The name Conrad (the most luxurious of all Hilton hotels) should illicit nothing but images of pure elegance and luxury; however, the Conrad in Chicago, IL did obviously not receive the memo. Upon entering the hotel, we were not greeted by any of the hotel staff. Additionally, we were not offered any help. The desk receptionist was beyond rude. Her snide remarks towards my wife and me set the tone for a the rest of our stay. After getting our card, we were finally offered help with our luggage. The young man who helped us could barely handle our luggage. Strangely, he somehow found more strength when it was time to collect his tip. He received the tip he deserved, which he scoffed about and groaned under his breath as he walked away. Upon first looking at the room it was beautiful. However, closer inspection revealed that the room had NOT been cleaned since the last visitor had left. There was hair in the sink and around the toilet. There was even a used bar of soap in the bathtub. This fact was not met with any apology by hotel staff. Instead, I was told that was preposterous and that the room had indeed been cleaned to the highest of standards. Two-hours later, someone came into the room to "investigate". When they saw the mess that had been left, they offered a menial apology. Still another two hours later, housekeeping arrived. The level of incompetence even extended to the valets in the parking garage. In the most incredible display of stupidity of our visit, the valet actually brought the wrong car to me. I was half tempted to take the car that was brought to me (it was certainly an incredible make and model), but my better judgment prevailed. I informed the valet of his mistake, to which he replied, "Sorry dude, I read your ticket wrong." I know that he did not smoke in my car, but he smelled so strongly of smoke, that the smell melted into my seat. Luckily, its location on Rush will help get out of the terror that is Conrad Chicago. There are so many better hotels in Chicago -- please spend your money elsewhere.
