Hotel Blake

, Chicago, United States
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Hotel Blake

, Chicago
4 star

Rooms: 162

500 S Dearborn St - Chicago - Illinois - 60605 - United States (312) 986-1234
476 Traveller

Reviews - Hotel Blake

9/10
Perfect Find
Submitted by: Linda in 25/03/09
  • Age Group: 51 - 60
  • From: United States
  • Traveller type: Mature Couple
This was a quick get-away weekend to meet up with college friends that were in the city. From location, service, beautifully appointed decor,spacious individual rooms, and price our group could not have been more pleased. We will enthusiastically recommend this hotel and know that it would be our first choice. Keep up the excellent service.
Check Rates and Availability for the Hotel Blake
1/10
Worst Experience-Don't be fooled by pretty
Submitted by: Kimberly in 06/11/07
  • Age Group: 26 - 30
  • From: United States
  • Traveller type: Luxury Traveller
Save yourself the agony! Hotel Blake in Chicago looks like an upscale modern hotel with all the up-to-date stylings and amenities any traveler could want. If your planning a trip to Chicago don't step one foot near this disheveled mess. As soon as we walked off the elevator we had a problem; the smell of an unidentified object lingered throughout the hallway for three days. Our room was missing a light bulb (that we still have yet to receive) our poor toilet paper dispenser looked as if it was ripped out of the wall and the sound of a jack hammer was coming through our vent. To make matters worse no one answers the phone! I have complained to several people (when they finally did answer) and a manager has yet to rectify the situation or let alone call me back. Oh and that great restaurant that pops up on the first page also doesn't exist. I guess that's just there for show. Spend the extra money and go to the "W" - It'll be money well spent. If you see this place RUN FAST!

Historical Traveller Reviews of Hotel Blake

Not very nice..dark and no one around

from A TripAdvisor Member
looked haunted. no one around but i. nice rooms no help.

this place was lovely Not!!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
the hotel was okay looking from the outside. but inside, that is a whole different story. they messed up our rooms which we reserved a month in advance.we wanted a room with two double beds. but they said all they had was a one bed room with two cots.that just wasn't going to cut it so we talked to the manager and got what we wanted. we never saw any body there any way so there shouldn't have been a problem. all of the staff people were very rude to us. and on top of all that one of the two elevators broke.the hallways smelled musky and damp. we were on floor 4. and the ice machine was on floor 12. that was just great. the only thing that was even a little bit ok was the excerise room they had. it was all nice except the water jug didn't have any water in it. i will never stay there again as long as i live.

could be stellar -- mixed review

from brendonla
My wife and I were supposed to stay at Hotel 71 the weekend of a wedding we were attending this past June; Hotel 71 is the sister property of Hotel Blake.

But due to a power outtage that screwed up Hotel 71's reservation system, they put us up at Hotel Blake instead -- it was under construction, but we lucked out and got a HUGE suite for $99 + tax and our first night was comped! Our room was completely furnished in a very modern decor, similar to a W Hotel. We had a total of 3 plasma TVs in there: one in the living room, one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom. Iron, ironing board in the closet. There was a minibar with sink as well, but unfortunatley, no fridge. Mini-CD system in the living room with DVD player hooked up to the giant plasma (if allowed to I would have stayed in to watch DVDs on that huge TV, but alas, we were there to go to a wedding - drat! I mean, we could have thrown a killer after-party there, but the wedding was out in Oak Groove but I digress....).

Printer's Row, while father south, is still within walknig distance of Michigan Ave and the parks (we walked over to Taste of Chicago when we stayed). Or you can cab it to nearby attractions for a couple of bucks. There's a few restaraunts across the street and a Starbucks on the corner as well.

So, the room was really excellent. But the staff is kinda non-existent (I had to ask for a valet and it's not really clear where you should pull your car up to; also be aware that there's no valet past midnight: I had to park my rental car at the nearby lot myself and walk back on the night of the wedding -- kinda of a drag) and the staff also overall had blah, non-customer centric attitudes. The woman working the front desk did let me use their computer to print out boarding passes after checkout, so kudos for that.

