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Slowly but surely I will finish everything. Life has been very busy though. Today I will do the review on the hotel we stayed in. I usually get paid to do reviews or get something for free but I do bad reviews for free!

We chose the Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro. We picked it solely because it was a short walk from the train station.

I will start by giving you their statement from their website...

Cutting-edge luxury awaits you in our sleek and modern guest rooms and suites, offering romantic views of the Chicago Skyline and an amazing downtown location.

I would say that yes, it looks like it was once a sleek modern hotel but it has not aged well. It has been very neglected. Right away as we entered we found that the "automatic" revolving door stopped being automatic as soon as you entered it. That is when the bellman runs over and helps you push the heavy door so that you can enter.

Check in was very fast since we paid online. I liked the security of not being able to go up on the elevators without using a room key. When we got out of the elevator I found the hallways had filthy carpet. I told myself that it was winter and a Friday so maybe they just could not keep up with vacuuming.

Then we entered our room. I found that the carpet in the room was also filthy. Either they do not vacuum often or they really need to replace their vacuums. I pulled back a curtain so I could hang my coat and I found a pair of someone's socks. This really bothered me. How much cleaning could they have done?

I was also not very impressed with the bathroom. One of the things I love about hotels is the sink and mirror area that is outside of the bathroom. They did not have that. They had a very small bathroom with a sliding glass door. The door sat on track on the outside of the bathroom and overlapped a little. The glass was frosted but still! The one time in life that I do not want to be behind glass is when I am on the toilet!

James had a conference call right away so he loved that they had a desk and wifi. He wanted some quiet so I decided to take the girls to the grocery store across the street. That is when I noticed that they did not even have a little fridge and microwave. As a mom this is a must! Even crappy hotels have them. I quick checked to be sure that there was a coffee maker or someone might die! There was a coffee maker but it was the cheapest most pathetic thing I have ever seen.

The rest of the room looked dirty and old. The bedding and towels were dingy and their signature little red Crowne Plaza pillows had their seams ripped open and frayed. The furniture looked like it was once nice but now the corners are all chipped and broken.

On the plus side the room did have a chaise so my one daughter chose to sleep there rather than sleep with her sisters. There was also a beautiful view from the balcony which we used to keep our drinks cold since there was no fridge.

Will I go back? I would rather not. I will try to look for another hotel that is close to the train station. The Crowne Plaza Chicago Metro could be a beautiful place but it is clear that no one cares to do any upkeep.