The Gwen, a Luxury Collection, proudly displays a few notable awards, such as the Michelin Guide, Conde Nast on it’s website. However, my opinion, (along with those on Youtube), is that this is a fairly acceptable city hotel, a bit less awesome than say a random Delta Toronto.

Overview

The Luxury Collection hotel is Marriott’s collection of “iconic” luxury hotels that either don’t adhere to a particular brand standard or have their own unique personalities, depending on whose is asking. I have stayed in several in the past, and so I appreciate their character whilst will providing benefits expected of a Marriott. For this hotel, it was around $375 for a long weekend, which I felt was a bit steep given it’s lack of amenities and Chicago’s vast hotel market.

Location

However, this might have been justified a bit by the hotel’s wonderful location, and exterior design. Centrally located on top of the Shops at North Bridge, one of Chicago’s only indoor shopping malls, the hotel is close by to Eataly, Riverwalk, a Panda Express, and of course one of the best schools in the world Northwestern University.

Furthermore, the hotel is right beside the subway station Grand, or if you’re coming in from the airport a 15 minute walk from Clark and Lake station. Getting to the hotel can be a bit confusing: you can enter through the mall (which takes you to the 5th floor) or through the lobby below the mall.

The mall entrance is more convenient, though bit more run down given some interior construction.

Check In

Check in was quite smooth, and the hotel was kind enough to let me check in an hour early. I had previously asked for a titanium upgrade, and given this was a long weekend was only upgraded at the desk from a Superior King View to a Grand Deluxe King Room…which just meant a higher floor and a slightly better view. Throwback to #LasVegasHotels.

I really liked the lobby, and it truly felt as it was the “1930’s glamor” that the hotel advertised.

Given the rain, the Upstairs at the Gwen was closed, but there was still indoor lounge that was available.

There was also a Moet Vending Machine in the lobby, which was quite a novelty as I had only seen them previously in Dubai.

After getting my keys, I made my way to the nicely designed elevators, which stood in good contrast to the dark hues of the hotel.

The hallways themselves have a bit of character, and just the right amount of lighting.

Room

Laden with my bounty of amenities, I made my way up to my room 1735.

The Grand Deluxe King Room measured 375 sq ft. However, as I joked with a few friends, this is one of those hotels that spent most of their budget on the bathroom. The room started with a pretty long hallway to accommodate the bathroom and a closet.

The main area was fine for a base level room, with the area feeling quite airy given the lack of unnecessary furniture.

The bed itself was fine, it not a tad on the harder side; I did like the soft sheets and the unique background art though. There was also a nightstand on each side, with a lamp and charging port.

There was also a decorative mini table and chair, although the small size of the table confused me a bit.

Thankfully there was a more functional desk nearby with another interesting painting.

Rounding out the room was a TV set on top of a large drawer / fridge combo.

I couldn’t find a coffee maker, though the hotel compensated by having freshly brewed coffee in the lobby. Underneath the TV was bottled water, glasses, and an empty mini-fridge that I appreciate.

And now onto the bathroom, which I feel like took up ~40% of the overall room. It was anchored by a relatively large sink with lovely Molton Brown amenities.

There was also an impressively large, and certainly well appreciated, bathtub.

The rest of the bathroom was a bit more mundane, with a toilet and shower. It did feel like the hotel tried to incorporate a suite sized bathroom into a base room, which can be good depending on your needs.

Overall, for a base room this isn’t bad. What is disappointing is the amenities at the hotel, particularly one with so many accolades.

Amenities

The main attraction at the hotel is the gym, which to be fair was a good size for a city hotel.

I do appreciate it when hotels give out cold towels, although the Gwen has gone a bit overboard.

There also is a small and serviceable business center.

And that’s it on the amenities front. There’s no spa or pool, both of which are disappointing for a Luxury Collection hotel. However, at least there are few meeting rooms, and nice paintings!

I did have breakfast at the Lounge, and Titanium members get to chose 1 breakfast item and 1 drink. The portion sizes were American sized, and the food was good enough for a luxury hotel.

As for the service, I didn’t really interact with anyone there, but the few interactions I had were warm and pleasant.

The Point

I think the Gwen, a Luxury Collection, had high standards to meet, especially given my past experiences at the Luxury Collection. Ultimately, they fell short given the lofty expectations. If they had been advertised as a Westin, which is the vibe I got, I would have been perfectly happy. The base room, while nice, is not something that would be categorized as award winning. Concurrently, the absence of several key amenities, such as a swimming pool or spa, for luxury hotel, is an interesting choice. I would at most pay $200-250 for the hotel, which is what I believe they were going for pre-pandemic.