I think once this place is completely finished being renovated, it could seriously kick ass -- the room decor was great! But it all depends on how they staff it and how the restaraunt and bar turn out (these were both under construction when we stayed). Also worth noting: the owners are selling furnished condominiums in this building on different floors -- don't know how this will change the atmosphere once residents start moving in. I guess this is a new concept with some renovated hotels - see [-]

Would we stay again? Only if we could get a great price (no more than $125 /night). Given that it was summer and a convention was going on in town, we were lucky to get a room -- but here's a NOTE TO THE MANAGEMENT of both Hotel 71 and Hotel Blake: get it together when it comes to your reservation system: having worked for an award-winning travel prodvider [-] I know that the res system is your LIFE BLOOD. BACK IT UP MAN! There was no excuse for not tracking your room inventory closer and backing it up so once the power came back on you can get back online immediately -- this was why we were booted from Hotel 71 -- I can't comment on that hotel except that some of the other wedding guests we met actually went back to it after being put up elsewhere (Le Meriden) and said the rooms weren't all that great there.

So overall, this was a mixed bag for us: GREAT ROOM, so-so staff.

not in a hurry to stay here again

from A TripAdvisor Member
Yes, the hotel is under construction, but that was a minor inconvenience. The air conditioning unit was very loud, the internet server was down, the TV remote didn't work and the hot water tap on the bathroom lav almost took two people to turn it on and off. At check out, the woman didn't bother to ask how we liked the room, I think she knew.

Hotel Bleak

from DUKEDOG
OK, checked into the Blake after making reservations through hotwire, who in the past was pretty consistant. At the entrance I could not find a valet or door man to help with the luggage or parking, no big deal. After checking in and finding the valet Ii took my luggage to the fifth floor. When the elevator opened I found myself in a construction zone. There was no wallpaper or paint on the walls and only about half the floor was carpeted, renovating, no prblem, on to the room. ok room nothing special, except there were wires everywhere at the workstation, and the lights, tv, and fridge did not work. Called the desk, they sent someone up, in the mean time I had found a power strip that had everything plugged into it that was turned off. this turned everything on except the remote for the tv would not work. The maintence man programed it to work. Later that evening I tried to order room service only to be told that there was no restaurant. It was closed and there were several nice restaurants within walking distance. After I voiced my displeasure I was told I would get free parking and a list of restaurants that delivered to the hotel, not to mention the "Continental breakfast." The next morning at 8a.m. the continental( in the lobby) consisted of coffee and 2 muffins, one chocolate and one chocolate chip.
The toilet would not flush properly, when I ordered food for delivery there was a $2.00 phone charge (they took it off), one soda and ice machine on the 12th floor, an indifferent staff, I actually felt sorry for them, and I never did see any construction going on. It could be nice, but it was bleak.
),

t actually stay there

from A TripAdvisor Member
I had booked through expedia to stay at the Hotel Blake. Got there and they were undergoing renovations. We were sent to Hotel 71 a 'sister hotel' and told the hotel Blake would phone over.
Got to Hotel 71 and they said no one had phoned.
Finally got it sorted and a room. will continue review of Hotel 71 under that section.
On checking out time I was given a bill (taken directly out of my account) for my stay at hotel 71.
Had to go back to hotel Blake and get them to sort it out. Still waiting for my money.


Reception - looks terrible - a thick curtain around a few computers is the front desk.

I didn't actually stay at the hotel Blake so I can't really say any more about it.

Very Disappointed

from Layover
I think I expected some kind of kitchy boutique hotel. No. Just an old hotel. I think a lot of people will like this property. But it wasn't for me.

