Chicago Hotel Review: Hyatt Place

Hi!

It's that time again for another review! I typically stay at the Kimpton Allegro since it's the closest to my work when I'm in Chicago. This time due to a suggestion from a coworker I decided to stay at Hyatt Place. I've had a good experience staying at a Hyatt when I went to Seattle. Another reason as the hotel is close to my work as well. The street that the hotel is one is not very populated. Similar to the other Chicago hotels there is valet available. One thing that I did notice right away at the reception desk is that they used a laptop to check-in guests which is different than what I see at a typical hotel. The lobby area is quite small and the business center is right behind a wall. As a Hyatt member you get two free bottles of water per a night as well as free breakfast in the morning. The fitness center is nice as there are floor to ceiling windows and TV screens on all the treadmills and ellipticals. It's pretty small overall but sufficient for a good work-out. 

Room

The room that I got was a king bed and they gave my an accessible room which made it every larger. There is a semi-separate sleeping area which is very nice but I didn't utilize as much and only put my stuff there.

The bed itself was large and the windows were floor to ceiling stretching from the bed area to the bathroom sinks. The downside of having these windows was the bed was very close and you can see the office building next door very clearly. I had to keep the blinds down for the most part. The room was quiet and I slept very well.

This is the desk area and as you can see there is a small coffee maker. There is nothing very special and it's pretty standard. 

There was two sinks in this area and the toilet and shower stalls are behind the door which is not shown in the picture. The shower part was also a tad bit weird just because there's no ledge between the shower and the bathroom floor but I assume that feature is because that it is an accessible room. The face towels though were very soft. 

I haven't been to a hotel yet that offers complimentary breakfast bar like this one. I love it! There was eggs, potatoes, and bacon available as hot foods. There's your typical yogurt, bagels, bread, and oatmeal. I love oatmeal and they have a variety of toppings as well as fruit. For beverages, they have a coffee, tea, and juices. 

Overall: 5/5

The complimentary breakfast really got me. The rooms were huge and there's nothing really bad that I could say about this hotel. Definitely recommend staying there! 

Chicago Hotel Review: Aloft

Hello Hello!

Before my week trip training in Chicago during the month of September, I actually went their a day two days earlier to walk around the city. Also during this time I got super sick which was a bummer. 

I stayed at Aloft hotel which is a part of the Marriot. The location was decent with restaurants nearby. Also the hotel is very close to Northwestern University I think. The location of the hotel is very close to the intersection so beware that your uber driver can get confused so I recommend entering the hotel's address when getting a uber instead of solely relying on location services. The hotel itself was modern rustic type of feel. I did not check out the fitness center. 

Room

The first thing I see when I walk in is the sink which the toilet and shower is separated by a door. The sink area is well lit and the counter has good amount of space. 

This is the bed which faces a tv and there was plenty of little stools. Standard bed and nothing too special. The downside for aloft hotels are the thin walls and you can pretty much hear whats going in the halls. 

This is no closet instead you can hang your clothes on the bar on top of these drawers above. The room itself is conservative of space and simple.

My favorite thing about the entire room must be this sitting area. It is perfect for relaxing or working. 

Overall: 4/5

I surprisingly like this hotel. The location is ok and the style of the room I liked. 

Around the City

I took a SoulCycle class! 

I went to see the band's visit at Cadillac Palace! We got cheap $15 tickets so we were super far from the stage and it was hard to see. The next time I got the chance to watch the show I got closer seats and was able to see al the performers faces clearly.

One of the places that I liked is Eataly. A fun Italian food location that had various Italian restaurants inside. The places there were casual and the food was yummy!

I probably would've enjoyed my stay at Chicago a lot more if I wasn't sick.  Hoping that you enjoy reading about my review and have a lovely Christmas!

XOXO

-M

Pittsburgh Hotel Review: Omni Penn & Tacos

Hello!

