't tell me that you are charging me $25 for wifi, which I'd get free at a Fairfield Inn or a bike rental, which you'd have to be crazy to use in Chicago as we didn't see a single bike. Essentially the destination charge makes the hotel look $25 cheaper but offers zero real value. In fact, few things in the bar/restaurant were under $15, so you'll wind up spending money to use the 'credit'. Our friends were staying at The Hilton Palmer House for the same price, which was much fancier and ornate in an old fashioned way. However, our room was much, much nicer ... and our area was much nicer/safer. I'm glad we chose The Gwen, even if the 'lobby'/public areas weren't as grand ... our overall experience was much better. We would certainly stay here again.

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