Hotel going through major changes and FYI NOT closing

from A TripAdvisor Member
They hyatt on Printers row is going through some major renovations. It has been sold, but will still be available for hotel stay. Rooms have begun to be upgraded. Only hotel in chicago area to have not 1 but 2 plasma tv screens in the rooms. It will no longer be managed by hyatt come the first of the year. People making comments about prairie style and 80's black laquer dont know what they are talking about and that is the conversion of the new renovations . I find it funny that one user complained about the coffee then mentioned a starbucks across the street..FYI Prairie restaurant (in the hyatt) serves only starbucks coffee.. so see you cant believe everything you read or hear... i found my stay very injoyable, the staff very happy and the food to be great!

Sadly deteriorated: AVOID

from Bobjr
This had been one of my favorite Chcago hotels for years. The location is excellent (South Loop, most points of interest are a short walk, including The Art Institute, Grant Park, and the financial district), and the spacious rooms were kept immaculately clean. It had a nice restaurant, comfortable furniture, and an attentive staff. Unfortunately, much has changed for the worse. Apparently the hotel's days as a Hyatt are numbered, and the building is in the midst of a conversion to Condominiums.

I'll start with the one remaining positive: the staff remain friendly, efficient, and in-the-know; just what you'd expect from any Hyatt.

The room itself was quite dirty: stains on the carpet, mildew in the shower, broken lampshades on fixtures burning cold flourescent bulbs. The windows needed cleaning, and the wallpaper in the bathroom was stained. Got a room change with no problem, second room was no better. Most of the furniture had been removed from the rooms: no writing desk, couch or loveseat, or even a comfortable easy chair. Both rooms had a glass table with two plain, unpadded chairs. This was the ONLY furniture in either room besides the TV cabinet and beds.

The formerly classy restaurant "Prarie" had also gone way downhill. Coffee was yucky, and the suasage and bacon tasted like cleaning products. Room service did not respond at 10:30 PM. There's a Starbucks accross the street though, and a suoerb juice bar/ brunch place called "orange" a block away.

It's a shame when a good hotel goes bad, but Chicago has many fine options. I suggest avoiding this Hyatt in (what must be) it's final months of operation.

Perfect place..........

from A TripAdvisor Member
After reading previous reviews of this place, I figured I had to put my two cents in. This is a perfect hotel unless you're looking for luxury. Yeah, the carpets are a little worn, there is a little bit of construction going on, BUT it's in a perfect location and I was able to get it on priceline for 55 bucks.

I did stay in the new building (per previous reviews) which was a very nice room. There was also free cable internet and a fitness room. They have since improved the fitness room since previous reviews. There are 3 flat screen TV's, a few cardio machines and a Bowflex type of machine with a few free weights.

If you're looking to stay at a place like the Drake, then stay there, but if you'd like to spend your money on something other than where you lay your head down at night and throw your dirty clothes on the floor, then STAY here!!!

Hope this helps.......

Top Local Tips for Chicago

Do Not choose Hotel Blake Staying on Michigan avenue would be best. The area we were in was the business district, so nothing was open hardly at all near us. Most of the bars and businesses nearby closed at 5:PM.

A great resource for finding your way around If you go to www.transitchicago.com they have a link on the right side of the screen called "trip planner". You can enter your location (or select a landmark) and where you want to go. It gives you options like how far you'd be willing to walk, fastest way, etc. It then will give you very good directions as to the train, subway, and buses you will use to get to your location and the cost of the trip. You can print it off along with the walking instructions, and you'll be set to go. By a visitors pass and explore the city. You can easily avoid cabs and save lots of money.

Hotel Blake's restaurant I read about Custom House and heard it one of the best "new" restaurants in Chicago. I made reservations for my family this evening! Menu looks great! FYI: Custom House does Hotel Blake's catering and room service.

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Other names for Hotel Blake

  • blake motel chicago
  • blake hotel chicago
  • Address: 500 S Dearborn St - Chicago - Illinois - 60605 - United States
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