Welcome back for another review! In order to change up things this time, I'm going to start with some food places that I've gone to in Pittsburgh! The first place is this taco place called Tocayo in this cute this shopping center area. There's like wide range of stores like Sephora and Banana Republic. I just went with a friend to grab some dinner.

I got the beef burrito bowl and it was amazing. The beef was done very well and the whole combination was delicious. The price of the bowl was pretty inexpensive. 

My go-to place when I visit Pittsburgh is Bae Bae's Kitchen. I'm utterly obsessed with this place! The Korean fried chicken is a must try! They also give decent size portions. Also the bulgogi has won me over so I'll get that if I'm not feelin the chicken. I also choose the noodles or japchae to go with the dish, super delicious. For side dishes (banchan), I try to get kimchi or seaweed salad. The side dishes do change so it depends. 

Of course there is starbucks everywhere but I also try to go to Rock and Joe's cafe to grab a cup of coffee and yogurt. They also have artisan drinks if you get selected ones. Not a bad alternative to my starbucks lovers. 

Pittsburgh Hotel Review: Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton

Hi!

Distrikt Hotel Pittsburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton

This hotel is farther from where I usually stay at and a little bit more remote. There isn’t a lot in the area but there is a couple of food places down a block. It’s also fairly easy to get to since the street that I used wasn’t super busy. This have this little turnaround and makes it convenient to valet. However, the valet is really slow and I had to sit in my car for 3-5 minutes before I saw a valet employee. There is a garage that is next to the hotel that you can self-park. The hotel used to be a Salvation Army building so the architecture of it is very unique. There is nice small lobby area and there was a random seating area out in the front. I think it is considered a boutique hotel. I didn’t use the fitness center but they did have one. There was also vending machines that were right outside the fitness center.

Room:It was a spacious room with a closet out in the front instead of a walk-in one. There is complimentary k-cups for coffee and two bottles of water. I also appreciated that the glass cups were wrapped in plastic so it was kept clean. The bed was spacious and the entire bed was actually super comfortable. The downside is that the room that I got had this ticking noise overtime the heat was on, the walls were thin and I hear what was going on outside, and the fridge didn’t work. The bathroom was standard and I don’t know why the toilet seat was up. 

Overall: 3/5

I would be ok staying there but it would not be my first choice. The experience wasn’t terrible but there were things that could be better. 

Chicago Hotel Review: Kimpton Allegro

(sunset at Navy Pier)

Hello!

This is a late post as I meant to have it up earlier but I forgot about it until now. The experiences are still the same as I am going to talk about my time at Chicago. So I've been to Chicago around 4 times thus far and I've gone to the city during various times of the year.



Hotel

I always think that with a new year there comes new opportunities. I started off 2018 by actually going to work. This is my first actual real job. Right off the bat on January 2nd, I went to my local office orientation then later than day I flew to Chicago. This is my first time being in the city so I was still excited even though it was a bit chilly. I stayed at Kimpton Hotel Allegro. This hotel is a part of HGI just an info for those who likes to collect reward points. Location wise it is right next to a theater (Connor Place).  They do not offer self-parking so if you do drive in you have to valet. You have to use the stairs or the elevators to get to the lobby. The lobby area is very nice with plenty of space and chairs to sit at. There is a bar area as well as a connecting restaurant. It's interesting that they do not do room service. They have a small fitness center that was renovated in 2018 but nothing too special. They do not have a coffee maker in the rooms instead they have a pretty decent coffee/tea bar in mornings so perfect to grab and go. Additionally, a feature that have specifically is free champagne during 5-6 every day! That's definitely a pro as I am all for free champagne.

The room is very small if you stay in a single but the bed is your standard size. There are even two large accent pillows as well as a smaller one. They have a small area and the rooms in general are pretty quiet which is important to me.

The bathroom is quite tight as you can see the sink is right next to the toilet. There's no much counter space to put your things. 

It had everything that I need in a hotel room so not too much to complain about. Additionally, the bathroom has robes if you choose to wear.

The hotel allowed dogs so we saw a lot of them. The dog above is Sherman and he was super well behaved. I got pet him and see him during the last day I stayed at the hotel.

