The Talbott Hotel claims to be Chicago's Premiere Small Luxury Hotel. After staying there and experiencing the service, environment, and the hotel in general, I can say with confidence that this just isn't true. I arrived with rather high expectations due to the claims made by the hotel and some of the reviews posted on their website and I was immediately disappointed. No one came to my car to collect my bags and I was forced to lug them inside myself. The doorman was polite but failed to even open the door for me, leaving me to fend for myself while trying to carry my bags. Once inside, the atmosphere was not what I expected. The lighting was poor, leaving the lobby dark and it looked like a dingy setting with a glossy veneer in an attempt to hide the degenerate state of the building. The carpet looked dirty, as if it hadn't been vacuumed or washed in quite some time, and up in the corners where the walls met the ceilings there was visible water damage. When I arrived at the front desk, I was forced to wait over five minutes until someone came out to help me. After checking in I went up to my room and was once again disappointed. The bed was very uncomfortable and I ran the shower for ten minutes without ever receiving any hot water. That night I ordered room service. The food took 45 minutes to get to my room, and when it finally arrived it was cold. The fitness center had a very small selection of machines which caused long lines while waiting to use them. I would certainly not recommend this hotel to any of my friends, and probably not to my enemies either. Stay away!
