Saturday, September 15, 2007

Chicago Bound

I'll be in Chicago all next week attending this conference on antimicrobial agents.

It should be a lot of fun; in addition to the conference, I'll be meeting up with some old friends and catching a Cubs game at Wrigley. I'm also extending my stay in the midwest to go to South Bend for the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State game. I haven't been back to my alma mater since 2002, so I'm really looking forward to a traditional football weekend full of college friends and tailgating.

The bad news? Apparently, I'm staying at the worst hotel in Chicago, the Congress Plaza. I should have suspected something when it was the only one of the thirty hotels the conference reserved that still had availability. I checked out their website, and it didn't seem so bad. Then, I stumbled across the customer reviews. Here are some highlights:

  • "My stay there was a nightmare."
  • " The room smelled of mold and mildew, the bedding looked as if it hadn't been washed in decades..."
  • "DO NOT COME TO THIS HOTEL!!! It couldn't be worse, and this hotel is a terrible landmark for Chicago."
  • "Stay away from this place."
  • "This was absolutely the worst hotel I have ever stayed at."
  • "Very dingy hotel. Almost like the Tower of Terror in Disney world!"
  • " this is the weirdest hotel i ever stayed at. If you have ever seen the movie "The Shining" this hotel looked just like that hotel."
  • "The hallways did remind me of the hotel in the Shining, so a little spooky!"

I tried to switch hotels, but I made my reservation through the conference and they said everything else was still booked. Well, I'll let you all know if it's really like The Shining.

2 comments:

Kevin said...

You could always stay with Brain, if the hotel doesn't work out.

I can't believe you haven't been back to ND since 2002.

eileen said...

Glad to hear it wasn't that bad- I was hoping that the bad reviews were exaggerated. No, I'll be fine- my work is actually paying for it, so I guess I'm just bummed out that all of the fancy hotels were booked!

Re: ND. I know! I've been on the wedding circuit for a few years, so I haven't made it back for any games.