Overall 4/5

I would stay in this hotel again. The amenities are sufficient, the rooms are quiet, and champagne. The location is pretty good except a bit farther from shopping and food places. A good location to stay at if you like to see plays/musicals!

Pittsburgh Hotel Review: Fairmont

Hello Hello!

Wow haven't posted anything for super super long. I've been super busy with life so I've decided to do some post on my recent travels to Pittsburgh for work. I've probably gone to Pittsburgh every week in October and majority of November. So far I've stayed at three different hotels. Today I'm just going to give a quick review at my favorite one! I've also traveled to NYC, Seattle, and Chicago this year so I might do a review on those as well but probably not until a lot later. My post may be a little more choppy and have some grammatical errors as I am writing this at 11pm at night and also have a slight headache.

One of the my favorite aspect this hotel is the location. It is located at the right on Market Square where all the food places are! There food places ranging from McDonalds to fancy Italian restuarant thats all in one spot. It is considered a more upscale hotel in the area. I typically drive it so that also a factor to consider. They have both self-parking and an underground garage which I really appreciate. I'm a young female in an unfamiliar city so I would rather be safe then dead. Valet is around $35-$40/night and self-parking is $30. I prefer self-parking as sometimes I don't bring everything that I need out of car so it is very easy for me to go back if I self-park. The garage is right under the hotel as opposed to the other hotels that I have stayed at in the area that have the garage across the street or down the street. The garage is well-lit and the spots are easy to get to. Once you get to the elevators just go up and you will get to the lobby.

The fitness center is located on the 3rd floor as well as the spa. The fitness center is one of the most well equipped ones that i have stayed. There are glass walls that you can view the city as you work out and the place itself is pretty large. In addition to the usually treadmills and ellipticals there is also spinning bikes. My favorite gym machine has to be the stretching station which I have not seen before in other places. The center provides both wet and dry towels. 

Room

The bed picture you see is the deluxe king. It is nice and pretty comfortable. I don't know why they have their magazine and remote on the table trays on the bed which I find annoying and move it out of the way each time. The best thing about the room is that it is quiet. I'm tired afraid a day of traveling then work so I really appreciate a nice quiet room. Fairmont doesn't have all the floors in the building so majority of the rooms are higher up which means less noise from the outside. Majority of the guests are business women and men therefore they are quiet during the night as everyone has to go to work the next morning and there are no kids running around making noises. 

There's is a nice wide desk area for you to work at if you so do wish. For the room that i usually stay at there is also a single sofa chair next to the bed. The room has very nice floor to ceiling windows which are so lovely to have the city view in the mornings or at night. 

There is a little drinks area that i would say. As you can tell from the picture there is a water heater and a keurig. K-cups are located in the drawers as well as cups. The one thing that I did notice was the mugs/glass cups were a bit dusty so i usually rinse before using. There also have a stocked snacks and alcoholic beverages section if you want to have it charge on the room. It's nice that it is convenient but I didn't like how all the drinks took up the entire fridge so i couldn't put anything in it. 

The first thing i immediately noticed about the bathrooms is how huge it was. There's also a bath and shower separately. The table counters are so long so i can spread out everything in the mornings. Then they have the usual amenities like soap and shampoo. I liked how they have mouthwash as well. I don't usually use a bathrobe but they do provide it as well. 

I can to stay it on a standard rate because I stay there for work and the company that i work for has a contract with this hotel. I just did a quick look up and this hotel is about $229/night. you can stay at a cheaper hotel but keep in mind that this is a five-star hotel. Also I'm there for work and not for funsies so its very important for me to be comfortable. I've stayed at this hotel for 3 times and the other times i didn't because i couldn't book it.

Overall 5/5

I had a great time staying at this hotel for all my three stays hence its my favorite. I would recommend staying at this hotel as it is perfect for work or for leisure. I have included a link below if you want to check it out! 

https://www.fairmont.com/pittsburgh/?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided