It sucks that you were trapped in downtown Chicago with no other options for breakfast. Our lack of places to get eggs in this city is probably the main reason we didn’t get the 2016 Olympics.
I hate the way hotels charge you for every little thing as much as the next guy, but to complain that you were “ripped off” is way off base. Nobody forced you to use their pool (did you, I don’t think you said), or connect to their wi-fi, or eat at their restaurant, or even use their parking garage (there are plenty in the neighborhood that cost a lot less than $52 per day).
And no, there are no Super 8’s on the Mag Mile but there are certainly cheaper options than Swissotel. That’s a pretty swanky joint.
I’ve certainly stayed in the best hotel in various major cities, most often right downtown, and I generally know going in that parking is extra, wifi is extra, breakfast is extra, local/800 calls are extra, and so on. But I either asked when I made my reservation or I learned it from the hotel’s website; I was not surprised by extra fees for things when I got there.
On the other hand, I’ve also stayed in Comfort Inns and Super 8s and places like “The Bluebird Motel and Coffee Shop” on the edge of town, where there is always free parking, free wifi, free breakfast, free local calls, and so on.
In my experience, you can’t have it both ways, generally–you can’t be downtown and get the freebies you’d get farther away and for less money. I think we can formulate a law here:
“The more expensive the room rate and closer to downtown a hotel is, the fewer services that are included in the room rate. The less expensive the room rate and farther from downtown the hotel is, the more services that are included in the room rate.”
Of course, exceptions can occur in certain circumstances for frequent travellers–for example, I tend to stay in the same (expensive downtown) place when I travel to a certain city; they always comp me to wifi and local calls, and sometimes give me a gift certificate to the restaurant and/or upgrade my room. But the average traveller who has never stayed there before will definitely get less for more than he or she would have paid farther out of town, so I think my law holds.
No, but in September I stayed at the Palmer House in Chicago and it was quite lovely. The internet was extra, but we didn’t use it, and there was no breakfast included. And we didn’t open the bar…
Hijack, but actually the food in the actual downtown of Chicago does pretty much suck; it’s all either the lamest of cheap chain restaurants or $20+ fancy places for people on expense accounts, with very little in between.
I hear you, but may I counter your argument with the Billy Goat Tavern (just a short stroll from the Swissotel). Best breakfast sandwiches in town, and only about $4!